2. When creating my music magazine I learnt a great deal about using Photoshop and how to edit and
perfect pictures for use in my magazine. I also learnt how long it really takes to perfect what you are
making as I changed my mind about colour schemes etc. many times when I got feedback from my target
audience. At first I found Photoshop quite difficult to get to grips with as there are so many different ways
of doing the same thing but once I had grasped it, I was able to produce what I wanted with the help of
Photoshop, creating, I feel a very professional looking magazine. I have learnt that it is important to label
layers in order to keep your work organised and easy to change things at a moments notice. An example of
how my Photoshop skills improved is that when making my preliminary task, I did not use the layers
sufficiently, without naming them making it very difficult to find the required layer when I wanted to
change it, therefore I ensured I labelled each layer when making my final product.
3. I have learnt a lot when creating this music magazine about taking still camera shots, what the best
angles are for different elements of the magazine and how lighting and exposure can really make a
photo. I then learnt how I can edit and improve my pictures on Photoshop to make them exactly how
I intend. When creating the preliminary task, I did not think about editing the pictures on Photoshop
once it had been taken, and therefore the lighting could definitely have been improved with the
exposure/brightness settings in Photoshop. I ensured I made this change when editing the photos on
my final product, improving the original lighting when taking the pictures and changing the
brightness on Photoshop once I had uploaded them.
4. When creating my final product I used both the school’s and my own mac. At first I found it slightly difficult
to get to grips with but once I had I really appreciated the benefits e.g. the screen clarity being so clear I was
able to get a really good idea of how my magazine would look when printed and see if there was a pixilated
bit of a picture that I therefore needed to edit. I also found that iPhoto was a really great tool for previewing
photos before I decided to place them in Photoshop. Using the desktop to store all my photos and files made
it very easy when placing them in different programmes throughout the editing process.
5. I used SD cards to film on and take pictures with, making it easy to transfer files between the mac and the
camera. It also provided a back up if anything where to go wrong on the network, I had another copy on my SD
card. I appreciated how useful this was for taking my work home and continuing it and how it meant that
everything was always in one place.
At the end of the production work, I had to print everything out, which is when I really appreciated how
important it is to make sure that the edges of every picture are clear and not pixilated. I used a scanner for my
drawn out drafts to upload them to my blog, this was another useful technological tool when creating my
product.
