For your Hero + Villains project, here are some guidelines to preparing your imagery:
1: If you are using images from the internet, search for images that are LARGE or MEDIUM resolution. Click SEARCH TOOLS>SIZE>LARGE or MEDIUM
2: When you find an image that is both large enough and focuses on the face, open it in Adobe Photoshop. It would help to select an image that already has value and high contrast.
3: In Photoshop, crop your image to 8"x10" at 72 dpi. This can be horizontal or vertical. Use the CROP TOOL (C).
4: Convert your RGB image to GREYSCALE: IMAGE>MODE>GREYSCALE
5: Use a combination of the LEVELS and BRIGHTNESS CONTRAST to great an image of high value and contrast. You'll need to experiment with this.
6: Save image as a .PNG, and email it to me to print for you.
7. Your final image should look something like this.
