The student created an Opie self-portrait using Photoshop tools including the magnetic lasso tool to outline features, the color picker tool to select colors, and the paint bucket tool to fill areas with color. They also used the text tool to add "SAFC" to the background for personalization. The only difficulty was selecting the wrong layer initially with the lasso tool. Overall, the student felt successful in completing the assignment on time but notes areas for improvement like being more detailed with the lasso tool and potentially adding more fine details.