The author learned several important lessons from improving their preliminary magazine pages project. They learned that image quality and editing are vital to ensure images stand out. Comparing old pages to new ones, the author sees they improved image brightness, contrast and filtering. Fonts and colors were also improved to look neater and more professional. Feedback showed the new pages better represented magazine codes and conventions while looking more realistic. Choosing appropriate, vibrant yet cohesive colors that flow with layouts and images was also an important lesson for grabbing audience attention effectively.

1. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMNARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU
HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODCUT?
During the process of improving and tweaking my three magazine pages, front
cover, double page spread, and lastly the content page, has helped me immensely
in terms of improving my Photoshop skills, and overall progression. I have learnt
that it is vital to make sure the quality and focus of the image is to a good
standard, in order to for the image to stand out on the pages. Looking back at my
old images, I am able to identify that I had taken clear images, however, the
editing of the images let me down immensely, simply because I failed to adjust
the brightness and contrast of the images, alongside add the correct filter.
However, second time around, I have successfully been able to produce high
quality pictures, making sure that the filter and editing of the image went well
with the backgrounds and the model.
Furthermore, looking back at my previous magazine pages, I have been able to
identify that I used a number of fonts, and colours, which led to the magazine
looking a mess, because the text was all over the place. How, my re-submission
consists of tight faces, which makes the text font consistent, and a lot more
appealing. The magazine pages look a lot more professional and captivating.
Moreover, when comparing the audience feedback to the new audience feedback
videos, one is able to identify that the audience can more easily spot the codes
and conventions of the improved magazine pages, alongside the neatness and
quality of pictures. This is evident that I have improved the codes and
conventions and have made the new magazine pages look as realistic as possible,
when comparing to real life hip-hop magazines.
Lastly, I feel choosing the correct colours is highly significant, seeing as
appearance is the key feature that grabs the audience’s attention. Therefore,
through the process of researching real-life hip-hop magazines, and identifying
they types of colours they use and how they contrast them, I decided to change
the colours of all three of my music magazine pages; front cover, double page
spread, and lastly the content page. From looking at the old and new on ‘home’
one is able to identify that I had used very vibrant colours for my pages, which
didn’t flow, and instead made the music pages look messy and complex.
However, the improved music pages consist of vibrant, eye catching colours, that
aren’t to harsh, but flow well with the layout of the pages, and images of the
models.