Project 13: Photography Timeline Banner



The first photograph, 1862, Nicephore Niepce

Photography has gone from a pewter plate exposed for hours in a French window to the camera in your pocket. In this project you will explore that history and practice your Photoshop skills by designing a timeline banner that tells the story of how we learned to capture light.

What you will do

Working individually, research the history of photography, choose its most important moments, and design a timeline banner in Photoshop that presents them with images, dates, and short descriptions.

Step 1: Research and plan

Use the resources below to decide which events belong on your timeline. Before you open Photoshop, sketch or outline your plan: which events you will include, which image goes with each, and how your banner will flow from left to right.

Your timeline must include:

  • The first photographic image: who made it, what it shows, where, and when
  • 10 more major developments in photographic history (11 events in total)
  • A date for every event
  • An image for every event
  • A short caption for each event (1 to 2 sentences) explaining what happened and why it mattered

Step 2: Build your banner in Photoshop

Your banner should be creative and easy to read. Show what you have learned in class by using:

  • Object Selection to cut subjects out cleanly
  • Layer Masks to blend and combine images without destroying them
  • Blending Modes to create a unified look across your banner

Tips for a strong timeline

  • Choose events that show variety: technology (processes, cameras, film, digital), people, and cultural impact
  • Keep your layers organized and named
  • Keep text readable against your images
  • Credit your image sources

Research resources

Submit: Your Photoshop file (.psd) and an exported .jpg or .png of the finished banner.

Web Examples: