Evaluation

1. In what ways does your Media Product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Across my entire Media project I have used multiple of examples of conventions within Media Products, and these have taken their own unique forms, with conventions being the ba

se for the element. The first example of this is shown through the Focal Image of the magazine, I decided to Fashion the style of the image through a Medium-Close up of the Model, as opposed to the style of multiple magazines wh

ere they use an image of either. Through the use of PUGs I was enabled to convey more features of the Magazine, rather than acc

omplishing this in the same way as I have introduced the stories of the Magazine. I used inspiration from Magazine's such as Q and Billboard to create PUGs which w

ere interesting to look out, noticeable yet not too complicated either. I challenged this idea by using plain colours and adding different effects to makes the PUG more interesting. This proved to be effective, even though they had simplistic designs a close-up or a medium long-shot of the Focal Image. This way the audience are enabled to see more of the Artist (Facial Expression), but not a significant amount (Full Bod

y), so it does not disable the audience from view of their pose and facial mien, this also appeals to Girls as well as Boys. for Boys they would be attracted to the Magazine because of the Model's glamour and beauty, where as Girls can see this Model's beauty as a role model and can be seen as an ins

piration to them, attracting them towards to the magazine. My magazine does not appeal to just one gender, it attracts them both in different ways.

Another way in which my Magazine challenges conventions is through the design and positioning of the Title. I challenged the stereotypical idea of placing my Title, on the top position of the page and my focal story positioned elsewhere across the page. Instead, I chose to reverse this and position it at the bottom of the page instead, the vibrant colours, ink splatter background of the text, and dark shadows

accentuates the presence of the Title more to the audience. Although, there is a possibiltity that the title will not be as visible as other elements of the page and risks being covered up by other magazines, the magazine's focal imagery (Focal Image & Cover Story), will emphasize and hopefully appeal and attract the readers more significantly towards it, not only by the Title.

Through the positioning of the Date, Issue Number & Barcode I was able to include a form in which most magazines feature. By positioning them in the top right-hand corner of the page in a distinctively smaller size than other aspects of the page, it draws the attention away

the attention away from other major elements of the page, rather than the audience becoming distracted by the Barcode, Date & Issue Number. These elements do not waste excess space, they fill the page more without attracting the audience's attention and drawing them away from the main image of the magazine.

My product also expands on the idea of self-advertisement within the magazine by the inclusion of the Magazine's Website. This enables the audience to visit the website and receive and explore more material in relation to the Magazine, rather than being limited to just the stories included within the product.

2. How does your Media Product represent particular social groups?

Making reference to my target audience analysis, my Media Product aims at the younger generation, both Male and Female (Mainly later Teens & Early 20s). I used the colour

schemes, the selected music genre and the Artists featured to reflect the audience in which I am projecting my product to. I used a combination of Black & White with Pink & Yellow to reflect not only the bright colours which represent the Electronic/Pop & Dance Music genre but the black & white so the overall image contrasts yet does not only represent mainly Females but can be appeal to Males too. I chose to include Artists who have an edgier image about them, a style in which my target audienc

e would aim to be focusing on. I included Artists such as David Gue

tta, Christina Aguilera & Lady GaGa, Artists which have a very creative swagger and poise about them that would attract my target audience.

This genre of Music Artists appeal to the audience I am aiming at because these are the kinds of Artists attract the audience because of their creative Musical talents and creative styles. I used bright backdrops, bold and bright colours to accentuate the image I wanted to create. Rather than using dark scenery, and darker colours, I wanted to convey the imagery of the Electronic/Pop & Dance Music Genre. My product is aimed at mainly any Males & Females within the Late Teen & Early 20s category whom have an interest in this genre.

