FMP experiments

1. Experiments
Olivia Groom

2. Experiment 1
For my first experiment I started by created a
cover of a practice magazine on Adobe
photoshop. I started with a cream background
as it signifies purity which I wanted to show in
my cover as it represents the topic of natural
skin care well. I went on to another layer and
chose a font for my masthead, which I got off
the website called 'dafont.com' and
downloaded it then pressed run and typed
k:regfontinstallfont64.bat. I chose the colour
orange as I thought it would give off
connotations of positivity and warmth, and is
the perfect harmony between red and yellow. I
was going to make my background layer a tone
of yellow and use the gradient tool to create a
sunset effect, however I felt this would take
away attention from my image and wanted to
keep my cover minimalistic. After researching
other existing skin care magazines, I chose a
font which was similar to the others. I liked the
fact it is quite an elegant and dainty font, which
most skincare magazines were using. I chose to
put it in capitals as most mastheads are, and it
looks more professional.

3. For my photograph, I needed to make a new
layer from the background using the layer tool.
I used this every time I created a new text or
pasted an image into the document. I knew I
wanted a clean image of Kiera Knightley to use
the effect of celebrity endorsement. This image
I found was perfect as it was a head shot that
portrays beautiful and youthful skin to sell the
product. As I am wanting to sell skincare
products, the fact the photograph isn't direct
mode of address conveys this naturalistic
approach that represents the brand on a whole,
as it is all about natural skin care products and
home made remedies. I copied the image off
google and pasted it onto photoshop, I wasn’t
sure where I wanted to place my image, but
after researching other covers I realized it
would be best to put it right in the center and
take up the whole page, as it would catch the
audience eye straight away. I made a new layer
for this image and put it on top of my
background layer. I then used the pologon laso
tool to cut around the image in sections and
then inversed the image to delete the
background and keep the photograph of the
model so it was just her head and neck. As you
can see in this image there are gaps in her hair
because I got rid of the background that the
image had around it.

4. Kiera Knightley's pose is quite
seductive and this would appeal to
men, as well as women as they would
aspire to look like her. The face the
image is close up reveals a sense of
innocence and being exposed. This
contrasts well with skin being shown
and skincare exposes your natural
self. I positioned the photograph into
the center of the background so the
consumers attention would be
focused on this. The fact the models
skin is so fresh and perfect would
suggest to the audience if they buy
the product they would also look like
this. I think the masthead goes well
alongside the photograph carrying on
the elegant and dainty theme that
women stereotypically give across.

5. I then went on to a new layer to
create my taglines. I wasn’t sure I
used the right color for these as
they blended in a lot with the
photograph, however I wanted to
carry on the theme of orange and
yellows to convey warmth and
sunlight. I used the same font on
my bigger taglines, but it was all in
lower case. I made the number 3 a
bigger font size to the lettering so
it would emphasize the fact
skincare can be easy and simple. To
make my taglines look professional
and in proportion to all the others,
I used the guidelines on photoshop
which were really useful in keeping
it all in place and not looking
rushed. I had to use white for some
of fonts colour as it stood out more
and created a tone of purity.

6. FINISHED PRACTICE COVER FOR FMP
Click to add text
This is my finished practice cover experiment:
To finish off my cover, I decided to add a few more
taglines and some skincare natural remedies which
carried on the theme of orange. I went onto google and
search 'natural skincare' I find this image, I then
pressed ctrl C to copy the image and ctrl V to paste it
into photoshop. I used the laso tool again to select
certain parts of the image like the background so it
would look like it fits into the image and is coming out
the bottom of the page. The laso tool was really easy to
use with this image because it selected all the bits I
wouldn’t of been able to get with the magic wand tool.
I also copy and pasted a barcode of google to make the
magazine look realistic and professional enough. I
pressed ctrl T to transform my image and the shift key
to ensure the barcode wouldn’t expand in size and be
out of proportion. I use the shift key with all my images
when transforming them as it makes a different with
the sizing, if I don’t use this it can make the image to
wide or short. When dong magazine research I realized
most fashion and beauty magazines have an issue
number, therefore I put a '220' issue number in the
corner of my cover so it looked accomplished. after I
had finished I saved my photoshop document as JPEG
image and screenshotted it for my expierments
powerpoint.

