AHIS3306 Field Methods of Archaeology

AHIS3306 Field Methods of Archaeology - Process Journal By adele mcrae - 46545824

The Basics of Archaeological Photography

In Semester 2, Friday of week 3 2021, Shawn Ross provided the AHIS3306 class with an intriguing tutorial full of knowledge revolving around field photography. Shawn Ross is an Associate Professor at Macquarie University with over 20 years of archaeological field experience. I've narrowed this tutorial down to four categories, in which Shawn highlights the principals of archaeological photography.

Why is Photography important in archaeology?

Photography in archaeological fieldwork is imperative to historical records and documentation. Producing high quality photographs for the analysation of artefacts and sites, can determine validation with visualised evidence if contested.

Photogrammetry: "the process of making surveys and maps through the use of photographs, especially aerial photographs."

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Equipment

Shawn Ross mentioned when buying a camera for professional photography to look for one with an interchangeable lens camera system. Basically, with a interchangeable lens camera you can buy additional lens' and attach them onto the camera. Each lens affects the photograph in different ways. Shawn stated that in his opinion a macro lens is the best to use in archaeological photography. When looking for a camera the most important thing to look for is sensor, size and quality. Here is a list of equipment most likely required for archaeological field photography from Shawn's lesson and The Archaeologist's Fieldwork Handbook:

Zoom Lens - Zoom lenses widen or narrow the focal range.
Macro Lens - A Macro Lenses are used for close up shots and are great for capturing small objects. A macro lens provides 1 : 1 magnification. The focal plane and the sensor plane are the same distance from the aperture causing the image they project onto the sensor to be smaller.
Prime Lens - These lenses are less versatile than Zoom Lenses and often have a wider maximum aperture, resulting high quality images with less severe spherical aberration.
UV Filters - The UV filter protects the cameras sensor by reducing the amount of UV light. This filter is also a good accessory to have on the camera as it protects the lens. If dropped the filter is more likely to be damaged then the lens.
Protective Case and Wrap - A protective case and wrap, protects the camera from weather conditions and reduces the likelihood of the camera and accessories from being damaged.
Lens hood - A lens hood is a common accessory use to protect the front of the lens from being damaged and also provide control regarding lens flare from bright light or UV rays.
Lens cap - An attachment that provides lens protection from scratches, minor collisions and dust when the camera is not in use.
Tripod - Provides stabalisation for the camera making it easier for a clearer image to be taken as well as accessible hands free.
Squeeze Bulb or Blower Bulb - This is used to clean tight compartments within and around the camera. Also greatly used to clean dust from a cameras sensor.
Brush - A sable or camel hair brush is great for cleaning camera lenses.
SD Cards - Always a smart idea to pack multiple SD cards just in case you fill one up. You can never know how many photo's may be needed or required to be taken on an archaeological site.
Extra Batteries and Chargers - It's a great idea to make sure you have extra batteries and chargers on hand whilst being on an archaeological site. There may not be available electricity to charge your camera and it's a time saver to just replace the battery with another that is already fully charged.
Scales - Scales are a must when photographing archaeological objects. A range of small scales 10cm or below are used for photographing small objects. 1 or 2 metre scales is required to take photographs of large objects.
Sepia Filter (optional) - A sepia filter is a photographic printing tone. This applies a warm tone enhancing the photograph to look vintage. Some photographers prefer to use this filter attachment onto the camera, but this can also be applied through photo editing software.
LED Light Kit - The LED light kit provides a photographer with assistance towards controlling the lighting conditions when the area is over-exposed (very bright) or under-exposed (very dark).
Translucent Disk - A translucent disk is a diffuser, causing a soft effect on the object. The diffuser is held between the object and the artificial light or sunlight. As Shawn put it, 'Hard shadows are the enemy'.
Reflectors - a reflector does exactly what the name suggests. It reflects light in the direction you point it. White and silver material provide a cooler effect on images whereas a gold reflector will cause the image to have a warmer tone. Size is also important to take into account as the larger the reflector the softer the light.
Grey Card - A grey card is an 18% disk that will provide your camera with an exposure reading and correctly adjust your correct exposure, colour and temperature settings regardless of the tonal contrast from the surroundings.
Disk Tripods - Always useful to have a tripod for your diffusers and reflectors. There may not be people available to assist you with taking quality photographs.
Colour Scale - To accurately identify the colour range of objects, motifs and features a color scale is the best tool.
Colour Checker Passport - A colour checker passport is a compact case that photographers use for accurate, consistent and corrective colour adjustments.
Level - Usually cameras are now made with a built in level, but if you were to use an old one which didn't have a built in one you can buy one separately. This contributes to the overall orientation of the photograph.
Lens Cleaner - It is always convenient to have lens cleaner on hand.
Chamois - A chamois is the perfect cloth to use to wipe down or clean a camera and accessories.

