What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

By Anna Ryan

Photoshop

Here is a screenshot of the software I used; ‘Adobe Photoshop’:

Photoshop

Quick Selection ToolWhen I first uploaded images from my photo shoot, the first tool I used was this one, the ‘quick selection tool’. I used it so I could cut around my image effectively so that there wasn’t a background on the photo when I uploaded it onto my magazine. I used this quick selection tool on photos such as the one of my magazine cover, as it had to cut out perfectly considering it would be the first one anyone would see.

Once I’d selected this tool, I had to make use of the tools at the top of the page (as shown below).I used this as so I could both add and take away any parts of the images I wanted selecting. This was essential as it allowed me to correct my mistakes. My images needed to look professional and this tool helped it to do so.

Despite the helpfulness of the tool, I still experienced a few problems while using it. An example of this is shown in the image above.It was very hard to cut out the image as close to the line as possible. Too close to the line would cause it to cut out essential parts of the image I’d need and too far away would make the background show up once I’d actually uploaded it onto my magazine.However, I was able to overcome these problems with perseverance and I was eventually able to create professional looking photos, something that would be near impossible without this essential tool.

The tool on the right of adding parts to select allowed me to create a larger brush or a smaller brush to use, therefore allowing me to get any tiny lines I would have otherwise missed.I used the same tool for all my images which appeared on my magazine as I felt it helped to create professional looking photos.

Photoshop

Refine Edge Tool

A new tool I used frequently on Photoshop was a ‘refine edge’ tool which allowed me to do exactly what it says; refine the edge of my photos. I used it because once I’d cut the background from my photo, there would often be bumpy edges which made the photos look unprofessional, rather like what they’d look like if a child had cut it from a magazine. So, to overcome those difficulties, I clicked the ‘refine edge’ tool and ended up with a box like this:

The box had number of options and I used most of them in order to fix my images. For example, I used the four ‘Adjust Edge’ options; smooth, feather, Contrast and Shift Edge as if all of those were at the right proportions, it would get rid of harsh edges from my magazine photos. I had to move them to different numbers depending on the image.

I didn’t encounter any difficulties whilst using this tool as it was much simpler than the ‘quick selection’ tool. However, if I had to same something about it, I would say that it can be very time consuming in order to smooth out the edge.

I didn’t use any lighting tools as I thought the lighting in the original shots were perfect enough for my magazine, as you could see their faces clearly and there wasn’t any shadows or too much light.

InDesign

In order to create both my college magazine and my music magazine, I had to use the software Adobe InDesign, which looks like this:

InDesign

Here are a number of tools I used frequently:

Rectangle toolI used the rectangle tool frequently as it easily created neat shapes that I could manipulate to be exactly how I wanted them. An example of when I did this is when I created the banners on the bottom and top of my music magazine and the backgrounds for the section headers on my contents page. I felt like using this tool to create banners and boxes to place under text on my magazine made it look more colourful and more representative of my house style.

Text BoxI used the text box tool frequently throughout creating my magazine, as it was essential because it allowed me to create all my text of my front page. I used it by clicking a free space on my magazine and drawing a box, where I later wrote text in it. Afterwards I was able to manipulate it to make the box larger, smaller and position it where I needed it to be. For example, when I created my headline, I drew a long box across the page and typed inside it before positioning it below the head of the image, where everyone was able to see it. The effects I wanted was just to create clear text which I could manipulate and the text box was an easy tool to use as it allowed me to do that.

InDesign

Other Text Box toolsOther tools I used once I’d created by text box where tool like; fonts, text sizes and colour which were found here:I used it simply by highlighting the text and going through fonts and colours which worked best with my magazine. The effect I aimed for was to create professional text which did the job it was supposed to. For example, the title text on my double page spread needed to be large so it could stand out as it was one of the main focal points of the magazine. This was achieved as all the text I’d changed did the jobs they were supposed to in order to create a professional looking music magazine. Furthermore, these tools helped me create an indie image because I was able to choose fonts that weren’t too loud or in the reader’s faces.The tools worked well as they didn’t create any problems either.

InDesign

Stroke LayerI used the stroke layer tool frequently as I needed something to make particular conventions on my magazine stand out and catch the audience’s attention. For example; my masthead. I needed a simple, easy to remember yet eye catching masthead. In order to do this I added a stoke layer to keep the simplicity of the masthead, yet bring it out more.

To create a stoke layer I selected the ‘stroke’ button on the side bar to bring up a little menu shown here. I then increased the ‘Weight’ to make the stoke line as thick as I wanted it. After that, I changed the outline colour to something that would stand out. In my masthead’s case, the colour white.

The particular effect I set out to achieve was to make the text I added a stroke layer to stand out. I didn’t want the masthead to be too loud as that isn’t representative of indie music. I wanted it to stand out, but stand out subtly.I feel like with this tool I achieved it because the masthead does stand out, as well as being representative of an indie magazine and indie music.

InDesign

Group ToolI used the group tool frequently in order to group conventions like my graphic features and the text from my masthead together.

In order to do this I drew a box around a few shapes and then right clicked, with displayed a menu bar. After that, I clicked on the word ‘group’ which connected my shapes so I could move them about as if they were one.

I thought that using the group tool was very useful so I didn’t have to move so many objects at once when I wanted to reposition them. However, I also felt like it was tricky to use as sometimes I’d go to move the group and end up accidentally moving one item away. This was frustrating as I could never get them back in the same place. However, overall the group tool was good as it allowed me to work more e4fficently on my magazine.

Another software I used included a blog. This was an effective software to use as it allowed people to access it and answer things such as audience questionnaires. It was a very helpful piece of software to use, especially during my planning.