Creating and Editing Digital Pictures
Creating and Editing Digital Pictures
Lesson duration is: 50 minItems in this lesson
Creating and Editing Digital Pictures
Open by connecting to pupils' experience of drawing on paper and on screens. Explain that digital pictures can be changed easily using tools.
Our learning goal
I can create and edit a digital picture using simple drawing tools.
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What words make you think of digital pictures?
Use this as a prior-knowledge activation. Expect words such as tablet, colours, drawing, screen, shapes, save, pen or edit.
About this lesson
This KS1 computing lesson explores Creating and Editing Digital Pictures. Pupils use drawing tools to create digital artwork, select colours and shapes, and make purposeful edits to improve a finished image. It is suitable for classroom teaching, independent practice or a clear recap of the topic.
This slide is included exactly as requested. Keep it as a separate text slide near the start.
What is digital content?
Digital content is made on a computer, tablet or other device.
A digital picture is one kind of digital content.
We can create it, save it and change it.
Keep the focus on computing: digital content is something made and used on a device. Give examples such as a photo, drawing or video, but keep this lesson centred on pictures.
What we already know
You may already know how to:
use a mouse, finger or stylus to move on a screen
tap or click a tool
choose a colour
make marks to draw lines and shapes
This covers prior knowledge requested by the user without turning it into an activity slide. Briefly check understanding through teacher talk if needed.
Why make pictures digitally?
We can try ideas quickly.
We can undo mistakes.
We can change colours, shapes and lines.
We can save our work and look at it again.
Emphasise the difference from paper: digital tools let us edit without starting all over again.
Tools for drawing
A drawing app has tools to help us make a picture.
brush or pen for lines
shape tool for circles, squares and more
fill tool for colouring an area
eraser for removing parts
Name the tools pupils are likely to see in the software used in class. Keep the tool names consistent throughout the lesson.
Which thing is digital content?
a tablet picture
a paper book
a wooden block
a glue stick
Checks understanding from slides 3 to 6 that digital content is made or used on a device.
Complete the ideas
A digital picture is made on a device. We can save it and change it. A brush or pen makes lines, and an eraser removes parts.
Echoes the key language from slides 3 to 6: device, save, lines, eraser.
Choosing colours
Colours help us show ideas.
green for grass or leaves
blue for sky or water
bright colours can stand out
we choose colours on purpose
Link colour choice to purpose. A picture is not just random marks; pupils choose colours to match what they want to show.
Using shapes
Shapes can help us build a picture.
a circle for the sun or a face
a square or rectangle for a house
a triangle for a roof
shapes can be moved and coloured
Show that complex pictures can be made from simple shapes. This supports purposeful creation rather than scribbling only.
Creating a picture
When we create a digital picture, we can:
start with a simple idea
pick the tools we need
add colours and shapes
save the picture when we are finished
Model a simple sequence, such as making a house, tree and sun scene. Keep the steps concrete and age-appropriate.
Which shape is best for a roof?
circle
triangle
square
oval
Checks understanding of shape choice from slide 8. Distractors are familiar shapes pupils may confuse.
What would you choose first to make a house picture?
shape tool
colour
eraser
undo
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Finish the process
First we start with an idea. Next we pick the tools we need. Then we add colours and shapes. At the end we save the picture.
Uses the creation sequence from slide 9.
What does edit mean?
To edit means to change something to improve it.
We can edit a digital picture by changing a colour, moving a shape, rubbing out a mark or adding a missing part.
This is a key computing idea: editing improves existing digital content. Stress the word 'improve'.
Ways to edit a picture
use undo if something goes wrong
use the eraser to remove a part
choose a new colour
add, move or resize a shape
If the app includes resize or move, mention it; if not, focus on the tools available in school. Keep examples purposeful.
Before and after editing
A first picture is not always the best one.
Before editing: the sky is uncoloured, one shape is in the wrong place.
After editing: the sky is blue, the shape is moved, and the picture is clearer.
Describe a simple example aloud, since the slide is text only. The aim is to show improvement through specific edits.
Making purposeful changes
Good edits have a reason.
change a colour so it matches the object
add a shape to complete the picture
erase a mark that does not belong
move something so the picture makes sense
Use the term 'purposeful edits' because it matches the lesson brief and national curriculum language about using technology purposefully.
From idea to finished picture
Idea → choose tools → make the picture → edit to improve it → save the final picture
Use the arrow chain here because the lesson beat is the process itself. This summarises creating and editing as one clear workflow.
A good digital picture
A finished digital picture should:
show your idea clearly
use colours and shapes carefully
include neat changes from editing
be saved so you can use it again
This slide prepares for application by making success criteria visible in child-friendly language.
What does edit mean?
start again
show a friend
change to improve
close the app
Direct check of the key definition from slide 10.
Complete the editing words
If something goes wrong, we can use undo. We can choose a new colour, move a shape, or use the eraser to remove a part.
Reinforces the practical editing tools from slide 11.
How could you improve a picture?
Look for one clear purposeful edit linked to improvement, such as changing the sky to blue, moving a shape to the right place, erasing a stray mark, or adding a missing part.
Application: make and improve
Create a simple digital picture, such as a house, park, animal or seaside scene.
Then edit it to improve it. You might change a colour, add a shape, erase a mistake or move something into a better place.
This satisfies the requested application activity while keeping it as content guidance rather than an interactive slide. Adapt the theme to the class topic if helpful.
Help and challenge
add extra details
use more than one shape tool
make two or more careful edits
explain how your edits improved the picture
use fewer tools
make a picture with 3 shapes
choose from a small set of colours
edit one part of the picture
If you need help
If you are ready for more
This slide provides differentiation as requested. Present it as support and stretch, not as fixed ability labels.
What is one thing you learned today?
Reflection exit ticket. Invite simple answers such as tools, colours, shapes, saving, editing, or undo.
How did making and editing pictures feel today?
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What helped you learn best today?
Reflection exit ticket. Encourage pupils to mention a support, model, tool, or part of the lesson that helped them understand.
Glossary
digital content - something made or used on a computer, tablet or another device
digital picture - a picture created on a device
tool - a button or feature in an app that helps us do a job
colour - the shade we choose for parts of a picture
shape - a form such as a circle, square or triangle
edit - to change something to improve it
save - to keep work so we can open it again
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