Through producing the POPCORN magazine, Thomas Ngai learned various media skills including how to use Photoshop, InDesign, and different photography equipment. He used Photoshop to edit images and add effects to coverlines. While InDesign was useful for article layouts, Thomas found it more difficult to use than Photoshop. He also learned photography techniques using a DSLR camera and lighting equipment like soft boxes. Overall the project helped Thomas improve his skills with various software and hardware, though he recognizes areas like InDesign and posing that could still be developed further.

1. WHAT HAVE YOU
LEARNT ABOUT
TECHNOLOGIES FROM
THE PROCESS OF
CONSTRUCTING THIS
PRODUCT?
THOMAS NGAI

2. INTRODUCTION
Throughput the production of the POPCORN magazine, I
have used different kind of hardware and software which
gives me an opportunity to learn different media skills. Within
the production I have learnt a lot on how to use the main
software- Photoshop and InDesign, learnt to take pictures
with different effects and also learnt the name and the
function of the lighting equipment as well as how to use them.

3. WHAT ABOUT
THE
SOFTWARE....
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP+INDESIGN

4. PHOTOSHOP
As I have got few images and coverlines, it is necessary to use the
Photoshop as it allows me to edit the images as well as adding
effects on every images and coverlines. In terms of the effects
within the coverlines, I have used the blending option with putting
some drop shadow and stroke, so that it makes the coverlines
(also the masthead and the headline) looks more solid, which can
attract the audience effectively. On the other hand I have also
adjusted the images within the front page, content page and the
double page spread. However I didn’t changed the image
dramatically, this is because I want to keep the perception of
‘studio image’ which is also a convention in pop magazine as most
of the images in the other pop magazine are taken inside the
studio. Furthermore Photoshop allows me to edit the layout of the
magazine very easily as I have got a lot of coverlines that needs to
be edited by using the magic wand tool and also the gradient line
tool to make the coloured background. I have made the front page
and the content by Photoshop.

5. PHOTOSHOP
For me Photoshop is not difficult as I have used it on my
GCSE coursework during year 10 and 11, which I have made
a front page of newspaper and 3 different video game posters
and every time I have learnt new skills from my teacher so
that I think I have managed to know how to use this software.
This time I have learnt about how to invert the layer, how to
create a coloured shape and using the pen tool to cut out
image accurately

6. INDESIGN
I have used InDesign on the first page of the double page spread,
this is because I need to added the pull quotes and it has got lots
of words within the introduction and the main article. InDesign is
very useful as it allows me to organise the paragraphs and the pull
quotes in the article. Moreover in the introduction box it allows me
to type within the right angle triangle box, so that it makes the
page looks ‘casual’.
However personally I think it is very difficult to use, this is because
I can’t really edit the image that I have inserted into the page, so
that I will need to edit the image in Photoshop insert into InDesign.
On the other hand after inserted the image into the page, I will
need to change the scale of the image very careful as it has got
two select buttons which confuse me a lot…Therefore I have
looked at the online tutorial clip on YouTube and work carefully try
to not get confused by the buttons

7. WHY NOT INDESIGN
For me I haven’t used the InDesign since year 10 coursework, I
think it is very difficult to control and use during the production
as I haven’t used this software for a period of time….but although
it has disadvantage on editing the images, it is useful in terms of
the layout for the article as it has got columns for the paragraph,
so that the paragraph and the pull quotes looks very organise.
Throughout the production of the magazine I have learnt some
skills from my teachers such as how to create columns and pull
quotes on the page and also how to insert image and adjust the
size of the image, which I think I have improved a lot since the
beginning of the coursework.

8. HARDWARE
AND
LIGHTING
CAMERA AND THE LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

9. CAMERA- CANON
At the beginning of the planning task, I have said that I am going to
use my own Nikon P7000 camera, but I have realised I can borrow a
DSLR camera from the school, so that I have changed my mind and
use the DSLR instead the P7000. Throughout the production, I have
used the DSLR camera for the shooting and it allows me to take
better quality of images, so that I can have better images for my
magazine. Moreover the DSLR camera is also very convenient
because I have used soft box and some flash guns in the studio,
which the DSLR camera allows me to operate the lighting equipment
very easily as the camera has a quicker shutter speed than the Nikon
camera. Although I am very interested in photography, but I don’t
really know about the setting within the camera such as the different
between ISO 100 AND ISO 400. The lower the ISO number, the less
sensitive it is to the light, while higher ISO number increase the
sensitivity of the camera. But after the lesson from Miss Doig (See
online tutorial and response from planning) I have learnt a lot on the
photography technique and I have gain knowledge of how to take
images due to the condition and the style of the images.

10. CAMERA
Overall I think I have used the right setting for the final image,
it gives me good quality of images for my magazine. Also I
have learnt from the tutorial about how to operate the
equipment, what style of image I should take and what
equipment should be used in different condition.

11. LIGHTING EQUIPMENT
While we were having the photography lesson with Miss Doig, We
have also learnt about the the lighting equipment. It is a very good
experience for me as I haven’t try to set up and use any of the
lighting equipment before. The lighting equipment is used for
providing another light source to the photograph, particularly
inside the studio. I have only used the flash gun with the soft box
and the beauty dish as I was going to take some high key lighting
pictures with the artists in the studio for the final images so that it
is very useful for my photo shooting. As a beginner of light
photography, there are always issues occur during the shooting
day such as cannot connect the trigger to the flash gun, but I have
solved those issues by looking back the tutorial video.

12. CONCLUSION
Overall I think I have done well in terms of the shooting and
editing for my magazine, although there might be some
improvement such as the posing within the image. This could
have benefited my final product, this is because different
posing could gives out different ideologies to the audience,
for example without posing connotes no confident and
vulnerable; so that it is very important to have a suitable
posing for the image. Moreover the skills on InDesign need to
be improved as I think the article is not in good organised
even though they are set within the column, so that I will
need to improve and ready for the next similar coursework.