Contents

Preface

Section 1
Persuasion Fundamentals

1 The Power of Persuasion

Chapter Goals

How This Book Is Organized

Why Is Persuasion Necessary?

What Is Persuasion?

What Is Visual Persuasion?

Define Your Audience

“Why” Is a Key Question

The Call to Action

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

2 Persuasive Visuals

Chapter Goals

Visual Literacy

The Six Priorities Determine Where the Eye Looks First

What Makes an Image Compelling

Visual Composition Basics

Changing Camera Angle: Wide vs. Close

Changing Camera Position: High, Low, and Eye Level

Blocking: Placing People and Cameras

The 180° Rule

Walking Toward the Camera

Framing and the Rule of Thirds

Eye Contact Is Nontrivial

Symmetry vs. Balance

The Weirdness of Right-Handedness

Depth of Field

Does Sex Sell?

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

3 Persuasive Writing

Chapter Goals

The Right Message Is the First Step

Images Evoke Stories

Get Organized with a Workflow

The Essence of Persuasion

Start with the Basics: An Elevator Pitch

Focus, Then Focus Some More

Write Short

Think Like a Poet

Meet the “Words of Power”

See What’s in Front of You!

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

4 Persuasive Fonts

Chapter Goals

A Quick History of Type

The Design of Type

Serif Fonts: The Voice of Tradition

Sans Serif: The Voice of the Future

Script Fonts: Handwriting for Computers

Blackletter: Extreme Script

Monospace: Return of the Typewriter

Specialty—Creativity Runs Amok

Font Techniques

Avoid ALL CAPS

Use Drop Shadows

Kern Title Text

Tighten Line Spacing for Titles

Avoid Ransom Note Typography

Choosing the Right Fonts

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

5 Persuasive Colors

Chapter Goals

A Brief History of Color

Prehistoric Colors

Then, Along Comes Isaac Newton

Color Also Has Temperature

The Meaning of Color

A Simple Color Model

Digital Color Terms

Grayscale

Color vs. Contrast

What Color Is an Iguana?

The Special Case of Skin Color

How We Measure Color

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

Section 2
Persuasive Still Images

6 Persuasive Presentations

Chapter Goals

Take a Deep Breath

Planning Your Presentation

Backgrounds and Fonts

Charts

Charts Make Your Points Visually

Choose the Right Chart for Your Data

Design Thoughts

Working with Images

More Thoughts on Drop Shadows

A Cool Design Tip

Transitions: Less Is More. Really.

Media. Gently, Please.

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

7 Persuasive Photos

Chapter Goals

Where Do You Start?

Plan Your Photo Shoot

It All Starts with Light

Dealing with the Sun

Blocking Talent

Framing and Composition

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

8 Edit and Repair Still Images

Chapter Goals

The Ethics of Image Editing

Getting Started with Photoshop

Bitmap Fundamentals

Optimize Preferences

Explore the Interface

Getting Started Editing

Straighten an Image

Scale an Image

Crop an Image

Save an Image

Repairing an Image

The Spot Healing Brush

The Clone Tool

The Patch Tool

Adjust Image Exposure

Adjust Color

Color Balance

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

9 Create Composite Images

Chapter Goals

Creating a New Photoshop Document

Adding and Formatting Text

Layers vs. Background

Scaling Explained

Manipulating Images Using Free Transform

Place vs. Open

Selections Create Magic

Filters and Effects

Choosing a Color

Adding a Background Behind a Layer

Blend Modes

One Last Effect

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

Section 3
Persuasive Moving Images

10 Video Pre-Production

Chapter Goals

Two Key Camera Concepts

Feel the Rhythm

Planning a Video

Storyboards Are a Tool for Thinking

A Workflow Is Essential

Defining Basic Video Terms

Media Management

Fast, Big Storage Is Essential

There’s Never Enough Storage

Track Your Media

A Folder Naming Convention

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

11 Create Compelling Content with Interviews

Chapter Goals

Planning the Interview

Conducting an Interview

The Interview Structure

Ten Simple Rules to be a Good Interview Guest

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

12 Sound Improves the Picture

Chapter Goals

Glossary of Audio Terms

Creative Audio Terms

Audio Workflow Terms

Technical Audio Terms

Picking the Right Gear

Microphone Types

Picking the Right Cable

Analog-to-Digital Converters

Mixers and Multichannel Recorders

Digital Audio Recording

Pop Filters Keep Audio Clean

Editing Audio

Mixing Audio

Set Audio Levels

Add Audio Effects

Output and Compression

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

13 Video Production

Chapter Goals

Planning Your Production

Help! I Need to Shoot a Video

Murphy’s Law Rules

Basic Camera Gear

Mobile Devices

Video Cameras

DSLR Cameras

Cinema Cameras

Drones

Camera Support Gear

Tripods

Tripod Heads

Sliders

Gimbals

Renting: An Alternative to Buying

Talent Staging

Posing

Finding the Best Close-Ups

Staging Entrances with Impact

Props: Something for Talent to Work With

Working with Inexperienced Talent

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

14 Video Post-Production

Chapter Goals

What Is “Good” Editing?

Find the Rhythm

An Editing Workflow

Define Terms

Step 1: Plan the Project

Step 2: Gather the Media

Step 3: Organize the Media

Import Media

Configure the Browser

Favorites and Keywords

Step 4: Build the Story

Review and Mark Clips

Create a New Project

Editing

Adjust Audio Levels

Step 5: Organize the Story in the Timeline

Step 6: Trim the Story

Handles

Trimming

Step 7: Add Transitions

Step 8: Add Text and Effects

Add Text

Add Effects

Step 9: Create the Final Audio Mix

Step 10: Finalize the Look and Colors

Simple Color Correction

Color Grading – Create a Look

Step 11: Output the Project

Step 12: Archive the Project

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

15 Motion Graphics: Make Things Move

Chapter Goals

Creating Something Simple

Creating a New Project

Adding Text

The Playhead and the Mini-Timeline

Animating the Text

Interim Summary

Creating a Simple Animated Composite

Taking Time to Plan

Organizing a Project Using Groups

Creating the Background

Creating the Mid-Ground

Adding Text

Adding Animation

Adding Behaviors

Adjusting Timing

Interim Summary

Adding Media

Adding Audio

Adding Video

The Last Step: Saving and Exporting Your Work

3D Text

Key Points

Practice Persuasion

Persuasion P-O-V

16 Advanced Motion: Particles, Paths, and Perspective

Online: www.peachpit.com/visualpersuasion

Includes handy shortcuts for popular software.

Closing Thoughts

Bibliography

Index