7. • COVER REFLECTION. In my final product, I will include a similar font for my magazine, as I like the fact the font I chose for my
experiment fits with the magazine and is quite feminine. I chose the colours that represent glowing, purity and youthfulness,
which white and orange represent well. I like the fact my image takes up the whole cover, as it draws attention to the audience
and her skin which is what the magazine is all about. I like the fact my cover is minimalistic but catches the eye, and the title is
clear and bold. For my magazine, I will also be doing an article on skincare during pregnancy so this was a good practice
experiment and It has given me the confidence to create something similar. The photograph of the model isn't direct mode of
address which again portrays innocence and it’s a more natural approach which is what the subject of the magazine is all about.
When opening my new photoshop document, I will do this to ensure I've got the right proportions for my cover. Choose File >
New.
• Create a new document that is twice the width and about 50% higher than your cover image. Give the new image a gradient
for the background. Any colors will do for now.
• Paste in your cover image, name the layer "Cover". Click on Edit>>Transform>>Perspective. Drag the top left handle down just a
bit to add the correct perspective to the cover image. It should look something like this:
• Copy the cover layer by dragging the layer down to the new layer button in the layers palette. Now move this layer behind the
cover layer and name it "Back"
• Double click the back layer so that the layers style window comes up. Apply a color overlay, using a color that is similar to the
cover, but darker.
• Click on Edit>>Transform>>Perspective. This time drag down the upper right handle. Just a little bit. Your image should now look
something like this:
• Duplicate the back layer by dragging the layer to the new layer button at the bottom of the layers palette. Name this layer
"Pages". This layer should be between the cover layer and the back layer.
• Double click the pages layer and apply a white color overlay. Also apply a stroke style. Use black for the color, and 1px for the
size. Take the opacity down to about 70%. Click OK.
• Move this layer down just a bit using the move tool (V). Your image should look something like this:
• duplicate the page layer. Observe that magazines have more than one page. Move this layer back just a little bit. Duplicate the
layer again, and again move it back just a little.
• Draw a marquee around the corners that are poking out, using the lasso tool, and delete the extra bits. Your image should
look something like this:
• Change the background to something you like better, like pure white. You can also add a drop shadow or similar effect. You can
crop the image to a more tight size. Use light and dark gradients to add light reflections.

8. How I added my Pictures in InDesign
•Open Adobe InDesign.
•Open the InDesign document you
will be working from.
•Click File>Place in InDesign's Control
panel.
•Drag and place your picture to your
desired position and click your
mouse.
•Adjust the size of your picture, if
necessary, by selecting the picture
using your Select tool and clicking
one of the handles (small squares)
located on the frame.
For my second experiment I went onto the in design software and created a
new document to work on using an A4 double page spread. To do this I had to:
1. Choose File > Document Presets > Define.
2. Click New in the dialog box that appears.
3. Specify a name for the preset and select basic layout options in the New Document
Preset dialog box. (See New Document options for a description of each option.)
4. Click OK twice.
I then added a photograph across my masthead space, that included elements of skincare
products and displayed colors I wanted to involve. I screenshotted the photograph off
google with the snipping tool on my desktop, and then pressed ctrl C to copy the image
and ctrl V to paste it into my InDesign document. I used the keys 'ctrl alt T' to transform the
image as I needed it to have a longer length and less width. I had to drag the image so that
the photo would show lighter parts of the image because the whiter background was
necessary to allow the masthead font to be seen. I like the fact the products on the image
create a theme of luxury which is what I wanted to convey, as well as it being natural and
earthly due to the colors like browns, yellows, green and white. These tones all symbolizes
an earthly approach to skincare.

9. For my masthead, I downloaded a
font off the website dafont.com.
This was really simple and easy to
do, and it was the right style of font
for my DPS. To do this I simply:
1. Go to http://www.dafont.com.
2. Click a font category.
3. Scroll down to browse the fonts.
4. Click Download.
5. Locate the font file and extract it.
6. Double-click the extracted folder.
7. Install the font.
I then was able to access the font
on photoshop, and choose it for my
masthead. The next thing I had to
decide on was the color of my font.
This was tricky as I had to have
similar tones to what was shown in
the photograph behind the font,
but had to stand out from the
photograph as I wanted to place it
over the photo header. I chose a
peachy baby pink on the color
wheel tool on photoshop. This was
a good tool to use as I could get the
exact right tone of pink I wanted, it
wasn’t too light or too dark. For my
masthead I created a new layer and
used the text tool to write
'SKINCARE' in capitals to show it’s
the title of the DPS. I placed my
masthead in the top left corner as
after doing research I realized that
is the most accurate place for it to
go.
Again, I clicked on the text tool and wrote a tagline to go down the right
side of the columns. I wanted this to be a quick and enduring tagline,
that would make you want to buy the product when you read it. '5 easy
steps to perfect skin'. I liked the language of this tagline being so
persuasive, as any woman wants perfect skin and the way to get it
comes across like its so easy. I decided to choose a different font off
photoshops own font styles, and use the color wheel tool to create an
off pink more peachy color than the masthead.

