Here is a presentation of the step by step process I went through to create the Magazine Front Cover.

2. STEP 1
To create the magazine
cover I used Adobe
Photoshop Elements 12.
Firstly, I opened a blank
canvas and then copied
the images I was going
to be using into the
software. These images
were of a eerie forest
and a portrait of our
Victim 1 (Rob) looking
creepy towards the
camera.

3. STEP 2
I then copied the two
images across onto the
blank canvas and resized
them to fit the portrait
page. As I knew that I
would be editing in the
magazine title later that is
why I did not make the
portrait photo fit the entire
page.

4. STEP 3
I then selected the layer
mask tool and the brush
tool so I could start
removing the unnecessary
background in the portrait
photo.
Layer
Mask
Brush
tool

5. I found it quite difficult to remove the areas of the image which were near parts of
Rob’s body which were also in darkness. This step took my a little longer as all I
was able to do was to go in and repeat myself and undo anything that looked odd
until I got it right.

6. STEP 4
The next step I duplicate
the background image
and then placed it in front
of the subject.
I then used the layer
mask tool and bush tool
again to remove parts of
the tree image from the lit
parts of the subject’s face.

7. STEP 5
Next, I created a new layer
and opened the filter
options. From here I
selected Render and then
clouds.

8. STEP 6
I altered the opacity levels on
the cloud layer so I could the
images through it a little more.
I then moved the layer so it was below the
portrait so it appeared only in the background
which helped create a more atmospheric
backdrop. The point of this was to try and
produce a smoky effect which would tie in with
the horror codes and conventions more.

9. STEP 7
To create the Masterhead I actually used the tools available on PowerPoint as I was
unsure of how to create the desired effect on Photoshop without wasting excessive
amounts of time.
After choosing
‘Broadway’ as my font
choice I then highlighted
the title and right clicked,
selected ‘Format Text
Effects and then selected
‘Text Fill.’
I chose the gradient fill
and selected red white
and grey as the colours to
be used.
Once I was happy I saved it
as a PNG image so it
wouldn’t save a
background. I then inserted
it into the Photoshop file
adjusted the placement of
the layer so some of the
title was hidden.

10. STEP 8
The font chosen for the film title was Charlemagne Std which I chose because it is a simple but effective
font which I think works well with a horror film because of the sharp edges of the letters. I also used this
because this also used for the title on the poster and the trailer as well. I decided to make it red because it
stands out nicely against the main image while also working with the horror theme again.

11. STEP 9
For the other pieces of information around the image I
decided to use a mixture of fonts. I used Bernard MT
Condensed for the letter in bold and Trajan Pro 3 for the
smaller lettering. I decided to use a number of fonts when
my teacher suggested making the text more interesting and
I thought that Bernard MT Condensed was good choice as it
is very effective whilst still being easy to read.
The rest of the lettering is in Trajan Pro 3 as I didn’t want to
use another elaborate font because I thought the page
would start to look busy.
I included typical conventions of a magazine by using words
such as ‘Exclusive’ and including a website for the
magazine as well as the issue number, date, price and
barcode.

12. STEP 10
I then thought about adding more graphics onto the cover so Lucy and I looked at other magazine
examples and realised that Empire magazine often have a circle with key information in it almost like a
badge/ medal. We decided that it would be effective if it was included on our cover too.
After drawing a circle
I then went into the
drawing tools and
then shape fill. Then I
selected Gradient
and then More
Gradients.
I then added a golden
metallic gradient. I
used a number of
different shades of
light golden colours to
make it seem shinier.
I then added the
text. I used the font
Engravers as I think
it is a very effective
font and makes it
look more like a
medal.
I added a brown/
bronze gradient to the
text to add more
detail and then added
an darker outline too
make it stand out
against the gold.
I then saved it as a PNG image and added it to the Photoshop file.