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Examples of camera equipment

Cleaning and Care

During the tutorial, it was explained that during archaeological fieldwork 'conditions are hard on the equipment'. While attending an archaeological project it is recommended to have a 'weather sealed' camera. This ensures that weather conditions won't necessarily damage the camera equipment. Specific environmental precautions were given regarding care, for instance:

Make sure the camera is weather sealed.
Avoid changing lenses as it exposes the camera sensor.
Have a filter accessory attached as much as you can as this provides additional protection for the lens and sensor.
Aggressively keep the lens cap on when not using the camera to avoid any dust or particles attaching to the filter when not operational.
Make sure the camera and accessories are in a weather sealed bag when not using them.
If the camera is attached to a tripod, make sure it is covered or wrapped with a cloth to avoid unnecessary particles or dust compromising the integrity of the camera and attachments.

Most camera's have a built in self cleaning mechanism. Although, it is always acceptable to take further cleaning precautions. A squeeze bulb, brush and a cloth are always reliable cleaning equipment for any camera in the field.

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Setting up

In the tutorial with Shawn Ross, he highlighted on setting up the camera in regards to taking photographs of sites and artefacts.

Field Photography

Here are a few main points Shawn discussed in relation to field photography.

The camera being level is key! Double check that the tripod is level as well as the individual camera. This can be checked with a bubble level.
Fit the object or area in the image frame. This may require you to reposition the tripod and possibly go further away.
Do not match the object level. If an object or area is slanted take the photograph as it is. This may be an intention and have reason behind the orientation.
The further distance from the object, the more depth to the image.
The lens must point directly to where you are intending on taking the photo. For a quality image the sensor must be parallel to the object.
The focal point must be in the center of the image frame.

The 3 ways to take a site photograph

Oblique shot - Taking the photo standing in front of the image.
Profile shot - Being parallel and close the the ground. This makes you able to get a front facing shot with the area in full frame.
Plan shot - This is an over the top shot. Usually done with a mono-pod. If needed a ladder can be useful for depth. A wide angle lens or zoom lens set to the widest angle is required for this photograph.

Artefact Photography

Here are few main points Shawn highlighted regarding artefact photography:

It is best to use a standing tripod . This provides depth, easy camera access and stablisation.
A quick release plate is effective for efficient camera support.
Use a macro lens for artefact photography. Macro lenses are suitable for high quality close up photography.
Ensure camera is leveled with bubble level before beginning.
Use a white piece of paper or a black cloth for backgrounds for artefact photos.
The object should be positioned in the middle for the focal point. The scale in positioned to the bottom of the image frame. Make sure there is a clear space between the object and scale.
The scale should be positioned at the mid point of the artefact. Objects with depth may require equipment to be used to heighten the scale for this to be accurate.
Firstly set the aperture on the camera. This will control the depth of the field.
The full sensor must be used for artefact photographs.
Shoot all photographs in RAW format as JPEG and others have limitations to what can be done in editing software.
Shawn explains, it is best to use the 'lowest or slowest' ISO. This is how to get high image quality. His preference for artefacts is between 200 - 800.
If unsure about the exposure you can use bracketing to automatically accurately adjust the exposure settings.
Be mindful of 'perspective distortion'. By making sure the orientation correct, you will avoid warping or transforming the object and or it surrounding area.

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Shawn Ross' Tips

Shawn made a criteria list that can be recoverable and adjusted through editing software. This easiest to hardest areas to be adjusted:

White Balance
Colour Correction
Exposure
Dark shadows and Highlights
White and Black - pose limitations
Vignetting
Lens Distortion
Moderate Softening

Extremely difficult to fix:

Extraneous material i.e. backpack, buckets shown in the image.
Compositional Errors - the focal point is really small or completely out of frame.
Perspective Errors - Distortion and warping of the image.
Camera Shakes
"out of focus, out of luck" - Shawn Ross

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Creating Publication - Quality Photographs

In Semester 2, Friday of week 4 2021, Nathaniel Lowe provided the AHIS3306 class with an interesting step-by-step tutorial revolving around creating high quality archaeological photographs for publication. This tutorial was based around Adobe Lightroom Classic. There are two topics covered in relation to creating publication ready content:

Personally, I had never worked with this software and found it difficult to keep up with Nathaniel's instruction. This required me to re-watch the tutorial to fully understand what needed to be done. With not having any previous photographic processing knowledge, I found that it wasn't just the software and steps to completion I had to learn. It was also a whole new found range of terminology, which had me more confused than when I was learning hieroglyphics.

‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ –Benjamin Franklin

Processing an archaeological site photograph

In choosing the archaeological site photograph, I was looking for a photo which distinctly displayed what I would like to make my focal point. In the image below you can see the site photograph of the distinct rock formation in which I wanted to be focused on, and the detail to be highlighted.

What is the focal point?

The focal point of this site image is the rock formation clearly placed horizontally and vertically. By taking close up and corrective measures, the image displays detailed characteristics from the rocks formulated in a line direction.

Original Photograph

Adjustments

1. Transform

Firstly, I cropped and adjusted the image orientation to focus on the focal point chosen. On the sidebar in Adobe Lightroom there is a tab that is 'Basic'. Within this tab is 'Transform', in the below image my final adjustments were:

Vertical: (-50)
Horizontal: (+25)
Rotation: (-4.2)
Aspect: (0)
Scale: (86)

Initially I chose different 'transform' settings:

Vertical: (+46)
Horizontal: (-23)
Rotation: (-0.1)
Aspect: (-60)
Scale: (82)

Why didn't I use these settings?

I chose not to use these settings as they I believed they didn't highlight the rock formation appropriately and it was almost disregarding the rocks that were positioned further away. The settings I decided to go with for the final production, I found highlighted the shape and detail of those outlying rocks. Another reason behind why I chose not to use these settings is on the lower left side of the photograph the image presented distortion and was slightly warped on the rock formation, displayed in the image below.

2. White Balance

Straightaway, I noticed the shadow presented in the original image had affected the white balance and therefore affecting the temperature. I changed the temperature from 5,100 to 5712. This made the image warmer. I also put the tint from +15 down to 0 which balanced the colour out slightly.

3. Tone

During adjustments to the 'Tone', getting the right balance became difficult. The final adjustments I decided were appropriate for processing was:

Exposure (-10)
Contrast (+36)
Highlights (+3)
Shadows (+50)
Whites (-10)
Blacks (+30)

Initially I had chosen different settings:

Exposure (-0.75)
Contrast (+1)
Highlights (+3)
Shadows (+56)
Whites (-12)
Blacks (+41)

Changing the settings

Firstly, regarding the original image I felt that the RAW photo produced glare amongst the image, and the full tonal range required to be decreased. This was done by adjusting the exposure setting. Initially, I decreased the exposure quite drastically and adjusted the contrast slightly. Realising that the settings I chose were in fact not suitable. This caused the tonal range of the image to be dim and have a low-contrast. I decided to change the exposure minimally and increased the contrast of image. In doing so these actions restored and corrected the faded image to transform into a more neutral state.

Regarding the highlights and shadows, I noticed they work hand in hand. I come to the conclusion that the highlights needed a slight boost and the dark areas or shadows were compromised by the change of contrast and unfortunately lost detail. This required a dramatic increase in shadows to restore the detail lost.

Whites and Blacks are important to be balanced in a high quality image. The original image displayed the brightest parts of the image as overexposed, I corrected this by decreasing the whites. Unfortunately, the darkest points of the image were underexposed, which required to be increased. This caused a balance in the tonal range with taking into consideration the exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows.

4. Presence

Next I adjusted the presence of the image. The presence is to highlight more detail or in some cases down playing elements presented in the image, such as eliminating presence of wrinkles on an image of a face. Below is the settings I used for the finalised image:

Texture (+15)
Clarity (+4)
Vibrance (+14)
Saturation (-5)

Were these changes beneficial?

In relation to texture, I wanted some areas accentuated with clear detail. Texture is beneficial for the finer details, as is clarity. The difference between the two are that clarity is stronger and brings out more changes to larger areas affecting the tonal range. Clarity enhancements also introduce grunge while texture enhances the image without it. As this image displays mid-frequency features, texture is more acceptable to be used rather than clarity. Although, clarity and texture can work hand in hand for a range of images depending on the objective. Due to texture being more subtle than clarity I decided to enhance texture and I slightly enhanced clarity as I didn't think the image needed a strong adjustment.

Vibrance and Saturation. Looking at the original, I knew increasing the vibrance will give the image an increase of colour where colour is slightly dulled. Vibrance is a great tool to use as it uncovers colour where colour lacks, and enhances the area. This is a lot more subtle than saturation, as saturation enhances all round colour. I chose to increase the vibrance as I felt the colour changes amongst the rock formation wasn't highlighted enough, and I lowered the saturation to dull the greens and yellows presented in the image.

5. Detail

Detail provides assistance to the images finer details. These are the settings applied to the image:

Sharpening (25)
Radius (1.7)
Detail (25)
Masking (20)

Reasons behind these changes

Sharpening is commonly used in photo editing software to enhance the finer details throughout an image. By enhancing the sharpening slightly I was able to keep the adjustment subtle and avoid noise. The radius is in reference to the contrast edges thickness. The radius was increased as I favoured the focal point being prominently exhibited. Concerning detail, I wanted it to be applied to the small details unveiled in the image, not only the large ones. The detail tab is made for you to be able to choose the size of the details that will get sharpened. Lastly, masking is the control in which you can decide where the sharpening is applied. I preferred not to apply sharpening to the entire image as that would cause exaggerated noise presented in the image.

6. Noise Reduction

Noise reduction reduces the prominent harsh pixelation throughout the photograph. Below is the noise reduction settings applied:

Luminance (15)
Detail (15)
Contrast (15)
Colour (30)
Detail (30)
Smoothness (30)

Changes Applied

As for noise reduction, there are two types of noise reduction. The first is Luminance, and the second being colour. Noise is another word to describe the harsh pixelation displayed. Regarding luminance noise, it is classed as the monochromatic pixels presented in the image. The colour noise is the multicoloured pixels featured.

To identify which noise is applicable to my image I amplified each setting singularly to see what needs to be reduced, and to what extent. By doing this I noticed that the colour noise presented was more harsh than the luminance noise. I decided to slightly increase noise reduction as the more noise reduction you apply the more detail you will lose. The more you increase detail, the more detail stays in the image. This compromises the amount of noise that will presented in the image. By lowering contrast you can receive less noise but lose a consistent contrast. Boosting colour detail you will protect the detail within the image, by lowering detail it reduces noise and smooths out the colour with will make the colours blend. I found adjusting the smoothness will assist with reducing low-frequency colour mottling artifacts.

7. Lens Corrections

Nathaniel in the tutorial highlighted how it is important to make sure 'Remove Chromatic Aberration' is checked before exporting. This corrects and non-destructively removes distortion in the image. It was also touched upon that 'Enable Profile Corrections' to be checked. In checking this it will automatically find the lens profile that was used to create the photograph and apply custom settings that will correct the image accordingly.

Adjustments Applied

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Processing an artefact photograph

In choosing the artefact photograph, I was drawn to the below image as it really hasn't presented it's features correctly. The colour's need to be corrected as it is clearly to dull. Detail shown on the image below is not presented appropriately. The orientation of this image is slightly rotated to the right.

What is the focal point?

Looking at the artefact photograph it clearly displays an assemblage of bones and a scale. The bones are the main subject of the image and remain the focal point as they are the artefacts presented.

Original Photograph

Adjustment

1. Calibration

In the sidebar in Adobe Lightroom, there is a tab called 'Calibration'. Among this tab I decided to change the process from 'Version 5', which is the most updated version of Adobe Lightroom to 'Version 1'. This change opens up other options and different settings in the Adobe sidebar. As seen below the change in versions offer different options to be applied to the image.

Calibration on the most updated version of Adobe Lightroom

Settings presented under Version 5 in Adobe Lightroom

Calibration on an old version of Adobe Lightroom

Settings presented under Version 1 in Adobe Lightroom

2. Treatment

When uploading the photo into Adobe Lightroom I noticed that for some unexplained reason it was black and white, while the original image wasn't when downloaded onto the computer. I had a brief look at the settings to noticed that in the 'Basic' tab there is a section called treatment. Headlining next to treatment were two options: colour and black and white. I immediately realised that Black and White was highlighted confirming it was being applied. By changing it to colour the initial colour settings were restored.

Treatment Displaying Colour and Black & White

3. Crop and Straighten Tool

Firstly, by cropping the image with the crop overlay tool I was able to set an acceptable size of the assemblage displayed. Whilst the tool is active a side menu opens called 'crop & straighten'. To straighten the angle of the image I chose the rotation angle of -1.08. By doing this the images border is aligned with the scale presented at the bottom of the image.

