Final Front Cover

When creating my front cover I learned a variety of techniques, for example, I learned how to control the leading of fonts to prevent the layout of my front cover looking to messy.
I also used the elliptical marquee tool to select and add one of the secondary images. The other image was drawn around using the polygon lasso tool and then added on to my front cover.
To make the layout of my front cover more interesting, I used the shape tool to draw attention to the main sell line. I then added a stroke to the shape to make it match the sell line.
I have also layered several of the elements on my front cover to add interest and give the impression the magazine is packed full of content.

Final Skills Audit

AS Media Production: Final Skills Audit Print Production

Name: Belinda Smith                      Tutor group:1.06              Date:28/4/2014

Photographic Skills

Which of the following photographic features/equipment have you used on a camera before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Manual Focus features	Y		All the images used on my blog, such as in the ‘Raw Photos’ post, and in my Unit 3 project, were all manually focused. Most of them were successful and are in focus.
Shutter Speed	Y		The images in the ‘Shutter speeds’ post on my blog demonstrate that I can change the shutter speed on a camera to create images with different effects, such as motion blur when using a fast shutter speed.
Aperture control	Y		In the blog post ‘Aperture and ISO’, there are images that demonstrate my understanding of aperture settings. These three images of the same subject were all taken at different aperture settings to successfully alter the depth of field.
ISO Control	Y		The blog post “Aperture and ISO” shows images taken at different ISO settings. However, they are not as successful as my other images and it is difficult to see the effects the different settings have.
A tripod		N
External flash	Y		While creating my Unit 3 project, the images I used were taken in a studio using an external flash.
Self timer facility		N
Light meter		N
Composition grids		N

Photoshop Skills

Which of the following features of Photoshop have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Text control	Y		The “Magazine cover’ post on my blog shows some evidence of text control in Photoshop. I have added text, changed the colour, font and size, and rotated it.
Filters	Y		The images used on my front cover and DPs were given an unsharp mask filter, though I haven’t experimented much with other filters available.
Brushes	Y		While creating the Christmas CD cover I downloaded brushes for use in this project, which can be seen on my blog.
Layers	Y		When creating my first magazine cover and my Unit 3 project I used different layers for different elements of my project, which made it easier to manage.
Opacity control	Y		The front cover of my Unit 3 project has shapes with different opacity levels.
Shape creation	Y		When creating my first magazine cover I created shapes to use as backgrounds for sell lines, and did the same again for my Unit 3 project.
Brightness and contrast control	Y		The blog post ‘Photoshop 1’ features evidence of when I have adjusted the brightness and contrast to enhance an image.
Gradients		N
Load selection features		N
Feathering		N
Colour curves adjustment	Y		I experimented with cross processing by adjusting the colour curves, the results of which can be seen on my blog, under the Photoshop 1 post.
Resolution setting control	Y		I changed the resolution settings of my front cover to 300 pixels per inch to ensure it was the highest quality possible.
Magnetic lasso, polygon lasso tool	Y		The blog post ‘Photoshop 2’ features evidence of when I have used the magnetic lasso tool while changing someone’s eye colour. My front cover features evidence of the polygon lasso tool.
Cropping tool	Y		I cropped the main image used for my front cover so it would fit on the page and so there was a minimal amount of blank space around the model.
Clone tool	Y		I used the clone tool in the blog post ‘Photoshop 2’ to cover up spots and blemishes.
Retouch tool		N
Other skills: Duplicate layers Dodge and burn Effects (stroke, drop shadow etc.)	Y		Before using the clone tool I duplicated layers in case I made a mistake, evidence of this can be seen in the blog post ‘Photoshop 2’ I used the dodge and burn tools on my Unit 3 project and in the blog post ‘Photoshop 1’ to fix areas that were overexposed or underexposed. I used the fx tool when creating my front cover to add effects such as a stroke and drop shadow.

