The preliminary task taught the student basic skills in using Photoshop to design a magazine cover, including experimenting with fonts, colors, and editing images. For the actual task, the student enhanced their Photoshop skills by editing images more advancedly and creating unique text styles using effects like drop shadows. While the preliminary images were basic, the actual task images were improved by focusing on presentation and avoiding subjects wearing white on white backgrounds. Font usage also improved from just downloading fonts to editing texts to make them stand out more professionally with effects in the actual task magazine.

1. YOUR PRELIMINARY
TASK, WHAT DO YOU
FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT
IN THE PROGRESSION
FROM IT TO THE FINAL
PRODUCT?
EVALUATION QUESTION
7

2. Preliminary

3. Actual

4. Actual

5. What the preliminary task taught
me
The preliminary task enabled me to gain a basic understanding of how
to create a front cover and contents page, It meant that I could
experiment with photoshop, using different fonts, colour schemes
and edit pictures and identify the different conventions of a
magazine that fit my genre of magazine. The preliminary task gave
me an insight in to taking an image-using the different lighting,
camera angles and shot types I was able to identify what works well
and what doesn’t work well. I explored different conventions of
magazines which was very useful because it meant that I could use
these in my magazine to attract a certain target audience and
identify a certain genre.

6. What the actual task taught me
After the preliminary task, I had a good idea of how to use photoshop,
take images and present my magazine, the main task meant that I
could enhance my photoshop skills by editing images using the spot
healing brush tool and the range of filters that the application offers
and also creating a unique text style that is easily recognisable and
of a premium quality using drop shadows and outer glows. The
main task enhanced my skills meaning that I was able to create a
high quality magazine that meets the majority of aims that I set out
to achieve. This taught me more about the conventions of music
magazines, so I can now Identify the different connotations of a
certain magazine genre which meant that I could clearly attract a
certain target audience in order to create a magazine that suits the
given genre this is good because I now have a clear understanding
of the different conventions of a music magazine.

7. Comparisons - Images
In comparison to my actual task, I think the preliminary task is very
basic in terms of the images, in my preliminary magazine I only took
one image and it showcased the subject wearing white on a white
background, looking back at this I realised I had made an error in
that it doesn’t look very effective to have the subject wearing white
on a white background because they don’t stand out very well in
that the outline of the subject is not very clear. In my actual task I
took images in multiple locations and focused on how I present the
people I am photographing; I ensured that the subjects were not
wearing white when I used a white background in my images and
dressed them according to the genre with use of a semiotic in one
image.

8. Comparisons – use of fonts
I think my use of fonts in both magazines is quite good, however it is
clear that I was much less adventurous in my preliminary when
experimenting with my text because I wasn’t using a range of fonts
and nor was I doing anything to the fonts to make them unique and
recognisable, during my preliminary task I didn’t really have a great
grasp of how to use photoshop very well so I just downloaded some
fonts of dafont and used them on my front cover, for my actual I did
the same but I edited the text to make it stand out, look unique,
recognisable and make it look more professional, I did this by
adding outer glows and drop shadows to the text and by angling
some texts. I think in comparison to my preliminary production I
have enhanced my skills dramatically in using fonts to a more
effective manner. As you can see from the images, my use of font
on the preliminary task is very basic and doesn’t really stand ou
very well in terms of it being a recognisable brand and I think I have
definately enhanced my use of texts from the preliminary task.