4. Transform

In the 'Transform' tab, two adjustments were made regarding the scale and rotation. Scale is typically zoom. The higher the scale the more the image is zoomed in on. For this instance the image's scale is set at +101. The rotation needed minimal adjustment with the setting +0.1 applied.

5. White Balance

Presented in the 'Basic' tab, the temperature of the original image presented a setting of 5250. I decided to keep the temperature to 5250. The tint was also suitable at 0, creating a neutral colour base for the exhibited artefacts. The preset white balance for the original photo was 'As Shot', this was also kept in the finalised image.

6. Tone

In relation to the original photo, many changes were made in the tone selection. Below are the settings applied to the finalised image:

Exposure (+1.0)
Recovery (0)
Fill Light (0)
Blacks (6)
Brightness (+65)
Contrast (+25)

The original image presented with a low exposure level causing the dullness of the image to impact the tonal range. By raising the exposure I adjusted the tonal range of the entire image, yet it displayed a haze which further on has to be adjusted. By increasing the brightness and contrast displayed, highlighted the details of the image.

7. Presence

The settings for presence of the finalised image are:

Clarity (+50)
Vibrance (+40)
Saturation (+15)

Reason's to make these settings

The issue that was raised earlier regarding the image haze needed to be rectified by adjusting the clarity of the image provided assistance to de-haze the image and provide a suitable clearer image of the artefacts. By changing the vibrance of the image the tones are amplified where needed. Vibrance settings usually avoid skin colours and adjusts the other colours in the image. A vibrance change is very subtle and stays within the limitations of the original photo. In altering the saturation, this emphasizes the images colour.

8. Detail

Presented in the detail tab is 'Sharpening'. Sharpening is to increase the fine details in the image and to make them more noticeable for the audience. Below is the settings used for the artefact image:

Amount (100)
Radius (2.0)
Detail (100)
Masking (50)

Why did I choose these settings?

I specifically chose these settings as detail in artefacts are imperative. I chose sharpening to be at 100 as any higher it compromised the images integrity. This level presents suitable sharpening of the fine details in the image. Secondly, I chose 2.0 for the radius of the sharpening which is the contrast edge thickness presented for the sharpening. I wanted the details to be noticeable and stand out to the audience. With selecting 100 for the detail this highlights all the small details presented among the image. I did not want any detail being missed. I applied 50 for the masking because if I increased masking more I noticed colours began to blur and create noise.

9. Noise Reduction

There was noticeable noise presented in the image. The settings of the finalised artefact photograph are:

Luminance (50)
Colour (50)

The noise that presented was created mainly by the sharpening of the image. To stabilise and reduce noise in the image, I chose 50 for both colour and luminance. That corrected any noise present and doesn't compromise the contrast or clarity of the photo.

10. Lens Corrections

Finally, In the Lens Corrections tab on the sidebar 'Remove Chromatic Aberration' was checked. This was to ensure any distortion presented in the image was corrected when exporting the image. 'Enable Profile Corrections' was also checked, the software chose the lens profile: Make - 'Sigma', Model - 'SIGMA 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM' and Profile - 'Adobe (SIGMA 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM, Canon)'.

Adjustments Applied

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Reflection

I found using Adobe Lightroom Classic challenging. As I previously stated, it was difficult to learn a whole new range of terminology. Once I learnt what particular setting changed certain parts of the image I was okay. A multitude of issues arose when editing these images.

ISSUES

Brightness - In the site photograph I noticed that due to the change in light from the shadow and sun areas, glare was a major contributing factor. I ended up cropping most of the extremely glared areas out and adjusted the overall tonal range with the exposure.

Image orientation - The image orientation for both photos caused some issues. The focal point for the archaeological site was difficult to adjust, as my initial transform settings caused the image to warp and distort. Finding the right balance while having a clear focal point required me to reset all my settings and start from scratch. The image orientation for the artefact photo posed some difficulties. Using the transform settings had caused the artefact to become untrue to the original and warped them. While investigating through the tools and taking notice of the angle tool in the crop and straighten section. This supported what I was hoping to achieve and successfully didn't warp the image.

Saturation - For both images saturation and vibrance came as a struggle because they are very similar. Saturation in general was prone to difficulties as the more the saturation was increased, the more it changed and affected the original colour scheme of the image. In the artefact photo, if saturation was presented as a high setting it adjusted the image to have a orange surface which was untrue to the original.

