The author learned new skills with Photoshop and InDesign and gained experience manipulating the software features. They improved their understanding of real media texts and professional magazine layout techniques like reducing blank space and including relevant features. The author's photos became more professional through learning camera skills and techniques like framing the subject as the focal point. Planning documents like flat plans and call sheets also helped the author better organize and produce their magazine. Looking back, the author feels they have gained valuable skills and knowledge that allowed them to create a more polished final product.

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

2. I have learned certain things in the progression of my product. Many
things in which I have learned about are the use of Photoshop,
InDesign, cameras and house style of real media texts. Looking back to
my preliminary task, I found it hard to use Photoshop as I was
inexperienced with this and didn’t know how to use it to the best of my
ability. Now, I have much more experience with this software and could
manipulate its features to make my magazine the best it could possibly
look. In addition, I have gained more knowledge on the use of InDesign.
I was introduced to this software when constructing my double page
spread and I found it hard but continuing to use it, I got the hang of its
features and how to use them.

3. My preliminary task clearly conveys my inexperience with this software, as there is a lot of bank space and looks
extremely basic. Another progression, which is clear, is my awareness of house style. In my preliminary task, it is
evident that I had basic knowledge of where the masthead and features went on a magazine. I didn’t have all of
the relevant features in which you would see in a real media text. Looking back, I have learned a lot about real
media texts and have used all of the features in my magazine. I have changed things in which I disliked about my
magazine such as blank space and made sure my magazine looked as professional as possible. My college task has
very little space and use of the Photoshop products. As you can see, I have manipulated the space on my front
cover and have little blank space. Furthermore, I have used Photoshop features to ensure my magazine looked
like a real media text.
Another big thing in which I learned was about cameras and how to take the best pictures. As you can
see in my preliminary task is my image didn’t look professional as the model was behind an object and
wasn’t the vocal of the image. Where as on my magazine cover my image was the focal point of the
front page and would draw the reader in. This is because I used a medium close up to attract the
reader compared to the preliminary image where it has no impact at all.

4. There is also a clear difference between my preliminary flat plans and my magazine flat pans.
My magazine flat plans are much more detailed and have more information on them to help
me compared to my preliminary flat plans, which has little information and looks very basic.
The call plan also helped me in producing my magazine. This sheet helped me organize when
and where I would take my images. This helped me decide which images I could take, how
long I would be and which models I wanted to take pictures of. This made the process of taking
these images a lot easier for me. From all of these factors, I feel that these all helped me
produce my magazine as efficiently as possible.

5. If i were to take on this task again i would
do certain things different. I would want to
have more models and use different
camera shots to create a different effect. I
could have used different genders and not
just male. I think doing this could have
boosted my magazine to the next level and
made it more successful.