3. What kind of Media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A distributing institution I could consider to publish my Magazine would be National Magazine Co Ltd. (http://www.natmags.co.uk/). It was set up in 1910 and they prominently aim their Magazines at Women, not only do they produce Monthly Women's Magazines such as Comsopolitan, Esquire & Cosmo Girl!, (Comsopolitan being the UK's Best Seller for multiple years) but also Magazines such as Coast, Company & Good Housekeeping which are more home Magazines which feature articles and features for more living purposes. National Magazine Co Ltd. includes joint ventures with other Companies for International releases of the Magazines. Although they are not as big as other publication companies, they produce some widespread and popular Magazines, they are a lot more quieter. This Magazine publishing company in particular would be ideal for producing my Magazine, as they are aimed at the category of Audience I wish for my product to be directed at (Girls Aged 18-24). But, I want my product to be received by a wider range of people included within the Audience, because my Magazine is aimed at both Males & Females within the 16-24 Age bracket, it will be a diverse audience bracket for this publication to tackle, and this is one reason as to why the publishers may distribute my Magazine.

I do not want my Magazine to be difficult for my Audience to be able to purchase the product, so regarding as to where my Magazine should be distributed I would want it to be sold in Large Supermarkets such as Tesco. Locations where my product an be purchased easily, so here would not be any hassle in the purchasing process. But I would want

stores such as WHSmiths to distribute the Magazine too, places where substantial segment of my target Audience would be able to visit, and is not near the boundary of unavailable to purchase.

4. Who would be the Audience for your Media Product?

For my target Audience, the basis for which would be the foundation of my consumers would be based around my Target Audience Profile (Kate, See Below). Their main Artists of choice would be

Lady GaGa, David Guetta, Kelly Rowland, Ke$ha, Cascada, Timbaland, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas etc. A wide variety of Artists in which mainly fall beneath the Electronic/Pop & Dance Music Genre, there is a diverse range of Artists within the genre, both from the US & the UK which my Audience would be interested in, including some unknown or unpopular acts within the Music Scene of this Genre. These are the kinds of Artists in which would be featured inside the Magazine, and would interest my Target Audience. The scene in which my Target Audience would be located around is the Club and Festival Scene, a range of areas in which would be orientated for Electronic/Pop & Dance Music specifically.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

The captivation of the attention of my Audience came down to multiple factors in which were ensued to enabled to make my magazine appeal to the audience and also make it noticeable. First of all my colour scheme works as the core feature in which ensnares the attention of my Audience through the use of vibrant and bold colours, I found that these colours are more of a symbol of the Electronic/Pop & Dance genre. I also find that darker colours are more of a symbolization of darker, heavier and rockier edged music (The Rock/Indie Genres), so I didn't want to accentuate the wrong message to my audience. Also, brighter colours have more relation to the younger generations as the older generations would consider more vibrant colours as very juvenile.

I have selected Artists in which I have relation to the genre of Music in which my product's target audience is aimed at. I chose these Artists specifically so that it would appeal to the audience, but I have not selected in which are not largely unknown, I have chosen popular artists within the Genre so my audience are attracted more towards it.

With the language I address my audience with is a combination of both formal & informal, I didn't want to have my text so informal that it was incorrect and 'Slang', yet I didn't want to make my Magazine too overwhelmed with words that my Audience would get bored. So I used a combination of the 2, which worked positively in my eyes, and produced text in which my target audience could relate too which was not too informal yet did not overwhelm the page.

The focal image of the Magazine ("Melodie") was another way in which I attracted my target audience towards the product, through the representation of her persona. The overall representation of the cover story and focal image accentuates the imagery of the Magazine, and will be partial of the basis in which the audience make their judgement of the magazine. I wanted to convey my featured artist as a Model figure within the genre, I also wanted to play upon the theme of Bold and Vibrant colours which emphasize the genre. Furthermore, I wanted continuity across the magazine yet wanted to create a contemporary Artist in which colloborates with the theme of the product, so by the use of the Yellow/Blond Hair, the bold Make-Up (which consists of pink, red, black and glittery tones), and the sparkle on the lips, it created continuity throughout and made an Artist in which related to my genre, yet attracted my target towards the magazine. This theme develops throughout the magazine and appeals to my target audience because of the bright colours, the contemporary design and striking featured Artist, I wanted convey the genre through a colourful way in which reflects the genre and attracts the audience.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Through the process of this project I have learned multiple technological skills in which have helped enhance the standards of my abilities. The main technology in which carried out a more momentous function within my project was the use of Photoshop Elements and beginning to understand how to use the technology. Beforehand, I had never used Photoshop for anything at all, not even editing different images, I had no knowledge as to how to use the software. I was introduced to various different aspects of the software in which were useful in the making of product.

One of the first things I learned how to do accomplish on Photoshop was how to lasso an image to rid of the excess background surrounding an image, so that is can be placed and re-formed to any size to fit a page. Also, so that the background colour can be edited too. I tried this out with my Preliminary Task as I had an image which had a background which could not work as the overall background image for the magazine. I used the lasso tool to cut round the edge of the image and then copied it onto a blank page and was able to adjust the image

using the move tool. This became useful as the image could be enlarged to fit, but I did not have to use this option for my final product as the images I used had suitable plain backgrounds present on the image and was not necessary to cut the image out. The Magic Lasso Tool became useful when cutting out and inverting specific elements of an image and removing excess parts so it became easier to inverse to copy and paste the image to a final page. The Magic Lasso was used significantly on my Final product because I had multiple images in which I needed to copy onto the page yet enabling it to blend in and move around in the background, for example; the ink splatters in which are featured prominently across the product, they needed to be cut so that the background was not occupied on the background of the ink, and so that it made the image easier to blend in.

Another factor of Photoshop Elements in which I began to seize was the use of layers and how were utilized on a product. With the use of layers it enables the user to be able to go back

at any point and edit any part of that specific layer without it effecting any of the surrounding elements of the page. It also allows you to delete or move 1 specific layer, rather than all of the aspects of the page, it also allows you to hide other other layers behind one another in the case that you want one layer to prominently dominate another. This is a useful tool to have within Photoshop because it means that all the elements of the page do not get disrupted by certain sections and you can place them in any order you wish, it works on a bottom to top basis that whichever element is at the top of the layers will be the layer which will cover others. There are multiple functions in which can be carried out to edit 1 specific layer, so you can edit 1 layer at a time making the editing process easier.

Other elements I found myself figuring out and utilizing was the opacity and hue/saturation options to change the colours of different aspects and how transl

ucent it would be on the page. These options were used prominently throughoutthe project in the editing process, it enabled me to change the styles of different aspects and them stand out in their own unique ways. These options became 2 of the easiest elements and most illustrious factors in which I used in Photoshop.

I also found a significant use of shadows and outer glows, to assist giving my project an edgier style. This element was used prominently across the creation of the product to help place more emphasis on certain texts and aspects of the page so they are accentuated to the audience and gave my magazine a more professional and stylistic edge.

The majority of my Media Project was focused around creating and using a blog with Blogger. When this was introduced to me, the idea of using a blog to post and edit my coursework on was a completely new system

to me as this was the first time I was using the internet to create my coursework and for other people to be able to view my progress online. I thought this technology worked out very positively as it made it easier to edit and re-do parts of my project unlike for a subject such as Art (A subject I previously studied), where if you had to edit a piece it had to be, most of the time completely re-done as it was completed on paper. Although it took some time adjusting to and figuring out how to post and edit elements, it worked out. I did face some minor errors and flaws with using the blog, such as adding things such as images to a post and moving them around. I found that it was difficult to monouvre images around the piece but eventually I figured out the technology.

The final pieces of technology which played out major roles within my project was the use of an Apple Mac Computer and a Digital Camera. I have previously used both of the technologies, by owning an Apple Macbook made it easier for me to navigate around a Mac Computer, so I was comfortable using one to edit my magazine. The same goes for a digital camera, I prominently use a digital camera when going out, holiday etc. so I was familiar with the technology and was comfortable using one. They played out major roles in my project as I needed the

camera to take the photographs in the first place, and the Mac Computer to edit the project. But, with the digital camera by doing significant research into magazines and shot styles, I was able to create the specific shots I wanted for my product, and this helped in using the camera by adjusting certain settings on the camera to take the images, e.g. the exposure and the flash, whether I needed a flash depending on the light of the surrounding situation.

I also discovered, as my knowledge for Photoshop and Media Products increased, that colour schemes also need to work well with the images and the conventions of the pages. There is a considerable amount needed to be taken into consideration when choosing the perfect colour scheme for the style of magazine you are aiming your at your target audience. The colour scheme needs to convey the genre of magazine you are creating yet blend and work well with the conventions, and not contrast them. With my Preliminary Task I found myself not focusing one specific colour scheme, instead using bold colours which I thought looked okay, whereas now I realise that a magazine needs to have continuity and follow one specific colour scheme. For my Final Product I focused on one specific colour scheme in which worked well with the Genre of my magazine yet also worked well with the images featured within the magazine. I used conventions to work out what colours should be featured where, so that the elements featured are visible and more vibrant for the audience without causing a huge contrast. I used black, white, Yellow and Pink so that the brighter colours could emphasize certain elements whilst the black & white could help convey them too as they worked well with the brighter colours, because I did not want the magazine to be prominently overwhelmed by bright colours.

7)Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the process of making the full product?

When I reflect and compare my Preliminary Task and my Final product it is distinctively obvious that my abilities of technology has grown and my knowledge of utilizing Photoshop Elements have increased significantly. I have shown a distinct new anthology of skills in which can be useful for future reference. By accomplishing and progressing through major research of prime media examples, I was able to intensify the knowledge I lacked previously on the Magazine Element of the Media industry. This enabled me to figure out of what elem

ents needed to be added within the inclusion of my final products to make them seem more professional stylized and practical/commercial within magazine culture. By taking into account image quality, creative and imaginative styles and designs, plus different factors of photoshop in which needed to be considered for use in the final product helped with the creation of it, and make it to a much higher level of standards. By using options such as enhancing, the changing of hue/saturation, the use of layers and embossing I was able to make

the magazine a much more powerful piece of imagery in comparison to the Preliminary Task Products. After I has taken into consideration all of the wrong motives I took when creating the first elements of editing the project and witnessing my flaws within the task I was inspired to do

the research to make my Final Product strong and realistic. It took me multiple attempts in the creation of my final product, to create the piece of imagery I envisioned, because I found that with

my first contents page for the final product, the layout was too messy and unorganized and this gave me the motivation to re-do the piece to also make it seem more professional. (Both Versions are visible). The main production of my magazine took a lot of self-criticism, dedication and motivation to finally create the product I envisioned and aspired to create in the early stages. And by taking the time to research more significantly into Media Products I was enabled to have the knowledge to create the piece in the first place, so it could be produced more independently.

My preliminary task proved the basic skills of Photoshop Elements, and also proved that a lack of knowledge into the use of the technology does not produce the standard of work and production level expectations for the task to be completed. So, by doing this it shows that my skills as a student have grown and shows that entering the production of a Media Product naive and lacking knowledge does not assist the situation in producing a high standard creation. The purpose of this beginning task was to show how juvenile and absence of knowledge into using Photoshop causes an outcome which is not presentable, and also to convey the increase of comprehension on the subject progresses. In my opinion, this proves to portray this naiveness very prominently and in comparison to my Final Product, and my Preliminary Task shows that the knowledge needed can be obtained and has given us an insight as to how the Media Industry works.

Outtakes

These are some of the images which I felt were not suitable or did not work well enough for the final product. All the images vary in reasons as to why they did not fit.

For this image it is clear that the light is too strong and blocking out her facial expression. Also, she is turning away from the camera and so we have not got a significant view of her mien. The posture is she is embodying is strong, yet delicate so it works but because there is no space around the outside to fit elements of a Front Cover, for example, the image does not work.

The angle this image has been shot in does not work, the picture is looking down on the Model and it is a sideways view of her so it cannot work for any element of the Magazine. Again, she is looking away from the camera so we do not receive a eloquent view of her facial expression, only a sideways view. This is not a strong enough image to use within the Magazine and it would be difficult to include Magazine factors around the edges of the image.

This image can be seen as strong, her pose and facial expression work well together as well as working well with the theme. The angle the image is taken in is good, it is direct and full on, and the extra space around the edge allows space for other elements of the Magazine, depending on the section. But although the pose is strong, it is not as strong as other images.

The angle this image has been taken in does not work, even if the image was turned the angle would still be unusual and hard to work with. Also, the position and the posture of the Model is embodying isn't strong enough as well as being a side view of the Model, we don't get a full view of the Models face.

With this image, the picture is taken at an angle which can be difficult to work with and her pose is not as strong as other images. Plus, if the image was condensed down to fit an A4 page, the image would look too compressed and distort the image. Her facial expression and body posture is strong but the image can be difficult to work with.

Again, this image is a strong image but we are unable to obtain a full view of the Model's facial expression as well as not having enough view of the rest of her body in this image. Also, the image is too wide and there would be some issues with compression of the image to fit in onto an A4 page. But the pose and mien are once again strong and work well, but it is the angle, shot capacity and width of the image that cause the struggle.

This image is very similar to another image from the Main Model Material in which could possible be featured within the Magazine. But for this image, the space around the edge would need to be cropped, her body is too static and her pose is not as strong as other photographs. Although the Make-Up & Hair emit the edgy look, the overall image is not powerful enough.

This image is similar to the latter of the images, her make-up and hair are bold, and the space around the edges allows area for Magazine Elements to be included. But, the pose and posture are, once again, not as strong as other images. 

With this image, it differs from the other image as this is the only image which features the Model wearing a leather jacket and her tied back so we can see more of her facial expression. It is similar to that of the Content Material, and the pose is not as strong as other images. Even though there is space available around the edges, enough room for PUGs etc. the image does not work.

Final Double-Page Spread

Creating the Double-Page Spread.

I began by opening an A3 page on Photoshop Elements, I wanted the page this size so it could fit the entire content of the double-page spread. I chose the image I wanted to use as the prominent image and began the editing stages to enhance the photograph. I did this using Paintshop 2.0 by enhancing the sharpness and brightness of the image to intensify the colours of the overall photograph. I then followed the same pattern as I did for the Front Cover Image, Effects> Photo Effects> Film and Filters... to make the image seem more professional and clear. After this was completed, I copied the image onto the page and the adjusted the size to A4, there was concern that the image may have distorted when I stretched it, but thankfully this did not occur. My next step was to evolve the detail of this half of the page so I copied the Main Title of the magazine and then pasted it onto this document, next using the Move Tool I was able to shrink it and place it in the upper left-hand corner of the age, visible yet out of the way and not dominating the page away from the focal image. Next, I decided to add the "World Exclusive" PUG to the page to have continuity of both the exclusive of the magazine and the design from the Front Cover. So I used the custom shape tool to create a rectangular box, much like the Front Cover to act as a backdrop for the writing. I used the Font "Lauren Script" to follow the continuity of the text featured within the Contents Page, and added a shadow to the text to place more emphasis on it, and placed it at an angle to differentiate it from the 'Paparazzi' PUG above it. The next thing I wanted to was to add a quote which cam directly from the Artist, I had pre-written the text in which I was going to use on the spread so I selected the quote, typed it out in the selected font ("Lauren Script") and adjusted the style of the text so it had a shadow behind it and so that it emphasized the quote and then angled it, so it made the page and the quote more interesting. Finally, to finish off the page I added the page number in which the exclusive would be featured, I selected the same Font as I used for the quote and the 'World Exclusive' advertisement, but instead of giving the number a shadow I decided not to add a shadow because where I was going to place it, the shadow would not have been noticed.

My next move was to complete the right-hand side of the double-page spread which would have the inclusion of the featured text. I decided to make the background black to follow the theme of a black and white contrast to brighter colours and also so that the brighter colours in which would be included would stand out. The major thing I wanted to do first was create the introductory Titles to the spread to see how they work with the black background and to see how much room would be left for the text after they were completed. I first made the introductory sentence to the main title so I used the 'Lauren Script' font and the Font Tool to create the sentence, I did not include any shadows on this text as they would not be seen against the black background, I laid out the sentence out flat across the peak of the page so it would be noticed. I made the text white to contrast to the black background. Next, I added the Artist's name to the page but instead of starting from scratch I copied and pasted the 'Melodie' title from the Front Cover to show continuity and so that the audience would immediately recognize the style from the Front Cover. I positioned this text at a slight angle so it differentiated from the 'Here She Goes Again...' introductory sentence. After this, I wanted to continue the theme of the Ink Splatter as it gave the magazine a form of identification, so I copied and pasted the Ink Splurge from the Contents page, but because of the black background it would be invisible because it would blend in, so I inverted the layer so it became white and translucent. I changed the layer to a bottom layer so it could be placed underneath the Main Title text. It blended in well with the white introductory title.