Detail - Detail was another setting which displayed complications. By increasing the sharpening of an image it distorted the contrast and overall presentation. To find the balance of this caused confusion, but I eventually understood that even though you want the image to have sharp detailing, it may change the image to actually look worse than the original.

Exporting Images

The final step in processing these images is to export them from Adobe Lightroom. Once completing the image adjustments go to File > Export. This will bring up the exporting menu. You can choose the file export location, File Naming, File Settings, Image sizing, Metadata and much more. I'm going to focus on the File Settings. Once you have chosen your location and name it is then time to choose the appropriate file settings. The best file format for these images are TIFF. TIFF is for high quality images and ensures images won't lose quality when exporting out of Adobe Lightroom. All the other options stay with their defaults. In image sizing the resolution chosen for both images are 240 pixels per inch. Once completed, press EXPORT.

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Adobe Lightroom Classic Tips and Tricks

Make sure you have a focal point. Ensuring orientation is acceptable and suitable.
Colour correction. Don't over do it. Find the balance.
Detail. Make sure sharpening isn't increased too much as it will distort the images contrast and create noise.

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Artefact Illustrations

Drawing Artefacts

In Semester 2, Week 6 2021, Karin Sowada gave a tutorial lesson to AHIS3306 on how to create accurate artefact illustrations according professional standards. The required equipment for the artefact illustration tutorial:

A4 1mm graph paper (printed to actual size)
Object from home (I chose a bottle opener)
Pencil
Sharpener
Mechanical pencil
Eraser
Ruler
Divider
Several small set squares (with mm going to the edge)
Blutak or Sticky tape

What I used...

Unfortunately due to Covid-19 lock-down I didn't have all the required equipment. The equipment I used:

A4 1mm graph paper - printed to scale
A bottle opener - for the object used
A mechanical pencil with attached eraser
A ruler
Sticky tape to hold the object in place

Original object

Illustration of original object

Step-by-step process

Firstly, I downloaded the A4 1mm graph paper provided by Karin Sowada on ilearn.
Choosing the object to draw was the next step. Karin explain that a flat object would be simpler to illustrate for this exercise. I looked around the kitchen and decided to draw a bottle opener as it is flat and quite simplistic for a beginner.
Setting up the area - With the graph paper in front of me, I positioned the object in the middle. Taking note of the length I marked the scale with a ruler in which it will be drawn in between. Using the sticky tape, I positioned the object between the two points and attached the tape to the underside of the object to ensure stabilisation.
Outline - Now I have my object positioned correctly on my paper, I used the ruler as a guide to assist with the outlining process. Each centimeter along the exterior of the object I would place a mark with the pencil for further guide when joining.
Joining the outline - Once the marking of the outline was finished, I took away the object from the paper and meticulously joined each mark using the ruler as a guide for the appropriate straight lines needed. In relation to the curved end of the object symmetry is key.
At the top of the object there is a half circle. The bottom of that half circle is a depression of the material shown by the light shading. To formulate the sizing of the depression I measured the flat surface of the interior circle. This measured at 2.5cm. At 5mm from the edge on either side, the bottom of the circle measured exactly 5mm. I placed a mark for this outline on either side. I then marked the middle of the 2.5cm and measured along the object to discover the width of the depression is 7mm. Once the illustration was completed I used some shading to describe the depression on the surface, and erased the scale lines the object was drawn in between.
Lastly, I put a 1cm scale at the bottom of the image, wrote my initials and dated the illustration.

Illustrated object

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Adobe Illustrator - Artefact Illustration Digitisation

In Semester 2, Week 5 2021, Nathaniel Lowe conducted a tutorial for AHIS3306 regarding how to correctly digitise an artefact illustration for publication. I have not previously worked with Adobe Illustrator before, so this was a new experience for me. Karin Sowada uploaded a folder of illustrations for each person to choose from. I decided to choose artefact TNE 96:31. I chose this one as I thought it would be perfect for a beginner like myself to learn with. There wasn't overly complex detail presented on the wheel-made artefact which for a beginner wasn't as daunting some of the illustrations. As seen below is the original artefact illustration chosen.

Before the tutorial held by Nathaniel, there was an adobe illustrator guide that was required to be read prior to the class. I found the guide to be basic and very detailed for a beginner to follow along with the instructions and tool descriptions. This is my step-by step process of digitising - TNE 96:31.

Step-by-step process...

