The act of taking a picture or shooting a video can be easy and fun, however, moving beyond the camera’s auto-settings can produce better looking images and video. In this tutorial, you will learn how manually adjusting your camera’s focus, color balance, and exposure can significantly improve the look of your images and video.

Whether you are shooting still images or video, the way you handle the camera can have an impact on your visual story. This tutorial covers the guidelines around camera handling so that your visual story has a greater impact on the viewer. Be creative and follow these guidelines to make your stories more dynamic.

There are many elements that can contribute to a graphic design, but a good graphic designer will set limitations so each element is justified. This tutorial introduces the key concepts that guide the design process to support both your message and the viewer.

One of the components of the pre-production phase, the project proposal is a visual package that supports your project when pitching to peers, educators, mentors, and sponsors. A good project proposal is more likely get your project approved, so it is important to refine these skills now. This tutorial presents the materials to consider including in your project proposal.

The way you compose a shot determines the type of impact your story will have, whether you are shooting still images or video. A well-composed shot not only looks good, but also helps to communicate your message more effectively. This tutorial covers the shot composition guidelines that good visual storytellers should follow.

In this video tutorial Julieanne walks you through the best way to pan and zoom a “time lapse” image sequences, video clip and still photograph using the new Motion options in Photoshop CS6. For those wanting even greater control, Julieanne also demonstrates how to use smart objects to take advantage of Photoshop CS6’s new Transform attribute in the Timeline panel.

Pre-Production is the first stage in any media production. It's important to embrace creativity and enjoy this process as it will provide a guiding vision and direction for the following stages of production. This video introduces the pre-production process and invites young people to explore their story, audience, message and style.

Stop motion is a great technique for beginners and advanced media makers. There is lots of room for experimentation and creativity and it can work in pretty much any environment with a camera and computer. This video introduces helpful concepts and techniques required to tell exciting stories using stop motion.

Shooting video can be simple and fun if you know the basics. Not every camera is made alike, so you’ll need to spend some time with your own gear to get to know its functionality. This video explores important steps to take before, during, and after a video shoot to help create a high quality project with an efficient workflow.

As a part of the Adobe Youth Voices program, peer feedback plays a very important role in the media making process. Feedback can take place throughout the process beginning with the initial pitch and continuing through postproduction with a Rough Cut screening. Giving feedback can be a delicate thing and should be done in a respectful and supportive way; it’s important that you follow some simple guidelines when giving feedback to the artist. In this video you’ll learn about the importance of Critical Response.