1-2-3
Movie Poster or Book Cover
Photos and digital images are powerful storytelling tools, especially when combined and transformed to create bold, eye-catching designs. Photomanipulation lets you blend reality and imagination to produce visuals that grab attention and spark curiosity. This project challenges you to design a book cover or movie poster that tells a story and draws viewers in through creative image editing and composition.
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Your Mission is to create a photomanipulated movie poster (or book cover). You’ll combine photos, textures, text, and effects to build a compelling design that captures the theme, mood, or message of your chosen story or concept.
​Project Goals
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Develop skills in photo editing and compositing using digital tools
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Explore visual storytelling through imagery and typography
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Practice creating strong focal points and balanced compositions
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Experiment with mood, colour, and effects to enhance meaning
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WHERE to get your Photo Assets?
The best photos are the ones you take yourself.
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However, if you need to gather images for your compositions, use a Creative Commons site such as Unsplash or Pexels.
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Creatives share their photos on these sites FOR YOU TO USE. FOR FREE.
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Do not use Google Images or AI, both of which steal other artists' work without consent.
(ok, fine, Google Images is a Search Engine--- but if you use images from there then YOU are the one stealing without consent. Don't use it.)
Level 1
Pick and Do 2 Exercises:
Each exercise should ONLY take 1-3 classes to complete.
LVL1 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing BOTH exercises,
but BEFORE moving on:​
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1) Name your files correctly:
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-WhichOneYouPicked​
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-CardDesign-1-AMotif
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Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
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Use hyphens in image or file names --- no spaces.
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Even though Windows and Mac computers allow spaces, the web is built on systems that do not handle spaces well. When a file name has a space, web browsers often change it to %20, which can cause broken links or make files not load correctly.
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Using hyphens (-) instead of spaces helps your files work properly online.
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2) Do the level 1 reflection
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Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
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RENAME IT
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-1
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Answer the questions. You can focus on one exercise or answer for both.
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3) Hand in all 3 files
Level 2
​BEFORE YOU BEGIN
​1) GET the level 2 DESIGN BOOKLET
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Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
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RENAME IT
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-2
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Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
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2) Choose your level 2 assignment (below)​
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3) Start the booklet before starting your assignment
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Answer the questions in the following sections:
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The Assignment-ID and timeline questions.
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KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PRACTICING​
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FEEDBACK
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PLAN YOUR APPROACH
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4) do your assignment​
Pick and Do 1 Assignment:
A
Animal Hybrid
Combine animal features to create a unique species.
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focus on:
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using layer masks to blend parts seamlessly
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applying retouch and repair tools for smooth integration
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creatively designing a believable hybrid species
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Choose this if you want to create a unique creature by combining features from multiple animals using Photoshop masking and retouching tools.
B
Animal of Unusual Size
Create a small scene where scale is intentionally exaggerated.​
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focus on:
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scale relationships
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basic perspective logic
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believable placement of objects
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Choose this if you want to practice making objects or characters appear tiny or gigantic using scale and perspective.
LVL2 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing your assignment,
but BEFORE moving on:​
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1) Name your file(s) correctly:
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-WhichOneYouPicked​
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-2-CTextureStudy
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Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
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2) FINISH the level 2 reflection​
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aka the last section in the Design Booklet.
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3) Hand in BOTH (2) files
Level 3
The Project
It's time to shine! In this project, you will create a photomanipulated Movie Poster or Book Cover using Photoshop. You will combine images, typography, and design choices to communicate a story, genre, and mood at a glance.
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Your goal is to create a compelling visual advertisement for a story.
Your design should clearly communicate what kind of story this is and make someone want to learn more — using imagery and design, not explanation.
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​​​​​​BEFORE YOU BEGIN
​1) GET the level 3 DESIGN BOOKLET
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Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.
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RENAME IT
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-3​
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​2) fill out the booklet as you do the project.
Your Poster/Cover must include:
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A single, finished composition (movie poster or book cover)
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A clear title
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A primary subject or focal point
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Photomanipulation using multiple images blended together
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Thoughtful use of typography (font choice, placement, hierarchy)
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You can download the fonts at Adobe Fonts​
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A clear sense of genre and mood
Must be School Appropriate.
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Focus on:
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Clear visual hierarchy (what we notice first, second, last)
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Blending images so they feel like they belong together
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Using colour, contrast, and lighting to set mood
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Typography that supports the story, not distracts from it
Ready to Make?
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Software: Photoshop
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Canvas size: 2550 × 3300 pixels, 300 dpi
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Work digitally using layers, masks, and adjustment layers
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Your file should be cleanly organized and with named layers
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Here is a Book Cover compositing tutorial, if you would like more support.
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To Help You Get Started:
1) Choose Your Story
Decide what your poster or cover is advertising:
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An original idea
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A fictional story you invent
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A re-imagined version of an existing book or movie
Think about genre first (fantasy, horror, romance, sci-fi, mystery, etc.).
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2) Define the Mood
In your Design Booklet:
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Describe the mood in 3–5 words
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Choose a colour palette that supports that mood
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Decide whether the image should feel calm, dramatic, unsettling, exciting, or mysterious
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3) Plan Your Composition
Thumbnail different layouts:
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Where does the subject go?
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Where does the title live?
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What negative space can you use?
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If you're making a Movie Poster, where are the headliners names?
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4) Build Your Image Thoughtfully
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Combine photos using masks and adjustment layers
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Match lighting, colour, and scale
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Avoid overloading the design — clarity matters
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5) Refine and Polish
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Check readability from a distance
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Adjust contrast and hierarchy
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Make sure the final image feels intentional and finished
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a Reminder...
Strong posters and covers don’t explain everything — they invite curiosity.
Focus on mood, clarity, and storytelling through design rather than cramming in details.
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This project brings together everything you practiced in Levels 1 and 2:
you've got this!​​​
LVL3 CHECKPOINT
AFTER completing your project:​
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1) Name your file(s) correctly:
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Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level
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ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-CardDesign-3
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Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.
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2) FINISH the level 3 reflection​
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aka the last section in the Design Booklet.
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3) Hand in BOTH (2) files
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4) Return to the Media Design page and repeat the 1-2-3 cycle with a new project!​​
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