1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Raw project photos rarely look ready for a pitch slide or flyer. Today you use Canva — a free tool people open at work and college right now — to make a few high-impact edits, then save a cleaner version next to the original so your Key Assignment promotional document (ICT2 KA3) has a stronger image to build on.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Crop and brighten a project photo so the subject is clearer
- Add a short promo text overlay in Canva
- Choose JPG or PNG for the job
- Save {{code:08_edited_image.jpg}} (or {{code:.png}} only if needed) beside the original in {{code:08_promo}}
Warm-up
Think of one photo you might use in a promo. What is the single most distracting thing in the frame: cluttered background, dark lighting, or too much empty space?
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
Image editing is not about fancy filters. It is about making one photo do a job: grab attention, look professional, and fit the surface where it will appear (pitch slide, flyer, noticeboard printout).
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Crop, brightness, text — the three edits that fix most phone photos quickly | Most weak promo photos are composition or light problems, not camera problems | Crop a GAA kit shot so the crest fills the frame, lift brightness, add Open Saturday |
| Canva (design-led) — start from a canvas, drop in a photo, add words | Fast when you need a promo-ready graphic with text on the image | Work Experience café photo with a clean text strip: Saturday brunch specials |
| JPG vs PNG — JPG for real-life photos; PNG for transparency or sharp logos | Wrong format means a huge file or a fuzzy logo on a promo | Café photo → JPG; logo with background removed → PNG |
Worked example (listen while your teacher shows it)
Aoife is pitching custom phone cases. Her phone photo shows the case on a cluttered desk. In Canva she crops tight to the case, brightens slightly, adds Hand-printed in Galway, and downloads a JPG. Both the original and the edit land in her {{code:08_promo}} folder.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Today’s guided path is Canva only. Follow the walkthrough for your device. Use the class file {{code:practice_product_shot.jpg}} from the shared class folder (or another clear practice photo your teacher names). Your own Something Real image comes in the Portfolio Build — do not use the practice file as your KA evidence.
You will: open a square design, upload the practice photo, crop, lift brightness if needed, add a short text overlay, download as JPG, and put the practice file in {{code:08_promo}}.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Canva will not let me download, or the button is greyed out | Check you are downloading a simple JPG of your own upload, not a locked premium template element. Sign in, wait for the design to finish saving, then try {{btn:Share}} → {{btn:Download}} again. If school blocking is the problem, ask your teacher to switch you to the Photopea fallback path. |
| My edited file looks blurry or huge | This catches everyone once. Blurry often means the original was tiny and got stretched — start again from the original phone photo rather than re-exporting the soft version. Huge files often mean you exported a giant PNG of a normal photo. Use JPG for ordinary photos; keep PNG for logos or transparent backgrounds. |
| My text is hard to read on the photo | Use a high-contrast colour, make the words larger, or place them on a cleaner part of the image. Three to six words beat a full sentence. |
| Extension only: I wanted a see-through background but got a white box | That usually means the file was saved as JPG. JPG cannot store transparency. If you try a transparent cut-out later as stretch work, export again as PNG and check for the chequered background in the editor before you download. Not required for today’s success criteria. |
5 - Portfolio Build ~20 mins
Portfolio Build
Your real photo will not look as tidy as the practice shot — that is normal. One clear improvement beats five tiny tweaks. If the edit goes wrong, close the design and start again from the original; you are not stuck with it.
Quick checklist:
- Open {{code:08_promo}}
- Pick one real project photo (not {{code:practice_*}})
- Canva: same path (crop → brightness if needed → optional short text)
- Download the correct format (JPG for a normal photo)
- Save as {{code:08_edited_image.jpg}} (or {{code:08_edited_image.png}} only for transparency) beside the original
Support path: crop and brightness only is enough — skip the text overlay if you need to, and still save {{code:08_edited_image.jpg}}.
- File is named {{code:08_edited_image.jpg}} (or {{code:08_edited_image.png}} only for transparency or a sharp logo) and sits beside the original in {{code:08_promo}}
- The edited version shows at least one clear improvement you can point to in five seconds (tighter crop, brightness lift, or short text overlay)
- The image is ready to drop into a pitch slide or promotional layout without obvious clutter or darkness fighting the message
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