For the final stages of completing the Double-Page Spread I needed to have the inclusion of the text which would parallel the article. I had previously written the text in which would be included on the page so all I had to was copy the text into the document, I then styled the text differently from the Font used for all other written elements of the product. I used a text called 'Georgia' so it looked more formal and differentiated from other elements of the page. Making the text white contrasted to the black background allowing the text to become more accentuated to the audience, but I coloured the text in Pink so it followed the bright coloured theme of the magazine and the musical genre, so it also matched the title colour too so the questions did not blend in which the answers given by the artist and so it is made apparent reader more clearly as to what the question is. To make the page more interesting and to give the writing a backdrop to lie on so it would stand out more, I used the custom shape too to create 3 boxes which would fall behind the text to accentuate them more significantly. I made the boxes white but because the text was white I needed to make them less translucent so I used the opacity option to tone down the apparentness of the boxes, I did this and it made the boxes more of a light grey colour, so it allowed the text to be seen in front of the boxes. But I obviously also had to adjust the layer so that they could be positioned behind the text.

Finally, to complete the spread I wanted to add more detail to the page by possibly adding more photos but because there was no excess room for them to be placed I decided to take heavy influence on the opacity tool to give it more an inclusion on the double-page spread. I selected the photos I wanted to utilize on the page, placed them on the page where I thought they would be appropriate and then lowered the opacity so it was not as apparent as the text was, yet still visible behind them so it filled the page and added more detail without dominating the page.

Final Contents Page

Creating the Contents Page.

I began creating the page by starting with the Title which was styled the same as the 'Paparazzi' title of the Front Cover. So I used the Font Tool and selected the same font used for the title ('Will & Grace'). I used the hue/saturation adjustment option to change the alter the colour of the text to the same yellow as included on the front cover, and added the shadow using the tool down the right-hand side to adjust the background to create a background shadow similar to the main title. I placed it in the central position at the peak of the page. Next, I wanted to add the detail so I opened the Ink Splatter I acquired from the internet and using the selection tool I was able to get the section of the ink I wanted to use. I then used the Magic Lasso Tool to get select the entire image, I then pressed delete option to eliminate any background excess, and then selected inverse to select the image itself, I then copied and pasted it onto the contents page, changed the layer and adjusted it to the size I wanted it. This added a different effect to give the magazine an edgier look.

To make my magazine look more professional, I decided I wanted to included a smaller version of the Front Cover so I opened the Front Cover in photoshop in separate window and then selected all the layers to flatten the image, I next saved this and opened it again in photoshop. I then used the selection tool to select the image, then copying and pasting it onto the contents page I used the move tool to shrink the image, so it would not dominate the page. I then angled the image so it would look different and so it would fit behind the contents page title. Next, I wanted to make the magazine seem real so I used the same text in which I used for the 'Contents' and 'Paparazzi' titles ('Will & Grace') to create a website advertisement for the magazine in the excess space left at the top of the page. I done this using the font tool and adjusting the colour using the colour option at the top of the page to change the colour to the same colour as the 'Melodie' title on the front cover, which follows the bright colours theme. Then, I needed a title which directed the audience towards the features of the magazine, so I used the font tool to create this title, but I used my alternate font rather than the same font used for the contents page title. I made this font black and slightly smaller than the title for the page so it does not dominate the page over the main title for the page. I modified the size of the text using the move tool.

The next for me to take was to create the stories for the contents page, I opened a text box and within it I wrote the page numbers, the titles for the stories and minor details about the stories to lure the audience. After this was completed, I then decided to adjust all the font styles, sizes and colours. First was the font styles, for the details and the page numbers I used the 'Lauren Script' font and for the main title of the stories I used 'Will & Grace', which has been prominently used for titles across the magazine. Next came the size of the text, I decided that the numbers should be slightly larger than the titles and significantly larger than the details of the stories so the audience can clearly see the page number for each story, and also that the details for each story should be smaller than the titles. Finally, I decided that the text should all be black to contrast to the white background but using the hue/saturation adjustment changed each other page numbers to Pink, the same colour as 'Melodie' title on the front cover.

