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

1. Q6.
What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?

2. Photoshop
I have had previous experience with this software before
but throughout this process, I have vastly widened my
knowledge.
A key feature I learnt how to use is the magic wand tool.
This helped me remove the background from my image
efficiently. I only used this tool on my front cover in order
to follow standard magazine conventions but I didn't feel it
was necessary on other pages.
Previously, I was aware on how to colour a background but
this process allowed me to put a gradient in so it looked less
solid and more faded so it looked like existing music
magazines of my genre.
Also, I learnt how to create strokes and drop shadows once
importing text and photos so they stood out on the page and
appeared lifted to ensure maximum interest from my
desired audience.

3. InDesign
I had never heard or used this software before using it
purely for my Double Page Spread.
I found it difficult to get to grips to initially but once I
understood the layout, I was able to experiment
independently with different tools to find their
functions.
Importing text and images I didn't find challenging as I
learnt to simply place them into the template and by
learning how to merge both pages to create a realistic
double page spread, I could fit text and images to the
page without any hassle.
Once placing my text into the three columns I had
adjusted after I'd clicked paragraph on my existing text
box, I could adjust letter sizing for drop caps and fitting a
grab quote around the text to make it fit the shape better.

4. Dafont
I had heard of this website before and had used it but never
on Photoshop and to the depth I had the chance to in this
process.
I used this for any text I wanted to appear bold such as my
masthead and headline. I used this in both InDesign and
Photoshop and I learnt how to remove the background in
order to use the fonts no matter what software I used them
in.
Also, I learnt to change the colour of the fonts within
Photoshop. This was useful to me as I can entice an
audience with bright and bold colours. Along with this, it
can help me replicate existing colours on my document to
continue the colour scheme I have.
In addition to this, using a stroke and drop shadow to make
it appear striking which I was able to create by importing
fonts off this website.

5. Slideshare
Using this website was new to me but I found it
simple to use and needed little to no help
trying to navigate around it.
It was useful as to display all my coursework
on Blogger, I needed to be able to link my
documents such as Microsoft Word instead of
simply attach photos.
I have used this throughout my coursework
and it's been extremely beneficial to me and
I've had no issues with it.
Once uploading my documents, it's easy to see
how I'd embed it to my blog and the amount of
guidance on the website was crucial as this
helped display my work and so had to be
accessible.

6. Blogger
This is the website I've used since the beginning of the
course in order to display all my work in one accessible
area.
I've found this very beneficial as I've been able to access
this from home and college and have had no issues in
uploading work on it. It's reliable and is very easy to
navigate around.
It groups all your work together in order of when you
uploaded it which can be altered to fit around your
needs. Links, attachments and titles can be added to
easily identify your work and alter anything that needs
to be changed.
I found this website gave me no limits or restrictions to
what I needed and it catered for every task I've needed
to complete.

7. Camera
The cameras were a key aspect of this process as
they allowed me to document photos needed for
my magazine and conduct audience research by
filming individuals.
I have previously used DLSR cameras but this make
was unfamiliar to me and so took some time to
adjust. I generally had the camera on the auto
setting to ensure an average level of lighting and
exposure.
I learnt how to change the white balance on that
particular camera to achieve the best image and it
was easy to access images on the camera and
transfer them onto the computer.
Quickly, I learnt how to film on it also and this
helped me a lot in filming focus groups to obtain a
certain quality and width rather than a phone.

8. Prezi
This was one of the very first online presentation
pieces of software I was introduced to and I initially
found it difficult to work.
The templates were limited to me until I recently
discovered I can begin with a blank template. The
designs proved appealing but limited the amount of
text I could hold. To locate how to change fonts and
colours was easy after a small search.
Including images and attachments was something
that wasn't clear when I was first using this software
but as soon as I found it, I understood what to do.
Although not labelled clearly enough for me being a
first time user, it has been easy to access and nothing
has proved challenging for me or limited me on it
despite my initial confusion.

9. Mobile Phone
My mobile phone has been a crucial part of this process
as it's allowed me to take voice notes and pictures to
then instantly upload them to my blog.
Before undertaking the construction of my magazine, I
used my phone to record voice notes of individuals'
favourite music genres and upload onto Soundcloud for
audience research.
This has helped as it's an instant process and have
received no hassle from doing this process. Also, before
using the camera, I took a location recce with it to draft
potential locations to be prepared when it came to
capturing my actual magazine images.
Having this was handy as it's portable and photos can be
landscape or portrait with no particularly tricky camera
settings and not ultimate quality which wasn't needed.