Photoshop Hero: Unleashing Creativity Under Pressure

Creative Confidence, Conceptual Thinking & Skillset Building Exercise

At the heart of our foundational courses lies the innovative "Photoshop Hero" exercise, designed to sharpen our students' conceptual thinking and creative problem-solving skills. This engaging classroom challenge mirrors the spontaneity and intensity of real-world design scenarios, pushing our students to the limits of their creativity and technical skills.

In "Photoshop Hero," students are presented with unexpected prompts, much like a pop quiz, and are given a limited amount of time—ranging from 5 to 30 minutes—to respond. These prompts are crafted to stretch their imagination and encourage a rapid ideation process. Students may respond to the prompt by creating an image, video, or animation using the Adobe Suite to articulate their unique perspectives and approaches to the given challenge.

Following the exercise, we conduct a brief critique session, fostering an open dialogue about the work produced. This process is instrumental in identifying each student’s interests, current skill levels, and areas for immediate improvement, particularly in software proficiency. The tight turnaround time not only helps students learn to navigate the Adobe tools efficiently but also prepares them for industry-standard practices like iterative making, design sprints, live broadcast graphics production, and design revisions.

"Photoshop Hero" is more than just a test of speed; it's a cultivation of the ability to think quickly, adapt, and execute with precision under pressure—a critical skill set for any aspiring professional in the fields of animation and motion design.