Through completing a preliminary task and final product, the student learned several important lessons. For the final product, the student added more photos, drop shadows, page flips, opaque wobs and lines to provide more detail. Improved planning and preparation allowed better use of time and resources. Photography, digital manipulation, and layout skills improved from applying techniques learned in the preliminary task and through practice.

1. Looking back at your preliminary
task, what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to
the full product?
Question 7

2. Preliminary Task
My preliminary task was a success however lacked some
of the new things I have learnt recently in
comparison to my new drumming magazine. For
example the front cover of this magazine does not
have as much detail in contrast to the Stix magazine I
have created. It doesn't have any details like the
page flip and the wobs that my new magazine has.
There are no extra pictures on the preliminary task
either. In my new task I have taken more photos to
add onto the front. I have added drop shadows to
them.

3. End Product
This is the end product. I have added much more features
to this and have learnt much more about the layouts
of magazines and have applied them to this project.
The preliminary task was a good opportunity to explore
magazine making and get some experience before
hand to practise for this one. This time I knew what I
was doing and was able to spend more time
researching new techniques after adding previous
preliminary task techniques before I added more. This
has much better coverlines and descriptions
underneath. I have also added opaque wobs and lines
around the outside to add more detail and interest. I
have learnt how to add page flips to the corners of my
pages and was pleased that I could add this to put my
price in the corner.

4. After looking back and adding more features to my task, I have also learnt more about the layouts
too. This time round I feel I have learned much more about the planning and preparation. I
was able to plan my time much better and keep track of deadlines. I have learnt that you
need to keep on top of the work otherwise you wont get as good results. The planning and
preparation was a really good way to help time keeping and make the best of my time. I think
that timetables were a good idea and helped me to organise myself more, bringing photos
and resourses to the lesson. In the preliminary task we didn't do this as much so the planning
and preparation was a really beneficial to helping me finish the task.

5. This time round I was able to be more free with my photography. The brief didn’t say exactly
what we had to do like on the preliminary task did. It said take a mid-close up shot of a
person. This time I was able to extend my photography skills and use full manual modes, and
edit ISOs to be more sensitive to light as my photos were in dark places. I was able to be
more creative and use better skills in taking the photos I wanted to put on the magazine. In
the preliminary task I used auto mode, but since, I have used manual all of the time. I have
done better in my photography since.

6. This time my image manipulation skills were much better than the preliminary task. I was able to
use past experience from preliminary task and use more tools on Photoshop. My digital
manipulation skills were much better than the previous task and I was able to get on much
quicker and apply more this time.

7. Through this process the planning and preparation has been a really good way of keeping me in
tune with my target audience and has helped me concentrate on what I need to do. I think
the biggest thing I have learnt throughout this whole process is to be organised and make
detailed timing plans. I have realised that it keeps you knowing what you need to do every
time you work. I think that also some of the techniques on how to lay out the contents etc
has really helped my composition skills and I have been able to put things on the posts and
take things off according to looks good and bad. I have learnt a great deal of things to do with
the new technologies such as InDesign too like constructing contents pages and double page
spreads which is a great way to construct things like magazines. I have been able to apply
knowledge from Photoshop and learn the same techniques on InDesign.
Looking back at the targets set from preliminary project I think I have improved a lot. I have had
some really good tips along the way and have learnt some really good and useful techniques.