Adjusting Digital Images

This lesson guides students through:
• Locating their digital image files on their computers and deciding what needs to be done to change or improve their images for use in Treehouse building
• Adjusting images (correct size, rotate, brightness level, cropping) in preparation to upload these images to the Tree of Life website.
Click the links below to find lesson steps, learner tasks, tools and resources and more.
(link buttons here)
Lesson Information

ToL Learner Level
Beginner; Intermediate

Student Grade Level
Grades 4 and up

Pre-Lesson Preparation
Before the day of this lesson, teachers and students should prepare by taking the necessary steps to ensure that each student or student team has at least one digital image accessible for the lesson. This should include the following:
• Transfer digital images from cameras to school computers (see Tools and Resources).
• Each student should create a folder called “(Student’s Name)’s ToL IMAGES” on the computer they will be using or accessible through an activities folder.
• Each student should then be familiar with this file and how to store images in it before they are adjusted and uploaded to the Tree of Life site.

Objectives
Students will:
• Navigate drives and folders on their computers to locate digital image files
• Open their images in Microsoft Paint
• Adjust their images—rotate (if necessary), crop, and resize
• Save images as a JPEG files in their accounts for later access

Time Frame
Students will need at least 45 minutes.

Curricular Areas
Science, Technology, Media Arts?

State Education Standards: Not yet available
National Education Standards: Not yet available
Tools and Resources:
Viet teacher and learner sections
Homework

(teacher page)

Lesson Steps

Time Frame
Students will need at least 45 minutes.

Introduction ~ 5-10 minutes

1. Introduce the lesson by pointing out that the primary goal of the day is to shrink their images to a size appropriate for Treehouse building. I emphasize, also, that images must be saved as JPEG or GIF files, because that is what you need for the web.
2. Guide students to Microsoft Paint via the START menu, by selecting PROGRAMS, and then ACCESSORIES. Have students open the Paint program.
3. Students click on FILE, then on OPEN and use the window that appears to navigate drives and folders to find their image files.
4. Show students an image from the Tree of Life and explain that the goal is to have their images look similar to this example.
5. Students view their images and discuss what they see. Are there any obvious problems with the size? Encourage students to share problem with class and discuss briefly.

Undo and Save a backup ~ 5 minutes

1. Before moving on to the next step, introduce the UNDO function, to let students know they can easily fix (undo) mistakes they might make during the lesson.
2. Also have students save a backup copy. Student should name this backup file with a “BC” either at the beginning or the end of the image file name. Using Microsoft Paint the best way to make a backup is to use the SAVE AS function. Click on SAVE AS and, within the window that opens, selected the appropriate folder (i.e. the students image folder) and then type in the new name for the backup file. Then click save.

Rotate Image ~ 5-10 minutes

1. Students determine whether their images need to be rotated. Is the image upside down or turned on its edge? (Many will probably not.)
2. Encourage students who do not need their images rotated to watch someone whose image does need to be rotated.
3. With their images showing in the Paint window, students click on IMAGE and select FLIP/ROTATE.
4. Within the small window that opens, students select ROTATE BY ANGLE, and then decide by how degrees their image needs to be rotated—90, 180, 270. (Note: images can only be rotated clockwise.)

Crop Image ~ 10-15 minutes

1. Have students turn away from their computers. Explain what it means to crop an image and how they might use the crop function to enhance the quality of their image. (Note: Cropping is not necessary, but is often beneficial prior to resizing large images.)
2. Students turn back to their computers….(cropping with Paint might actually too tricky to include in this lesson)