1. Creating the document

I created the new document and downloaded the original illustration through selecting File > Place. This allowed me to place the image of the illustration on the page and in doing this it created a new layer.

2. Layer 1 - Reference

By creating this new layer, I had to change the name for further referencing. I changed the layer 1 name to 'Reference'. This layer will be the guide I will be following, placed in the background to assist with making this image digitised. Locking this layer prevents any accidental mistakes to be applied to this layer.

3. Layer 2 - Outline

I created a new layer and named it 'outline', this will be the outline and middle guide of the artefact. Next, I needed to apply the vertical guide onto layer 2. By selecting the pen tool in the left sidebar, I created an anchor point at the top center of the reference, while holding down alt I clicked an anchor point in the bottom center of the reference. This caused a straight line to become created. I ended the line by pressing esc. By clicking on the selection tool and clicking on the newly made line in the 'Appearance' panel there is stroke colour, stroke size and fill. I wanted the stroke colour to be red and the width to be 3pts. While the line is selected I vertically aligned it to the center of the page. Once aligned, I locked the outline layer and unlocked the reference layer. With the selection tool I selected the reference image and aligned the vertical guide with the red line created.
Once again, lock the reference layer to ensure it wont be changed and now it is time to complete the outline by selecting the outline layer for the next step.
Tracing the outline of the reference is next. By selecting the pen tool and making sure the stroke colour is red and the width is 3pts, I began to trace. Starting at the top of the vase with a straight line and then following around the body. When a curve was presented I used a bezier curve by holding down the left click and creating the straight line into a curve and angled successfully. Aligning the curve with the reference took some time to get it right, as sometimes I would accidentally un-click and it would lock the curve in at that angle. This required me to undo the curve created and try again. Once completed I double checked that all the lines intercepted with each other. This was required for the following steps.
Next I selected the shape builder tool in the left sidebar. Once selecting, the shape builder tool options popped up. Within the options, Nathaniel in the tutorial explained to make sure 'Gap Detection', 'Fill' and 'Highlight stroke when editable', were all checked. This will enabled myself to follow along with his instruction and make it easier to use the tool required.
Now it is time to convert each section into shapes. By pressing command + A, all items are selected. Clicking on the shape building tool and then hovering over a section will provide a grey pattern as seen below. Clicking inside this highlighted area will automatically convert the section into a shape. This was required to be done to all sections of the image.

As seen on the reference image, the exterior and interior of the image are 'Red'. To display this I will be using a stippling pattern. In order to make the pattern I have to initially create a sample circle. This was done by using the ellipse tool from the left sidebar. By clicking and dragging I created the size of the required circle. I noticed you don't want large circles as it affects the pattern's emphasis. Once the circle is created, I made sure the fill is on red and the stroke colour is on none in the appearance panel to the right. Creating the dot pattern, I went to the top option bar and selected object > pattern > make. Choosing the specific settings for my pattern was the next step. Options I chose: the tile type - hex by row, width - 20pts and height 20pts, shown in the image below. To finalise the pattern options I selected 'done' and the pattern uploaded directly into my swatches panel on the right of the page.

Now the pattern is completed, it is time to fill the areas indicated on the reference image that are red. Using the selection tool, I selected the lower left body shape and in the appearance panel under 'Fill' the pattern is presented. Clicking on the pattern will automatically apply the pattern to the chosen shape. I repeat this step with the upper right shape indicating it is also red. The pattern has now been successfully created and applied.

3. Layer 3 - Detail

This layer I made specifically for the fine details shown on the reference image.
As seen on the reference image there are small marks indicating inclusions throughout the clay of organic or non-organic particles. By making the outline layer invisible I clicked on the visibility setting next to the outline layer. I made sure the outline and reference layer are locked to ensure no unwanted changes occur. For these finer details to be created, I selected the pen tool. I zoomed in on the image, as I found it made to the finer details easier to trace over. These details are minimal size so in order to display depth I changed the stroke width to either 0.5 or 0.25.
The scratches indicate this vessel is a wheel made vessel. Tracing over the lines with the pen tool at the width 1pts. Although the blunt line was to harsh for these marks. By using the width tool in the left hand panel, I was able to readjust the width of the ends of these markings. This changed the abrupt ends to taper off looking more naturalised.
I reinstated visibility to the outline layer and locked the detail layer.

