Adobe InDesign and Photoshop were the main technologies used to construct Hollie Ingram's music magazine. [InDesign] allowed for guidelines, columns, varying page sizes, drop caps, text wrapping and converting to JPEG. [Photoshop] was used to edit photos by enlarging, changing quality and exposure through trial and error. Blogger was also used and found to be easy to customize and organize work. The importance of technology in publishing has grown from manual processes like handwritten bibles to mechanical printing presses, lithography, color printing, and now digital design programs with few boundaries.

1. QUESTION 6: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT
ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE
PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS
PRODUCT?
HOLLIE INGRAM

2. INTRODUCTION.

Whilst constructing my music magazine I used many different technologies in
the process. Within the magazine industry they use programs such as Adobe
InDesign, Scribus, MS Publisher, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop which
are commonly used for the design work. I mainly used the programs Adobe
InDesign and Photoshop. I decided to stick to these programs as they are
simple to use but also commonly used especially on macs, not only this but
the skills I’ve learnt from using these programs will be useful in the future
especially when doing other design work.

3. ABODE PHOTOSHOP.

I haven’t had a lot of experience with photoshop and only began to use the
program when beginning my design work which would become apart of my
music magazine. I got to grips with basic tools using trial and errors. I
mainly used photoshop to edit photography that I had done, I enlarged the
photos, changed the quality of a picture and improved exposures. If I had go
to grips with photoshop and well known with all the tools I would have used
it more in my design work as I feel it gives off a clean, smooth professional
feel. Im also aware that photoshop can be used for a range of different things
and allows you be very creative as it doesn’t have any boundaries that limit
your creative side. You are able to manipulate and edit anything as you feel
and also gives you guidelines if you so wish.

4. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP.

One of the limitations of photoshop is that is holds mainly editing software as
opposed to publishing software which would have been ideal for creating a
music magazine. One of the complications is that Photoshop doesn’t allow
you to create a drop capital and therefore having to do it manually can be
time considering. Not only this but it doesn’t have to the tool for text
wrapping. There is also no where to create an equal grid and therefore
having to do it manually.

5. Adobe InDesign.

Adobe InDesign is a useful program as it mainly to do with publishing work
rather than editing. InDesign allows you to put in place guidelines/columns
which will guide you when writing an article so it is evenly placed replicating
a music magazine. Not only this but you can also vary the page size and how
many columns you want in it. Within the program there is a range of tool bars
which can help you to easily put in a drop capital and allow you to easily text
wrap which can put in place a pull quote. Not only this but the tool bars make
it all manageable. The program also allows you to convert it into a JPEG
which allows you to take the content out of the program with a really good
quality image. There is also an ‘overprint preview’ which took into
consideration the low quality images but this buttons improves the quality of
the image.

This is an ideal program to use when creating design work as it has the whole
program has tools which help you insert the typical conventions of a
magazine easily and fluently.

6. BLOGGER.

Before starting my media coursework I had never used blogger before but had
used similar blogging sites which helped me to get to know the site a lot
easier and pick it up quickly. I found blogger easy to use and allowed you
customise and put your own stamp on what you publish. Not only this but
allows you to put all your work in one place, in an organised fashion with
easy access. Not only this but it helps the teacher to view my work whenever
and wherever but it also allows them to publish comments allowing me to
improve my work as I go on.

7. IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY TO
THE PUBLISHING SECTOR: HISTORY

The process of publishing has changed and developed hugely to what it is in
todays society. At first it was a labour process, everything done individually.
For example, a monk would take a life time to write up one bible and was
considered their lives work. A printing press is a mechanical device for
applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper
or cloth), thereby transferring an image. The systems involved were first
assembled in Germany by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th
century. Printing methods based on Gutenberg's printing press spread
rapidly throughout first Europe and then the rest of the world, replacing most
block printing and making it the sole progenitor of modern movable type
printing. As a method of creating reproductions for mass consumption, The
printing press has been superseded by the advent of offset printing.
Lithography is a method for printing on a smooth surface. Lithography is a
printing process that uses chemical processes to create an image. This then
later developed into colour printing, photocopier, digital press and then
frescography.

8. THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY TO
THE PUBLISHING SECTOR: TODAY.

The technology today has made the publishing sector made so much easier and
more creative, this is because of the elements within the programs which
didn’t exist beforehand. It is also allows a person to become more creative as
you can easily construct your vision as there are no boundaries and you are
able to manipulate whatever you want in any way you wish. You can decided
on any colour, you can even create a new shade. Any image you wish in any
size and in any space. One of the difficulties in using technology for
publishing is that there is so much different choice and diversity that there is
now endless possibilities and formats.