10. I then copy and pasted
two other images in to
my DPS. These images
were part of the
articles, therefore I
placed them with the
columns. I used guide
lines to ensure these
images were in the right
places and In
proportion. With these
guidelines, I then added
writing into the
columns. To do this I
went onto a website
called lorem ipsum and
copy and pasted the
text into my DPS, as it is
an experiment I didn’t
need to write my own
article. To copy and
paste the text I did it in
sections so I could
gradually build it up into
the different columns. I
found this enjoyable as
it brought the article to
life and made it look
more skillful- the way I
did my layout of the
article worked really
well and I think
portrayed elements of
an existing magazine
article for skincare.

11. Experiment 2, finished DPS.

12. With my photoshop skills, I
wanted to expand my
knowledge on taking
photographs and editing
them on photoshop using
more technical and
advanced skills. This was an
interesting experiment as I
learnt more about the tools
of photoshop that could
make a simple and minimal
photograph into something
more appealing to the eye. I
started with taking
photographs on a camera,
zooming In closer on images
like this one and keeping the
focus high so it still looked
good quality and high
definition. I then
downloaded the images
onto my computer and then
could access them onto
photoshop where I played
around with the exposure of
the image and airbrushed
the face of the model so the
photo had a similar
resemblance to what you
would see in a magazine,
instead of a basic image
with no editing involved.
It was really useful using my own photographs that I had taken as I knew what was already
there and needed to be airbrushed and what wasn't. For my other experiments I had used
images off google which had most likely already been airbrushed so I couldn’t practice on
those existing products.
Practicing
with airbrush
and exposure.

13. To do this I used these tools:
1. firstly I Duplicated the background of layer.
2. secondly filter, blur then surface blur.
3. options for 'radius' in threshold.
4. Eraser tool, delete everything (not skin related)
clothes, background, mouth, eyes and hair.
5. I then duplicated background of layer again and hid
the surface blur layer.
6. background copy 2, brush tool (as soft as possible)
and opacity 40%
7. I then held alt to bring eyedropper tool, this picks
out a better skin tone.
8. I started brushing in areas which were needed
such as blemishes, under the eye, un even skin tone.
9. I dropped the opacity air brush layer to 20% and
then the opacity for surface blur layer also to 20%.
10. I finished by making a new layer, where I took a
white brush paint inside the eyes for a subtle glow
and sparkle.
I really enjoyed editing this image as the photograph
included a model and a cosmetic product, and the
model is posing into the mirror at herself doing her
make up. The photograph to me looks quite
professional how I captured her act, and adds depth
to the character of the model and product. It is a
photograph that would appeal to men as it is quite
seductive, but also women as they would aspire to
look like this themselves , therefore selling the
product through model endorsement.

14. With this image, I decided to open it into
photoshop and test out the
colour balance. To do this I went onto
image in the top left corner and selceted
'adjustments' then 'colour balance'. When
using this tool I slided along a range of all
colours, having to balance out each bar
tool to make it an overall warmth which is
what I have achieved. I balanced out the
red with the yellow, so the exposure
wasn’t too high or too low. I think this was
a balance as red and yellow are quite
complimentary to one an other being
quite close in the colour wheel- they are
both the other side of orange.
To use the Color Balance controls, follow
these steps:
1.Choose Image→Adjustments→Color
Balance or press Ctrl+B (Command+B on
the Mac) to access the Color Balance dialog
box.
2.Choose the Shadows, Midtones, or
Highlights option to select the tones of an
image you want to work on.
3.Usually, Midtones is the best choice,
unless your image has a colorcast in the
shadows or highlights that doesn’t affect the
overall image. That can sometimes happen
when a subject is close to a colored wall or
other object that reflects light onto, say, the
shadowed side of a subject.
4.Select the Preserve Luminosity option.
5.When this option is selected, Photoshop
modifies the colors of the image, but the
brightness and contrast of the tones stay
the same. If you’re not happy with the
results, deselect the option.
6.Move the Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green, or
Yellow/Blue slider to add or subtract color,
watching the effects of your adjustments on