Resizing Image ~ 10-15 minutes

1. Have students turn away from their computers and explains why images have to be a certain size. Explain that a pixel is unit of measurement that describes how much digital space is taken up by an image. Larger images require more digital space or pixels than smaller images. Instructor also explains what size (how many pixels) is ideal for ToL images (450> pixels)..
2. Students turn back to their computers and first determine the current size of their images (how many pixels). To do this, click on IMAGE and select ATTRIBUTES. The window that appears displays the image size. (Note: The default setting for units is pixels, but have students check to make sure by looking just below the width and height listings to confirm that the measurements are in pixels.)
3. Students choose the larger of the two dimensions and compare it to the desired maximum for either dimension (450 pixels). Students determine how much smaller this measurement needs to be, by an approximate percentage and write this percentage down. (e.g. Does their image need to be 20% smaller or 50% smaller according to the images largest dimension.?) Students close the ATTRIBUTES window.
4. To resize their images, students click on IMAGE and selected STRETCH/SKEW. Students notice that in the STRETCH box, both the horizontal and vertical dimensions are at 100%. ToL instructor has students turn away from their computers and asks students which dimension should be adjusted (resized). (Note: Both dimensions should be adjusted the same amount to prevent skewing.) Students turn back to their computers and make the appropriate adjustments to both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of their image and click OK.

Save Image ~ 5-10 minutes

1. With their images properly adjusted, student now need to save their images as JPEG files and in their own folders accessible through their accounts.
2. Students click on FILE and selected SAVE AS. Within the window that opens, students selected the correct location or folder and type in the file name they want associated with their images. Clicking SAVE completes the lesson and students can close the Paint application and log off computers.

Learner Tasks

Student Obejectives:

By the end of the period, students need one appropriately sized image saved (in the correct format and location) and available for later use. Images should meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Image should be interesting and relate to the student’s Treehouse topic.
2. The largest dimension of the image should be no more than 450 pixels.
3. The image should be saved as a JPEG file and be easily accessible for later use.

Student Instructions:

Rotating An Image

1. With your image file opened in Microsoft Paint, first decided whether the image needs to be rotated. Is it upside down or turn on its edge. If not then, there is not need to rotate it. If it does need to be rotated move on to step two.
2. With your images showing in the Paint window, students click on IMAGE at the top of the window and select FLIP/ROTATE.
3. Within the small window that opens, select ROTATE BY ANGLE, and then decide by how degrees your image needs to be rotated—90, 180, 270. Remember that your images can only be rotated clockwise or to the right.

Resizing An Image

1. With your image showing in the Paint window, you first need to determine what size your image is. The units of measurement that we are interested in are pixels. Pixels measure how much digital space an image takes up on your computer. The larger the image, the more pixels it requires. Images to be uploaded on to the Tree of Life should be sized so that the largest dimensions (width or height) is no more than 450 pixels.
2. To find out about the pixel dimensions of your image, click on the IMAGE button at the top of the window, and then select ATTRIBUTES. It is important that you only view this window. Do not change any of the information in this window. The only exception to this rule is to make sure that below the readings for width and height that the box for PIXELS is checked. How wide and how high is your image? Write the largest of these numbers down. This is your largest dimension.
3. Now look at the table you were given at the beginning of the period. In the column labeled LARGEST DIMENSION OF YOU IMAGE, locate the range into which your largest pixel measurement fits. Then look in the corresponding row in the column labeled % DESCREASE. This number is how much you will need to shrink your image, in percentage form. Write the percentage down. Click OK on and the ATTRIBUTES window will close.
4. Click on the IMAGE button at the top of the Paint window, and selected STRETCH/SKEW. Notice in the Stretch box there are readings for both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of your image. They both should both read 100%.
5. On a sheet of paper subtract the percent you acquired from the table from 100. This is the number you will need to enter in both of the boxes where it now reads 100%. (For example, if your percent decrease was 60, then you subtract that from 100 to get 40 and enter 40.) Be sure to enter it for both the horizontal and vertical box. If you do not your imaged will be skewed and not look good. Click OK and take a look at your image.
6. To make sure everything work correctly repeat step 2 to see the new dimensions of your image.

Cropping an Image

Saving an Image as JPEG

1. Now that you image looks the way it should, you need to make sure that it is saved in the correct format.
2. With you image showing in the Paint window, click on FILE at the top of the window and selected SAVE AS. Within the new window that opens, find your folder and select it the correct location or folder and type in the file name they want associated with their images. Clicking SAVE AS in the lower right hand corner completes the lesson. You can close the Paint application and log off your computer.

Tools and Resources