In Design Skills

Which of the following features of In Design have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Have you ever used In design ever before?		N
Margin and column guide creation	Y		My blog post “Indesign” features my first attempt at creating an InDesign page and uses margin and column guides, as does my final Unit 3 project.
Inserting an image ID	Y		The DPS for my Unit 3 project features an image that was inserted from an external source.
Resizing images in ID	Y		The original image was too large to be seen properly on my DPS so had to be resized. The final outcome can be seen on the blog post ‘Final InDesign Project’
Text manipulation – resizing, rotation	Y		Some of the text on my DPS was created using the text tools available, for example, the header and kicker. The header was rotated slightly.
Text manipulation – controlling kerning and leading	Y		I altered the kerning and leading in the article on my DPS to make sure it was legible and all fit on the page.
Text flow creation	Y		The article was added into InDesign and placed into each separate column using the text flow tool.
Using transparent imagery in ID		N
Shape/line creation In design	Y		My DPS features shapes created for the breakout boxes, as well as lines created to add detail to my product and make it look more professional.
Exporting to PDF from In-design	Y		My final product was created in InDesign and exported to a PDF so I could upload it to the internet in order to be marked.
Text Wrap	Y		On my DPS. The article was wrapped around the quote insert using the text wrap function.
Other Skills: Corner Options	Y		I learned how to change the corner options of shapes and images, for example, by giving them round corners, which I have used on my final Unit 3 product.

Number of new skills achieved: 30

(compare with your initial skills assessment)

Final InDesign Project

This was the final version of the DPS for my Unit 3 Project, created using InDesign. I used column and margin guides to make sure the layout was neat and professional. I also used the frame tool to place the main image in the correct location. I had to crop and resize the image until I was happy with it. 

The article was written in Microsoft Word and placed into the first column, then continued on into the rest using the text flow tool. I then altered the kerning and leading of the text so the article fit on the page and was easy to read. I also created a drop cap as they are a common feature in magazines. The article was wrapped around the quote insert using the text wrap tool.

The header, kicker and breakout boxes were created in InDesign using the many text functions available. For example, InDesign allows the use of fonts downloaded from the internet, which I took advantage of when creating this project, as nearly all the fonts were downloaded from dafont.com. To make the header look more interesting I added a stroke to the text box and rotated it slightly. 

The breakout boxes were given rounded corners in an attempt to break away from tradition and engage with the young target audience. I gave them a stroke that matched the one on the header. They also include lines created in InDesign to break them up slightly and add more detail to make my DPS look more professional. 

Aperture and ISO

Aperture settings
The size of the aperture on a camera lens changes the amount of light let in. A big aperture lets in a lot of light and is good for dark conditions, a small aperture lets in little light and is ideal for bright conditions. Aperture setting can change the depth of field in images; the amount that is in focus.
The above images were taken with differnt F stop settings to change the depth of field. The first image was taken at F5.6, meaning the foreground is in focus but the background isn't. The second image was taken at F11, making the background look slightly more focused. The last image was taken at the highest aperture setting of F36 so both the foreground and background were in focus.

ISO Settings
Changing the ISO settings affects the amount of grain or noise in an image. The higher the ISO, the more grainy an image will be. The first image was taken with the ISO settings at 100, the second at 3600.

Indesign

This was my first attempt at using InDesign and experimenting with the different tools available. I have used the frame tool to create columns and frames for the images. I have also used the text tool to create the title and added a stroke to it. To practice handling text in InDesign, I placed an essay I had written previously into the first column and used the text flow tool to make it fit into the others. Other text tools I used were drop cap, kerning and leading, and changing the size and font. I have also experimented with the text wrap function. When placing images, I had to move them and resize them until I was happy with their location.

Blog monitoring

I have reduced the number of fonts on my front cover to give it a more professional look. I have also added a drop shadow effect to the masthead to help with this.
One issue with my front cover was that it was too plain, to fix this I have added a button sell in the top corner which makes it look more interesting.
Another issue was that there were too many colours used. with the two different shades of blue and the orange of the model's hair. I have taken the colour for the baseline and the banner from the model's hair rather than used a different shade of blue.
To further enhance my image, I have used the dodge tool on the model's eyes to brighten them.
I have also added a barcode and price to my front cover.