15. For this experiment, I went onto photoshop and opened a new file, pressed open and uploaded a photo from my downloads that I
had took myself. To get this photos onto my computer, I took out the SD card from my camera and emailed the photos to myself
once they were uploaded onto my desktop. I had to extract the photos and then put them all into a zip file, where I then was able
to access them and place them into photoshop. To edit my photograph, I decided to firstly use the spot healing tool to get rid of any
marks on the wall, as I was un able to use the studio background. This tool was really useful as it made the background look clean
and fresh, when it was musky and you could see dents which distracted you from the product and didn't look as skillful or
professional. I then went over the marks with the spot healing tool and simply clicked on the places I wanted to airbrush and they
disappeared. I also went over the tool with my hand, as again there was a few cuts or blemishes on the skin that made it look less
clean. After this I clicked on image in the top left hand corner of photoshop, went onto adjustments and clicked on
'lightness/contrast tool'. With this I was able to slide across a bar adjusting the lightness then mellow it down with the contrast
tool. This was useful with it being a sliding bar, as you can test out where it looks the right balance and not too illuminated or harsh
on the eye. The lightness created a fresh background which is what I wanted to achieve, and looked more artificial and glowing. The
contrast tool created a harmony for the correct overall tonal range of the image. It made the gold tinges of the product come out
stronger, and the background whiter.
Original photograph of
experiment.
Finished experiment.

16. Reflection.
• With my final product, I hope to use a lot of techniques and designs that I have used in my experiments. For my images, I will use the
same tools that I did to edit my photographs on photoshop, as I learnt a lot about airbrushing, brightness and contrast. I will use the
same steps to produce a similar outcome for my FMP, however there are a few elements of my design that I would do differently as I
feel there are parts I could improve. When it comes to my fonts, I will definitely use the website dafont.com again for downloading
these styles instead of basic photoshop fonts. This made a big difference I feel to my cover and dps as I could find a font that conveyed
a similar style to what existing magazines used. For my cover, I used an elegant font that signified feminity which came across strong
and powerful for a masthead. I feel this worked really well with the topic of skincare as it being feminine and representing strong
women and skin. For my photographs, I used the technique of celebrity endorsement. This was a great technique as the model
appealed to both men and women being provocative and women wanting to aspire to be like her. However, in my actual cover for my
FMP I will be using models of children, which will be endorsement for maternal mothers- I am however happy I have noticed this
technique and found it useful for selling a product. However, there are something things I would do differently to my cover experiment
if I had time to improve. I feel the cover didn’t have as many taglines surrounding the topic as it could, and came across quite bare and
not completed. I am okay with this as I know now how to change this when it comes to my final product. I will not use an image that
blends so much in with the title, and will create a background for the image instead of using the laso tool to inverse and delete the
background. I want my final cover to have a natural background perhaps outside, then taglines surrounding the image more clearly.
• With my DPs, I found this one my best and most professional looking experiment. I used the software InDesign which I wasn’t very
confident with until I had done this experiment. I used different tools such as the guidelines and colour wheel for the fonts. The images I
used were well suited to the topic, and were similar to what I would like to use in my final product. I used the same font I had
downloaded off dafont.com for my cover practice, this worked extremely well with the background and with the colour wheel tool I
was able to produce a peachy/baby pink that was the right tone for the background. I will be sure to use the guidelines again when
doing my final product to create this all round accomplished look of a double page spread, creating a balance of images and text all In
proportion to one an other. I feel my dps had similar resemblances to existing articles. The main thing I liked the most was the use of
background header behind my masthead, I will be including this in my final product as I feel the background of skincare conveys an all
round theme with everything linking together. My favorite part about my FMP is the use of spacing and variety of text, images and
subtitles that all came together. There wasn’t too many images nor too much text. I think this success was due to the fact I used
guidelines and did a lot of research on other skincare articles. The colour shceme seemed to worked very well and I will include these
earthly and naturalistic colors in my skincare for pregnancy DPS. With having images in different sections, link the parts of colour In
different images around the whole of the dps so each the colours in one image would also be included in an image opposite or above
the other. I will include this technique in my FMP.
• When taking my own images on the camera, I found it really interesting editing them my self as I learnt a lot of new techniques on
photoshop that I hadn't used a lot before. Tools such as the exposure percentage and properly airbrushing, as well as the radius and
threshold tool. I loved the fact I could create almost a different image from the original one, especially with a specific image of make up
I took that I made look more skillful through these tools. The exposure percentage was interesting as I found this made an image much
stronger and eye catching, bringing out tinges of colour so it wasn’t a dull photograph- I will be definitely using these tools In my FMP.
The airbrushing technique will be very useful for my own photographs in my production, I saw a huge change using the tools to change
things such as un even skin tone, blemishes, under eye circles. I also experimented with color balance on photoshop, learning the use of
the tones that work together and what don't work so well together. I used the warmth effect for one image, which I tend to use in my
skincare for pregnancy photographs. I think this creates a harmony between red and yellow that portrays sunlight and postivity,