Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
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After Before
When I made the College magazine I had very basic Photoshop skills, I could use the quick-selection tool, and add text but beyond that and changing colour I had very little experience with photoshop and this shows in the quality of my preliminary task compared to my main task. While doing the main task I watched tutorials on youtube and re-read the tutorials on the college website, this increased my knowledge of the software until I was able to create what I wanted with the magazine.
For example in the masthead of my final magazine's cover I used the "Polygonal lasso tool" to create the smashed and cracked effect on the title. I took this idea from "Kerrang!" magazine and their smashed title. This appeals to the slightly rebellious tendencies in my audience. In the same text I also applied the "Bevel and Emboss" tools from the "Blending options" to make it appear to be 3-dimentional. I did this to apply to the technical side of the reader in the form of the 3D, metallic text that is common within tech magazines and websites. My preliminary task has neither of these.
From the blending options I also applied a "Stroke" around a lot of the text both on the cover and contents page which applied a border for emphasis on the page against the background. This means that the person reading the cover can easily see what is in the magazine which will help them when deciding to buy the magazine.
Finally I learnt how to use the "Adjustments" window, more specifically the "Saturation" settings to great effect on all 3 pieces. I combined this with the "Quick selection tool" and "Magic Wand" I dimmed the areas behind the model or reduced the saturation to make them stand out against the background, a good example of where I've done this is on the double page spread where I cut out his body and only applied the lower saturation to the background, leaving him unedited and bright. This draws attention to him and leads the eye to him. The closest I got to this in the preliminary task was the cover when I blurred the people in the background of the image to give an out-of-focus effect.
My research skills improved between making my preliminary task and my finished product. When making my preliminary task my research consisted of one questionnaire and basic analysis of one other magazine of a similar type. Before making my finished magazine my research consisted of looking at many similar magazines, similar websites and asking my target audience what they would want to see in a magazine. By reading similar texts I was able to get a feel of that is expected in a magazine of this nature and how they attract their audience which I then tried to emulate in my magazine.
When I made the College magazine I had very basic Photoshop skills, I could use the quick-selection tool, and add text but beyond that and changing colour I had very little experience with photoshop and this shows in the quality of my preliminary task compared to my main task. While doing the main task I watched tutorials on youtube and re-read the tutorials on the college website, this increased my knowledge of the software until I was able to create what I wanted with the magazine.
For example in the masthead of my final magazine's cover I used the "Polygonal lasso tool" to create the smashed and cracked effect on the title. I took this idea from "Kerrang!" magazine and their smashed title. This appeals to the slightly rebellious tendencies in my audience. In the same text I also applied the "Bevel and Emboss" tools from the "Blending options" to make it appear to be 3-dimentional. I did this to apply to the technical side of the reader in the form of the 3D, metallic text that is common within tech magazines and websites. My preliminary task has neither of these.
From the blending options I also applied a "Stroke" around a lot of the text both on the cover and contents page which applied a border for emphasis on the page against the background. This means that the person reading the cover can easily see what is in the magazine which will help them when deciding to buy the magazine.
Finally I learnt how to use the "Adjustments" window, more specifically the "Saturation" settings to great effect on all 3 pieces. I combined this with the "Quick selection tool" and "Magic Wand" I dimmed the areas behind the model or reduced the saturation to make them stand out against the background, a good example of where I've done this is on the double page spread where I cut out his body and only applied the lower saturation to the background, leaving him unedited and bright. This draws attention to him and leads the eye to him. The closest I got to this in the preliminary task was the cover when I blurred the people in the background of the image to give an out-of-focus effect.
My research skills improved between making my preliminary task and my finished product. When making my preliminary task my research consisted of one questionnaire and basic analysis of one other magazine of a similar type. Before making my finished magazine my research consisted of looking at many similar magazines, similar websites and asking my target audience what they would want to see in a magazine. By reading similar texts I was able to get a feel of that is expected in a magazine of this nature and how they attract their audience which I then tried to emulate in my magazine.
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