4. Creating the legend

With the outline layer selected, I unlocked the layer for adjustments and locked the ones that were not being used.
Using the type tool I created individual textboxes for the title of the reference, colour indication of the pattern, scratches from wheel marks and sizing. I chose the rectangle tool from the panel on the left and sized it 1:1, placing it next to the textbox saying 'red'. With the selection tool I clicked onto the rectangle created and in the appearance panel, clicking into fill I chose the pattern that was used on the artefact. This automatically filled the box with the same pattern. Next to the textbox stating 'scratches', I drew a horizontal line with the pen tool. This line was same length as the rectangle box. This is situated underneath the description 'red'. Finally, in regards to '1cm', I copied the line drawn for 'scratches' and placed it next to '1cm'. With the line selected that is placed next to '1cm', I decided to apply arrowheads to either end. This was accomplished by clicking onto the word 'stroke' in the appearance panel, while the line is selected. Further options opened, scrolling down to arrowheads and I chose 'arrow 27' for both ends. This provided the end of the line with a short vertical end as shown in the finalised product. Selecting all the legend items, next I go in the options panel at the top of the program. Select object > group. This grouped all items together and made it easy to move to the desired position without needing to do it individually.

5. Trim Guidelines and Group

It was quite easy to accomplish this step among the outline layer. When I converted each section into shapes earlier this disconnected the over hanging line from the shapes created. With the selection tool chosen, I clicked onto the over hanging line and it disconnected easily from the artefact drawing. Once disconnected it can be deleted. I completed this step for the overhanging line on the top and the bottom of the artefact.
Lastly, I selected everything by clicking command + A and in the upper options panel click object > group. This will group all the elements together.

6. Recolouring the Image

To recolour the image, I clicked command + A, this will select everything. With the selection tool chosen, I clicked on the colour wheel window in the upper panel. Once the window opened I chose 'Advanced settings', and changed the B to 0%. This automatically changed the entire image black.

7. Expanding the Image

The next step I expanded the image causing the paths to turn into shapes. After saving a copy of my work I selected everything with command + A. Turning to the top options panel clicking on object > expand. I made sure the object, fill and stroke were checked and finished by clicking 'OK'. This step actually had to be repeated a few times as I had some trouble and some areas of the image weren't expanding. Eventually the entire image was expanded.

8. Exporting the Image

Finally, the last step is to export the image. By clicking into the top options panel file > export > export as. I renamed the file, and chose the format SVG for the image to be exported as. An options screen for SVG popped up and I left it as default. The below image is the finalised product of the artefact illustration.

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Reflection

I really enjoyed this exercise. I found it quite invigorating to learn a whole new range of terminology and skills. Reflecting on this experience, there were a couple of issues that arose but nothing major. It was easy to follow along with Nathaniel's instruction during the video tutorial, as well as the guide.

ISSUES

Bezier curve - I found it quite difficult to obtain an accurate bezier curve for the outline of the artefact illustration. This required multiple efforts in correction but eventually through trial and error I was able to understand how the curvature worked within the software, and obtained an accurate presentation of the illustration.

Expanding - For some unknown reason expansion of the image proved difficult as it took a multitude of efforts for it to work. I would have become lost if it wasn't for the Adobe illustrator guide which stated this doesn't always happen on the first try. I am still unaware as to why this was happening, but I was able to rectify the error and completed this step successfully.

Pattern sizing - Taking the steps for creating a pattern, I realised I had made an error when applying it to the shapes. The initial size of the standard dot I used was too large and caused it to cover a lot of the details presented on the body of the artefact. I decided to redo this step and sized the initial circle smaller than the first pattern. This was a preferable size to be inputted in the shapes, that is what can be seen in the final image.

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Learning Outcomes

This overall experience learning Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Illustrator, knowledge about field photography and how to draw artefacts I found extremely interesting.

My favourite part in this learning experience would have been learning the new software's and terminology for all aspects of the archaeological field photography.

Many challenges arose but with patience I understood each step and the reason behind it, not only individually but why it is done in the field.

Created By

Adele McRae

Appreciated

Credits:

Created with images by AlexBor - "camera gear lens" • Didgeman - "tripod photographic equipment taking photos" • TeeFarm - "cameras photographer taking photos" • Alexas_Fotos - "camera sensor cleaning led magnifying glass" • Trevor205 - "camera camera gear film" • dimitrisvetsikas1969 - "cyprus paphos tombs of the kings" • realworkhard - "balance stones stack" • wiredsmartio - "tips tricks tips and tricks" • JerzyGorecki - "girl window beauty" • DomPixabay - "solar flare quarry rock"