I wanted to add images to the page next, so I open each image all of which already had enhancements previously made so they were ready to be utilized on the contents page. I placed them in ascending order from bottom image in the order they would be featured in the magazine. Next, I needed to add detail to them so they would look more interesting to the audience so I used the custom shape tool create backgrounds for the images and used the hue/saturation adjustment to make them bright pink and I then used shadow and outer glow effects to enhance the shape outline, positioning them behind each image, using the move tool to adjust the size so it fit behind each image just right.

Ultimately, I wanted to add the final details to the page to make the page seem more professional and so I added correlating page numbers to each image so the audience could locate the accompanying story. I also added the artists name to add to the detail factor of the magazine, and with the main story of the magazine I also added an 'Exclusive' advertisement to it so that the audience become more drawn towards it. Finally, I added another 2 exclusive advertisements and 1 Artist name using the same style as the titles using the bright colours and shadows to attract the audience towards it and to add an extra feature to the magazine. This adds to the detail of the magazine, making is attractive and colourful for the audience, yet lures them towards more features of the magazine. Ultimately creating my final product, which is located the the top of the page.

Final Front Cover

Creating the Front Cover.

First of all, I began by opeing my selected photograph in which I decided to utilise for the Front Cover. The image was a medium, long shot and featured lots of excess space around the edges, but before I cropped the image I made the decision to edit the image because it was too dark and elements of her expression were lacking because of the darkness of the photograph. Using the software iPhoto & Paintshop 2.0, I enhanced the sharpness of the image, brightened the image overall standard of light on the image so the Model and the colours were emphasized more. After this was completed, I enhanced the image by on Paintshop 2.0, using Effects> Photo Effects> Film and Filters... to enhance the look of the image to make it more glamorous. Ultimately, to complete the final editing stages of the image, to make the image more exciting I used Paint Brush Tool, then changed the shape to make it look like a sparkle, once I adjusted the Density and Size I placed it on her lip so it was as if the camera flash has caught the light on her lip. Once this element was complete, my next move was to begin to create the final Product. I opened an A4 page on Photoshop Elements, opened the newly edited image I wanted to utilise for my Front Cover, I cropped the image, eliminating any excess space then copied and pasted the image onto the A4 page. The image had to be squeezed slightly so it could fit onto the page, although it did not distort the image at all. Next, I wanted to add the title to the page, so I found the text I wished to use ("Will & Grace"), opened a seperate page and wrote out the title of the magazine, next I selected the image using the Selection Tool I highlighted the it, pressed delete to eliminate any background excess, inversed the image and then copied and pasted it onto my A4 page. I used the Move Tool to make the image larger, I then used the Hue/Saturation adjustment tool to get the Title the colour I wanted, which was a bright yellow. I added a dark shadow beneath the Title to make it more interesting and to emphasize it more significantly. I wanted to have a signature feature within my magazine to make it my own, so I found some images of Ink splatter, I opened them, cut them down using the selection tool, followed the same inversing process as I did with the Title Text, then copied and pasted onto my A4 page. I moved the layer of them so that they were underneath the title, re-positioned them and because they are the same colour as the shadow of the Title they blended and worked well with the design. My Model's position is slightly to the right, so based on her arrangement I decided that the main sotry should be placed in Top Left-hand side of the page. I followed the same style as I did with the Title for the Main story, but I used opposing colour so that the story could stand apart from the Title. I used the same "Will & Grace" font for it, and used the same shadow effect to convey continuity. I angled the Title slightly so it differentiated from the Main Title. It was positioned slightly over the model, but not largely so it did not domineer the image. To add more detail to the page, I found a barcode from Google.com and placed it in the Top Right-hand corner of the page so it did not dominate from other elements of the page. Just below this I added the date & issue number using the Font Tool, causing my magazine to seem more professional.

Before I added more stories to the page, I wanted to add the Title's of them first, before I decided what to write for the stories. I wanted to create a style for the Titles, which was diverse from the Main Titles on the page, which stood out yet did not dominate the main story. I used the Custom Shape Tool to create rectangular boxes as a backdrop for the text to lay on, and to as a contemporary style to emphasize the text. I created 3, 2 black and 1 pink, the was significantly bigger than the black rectangles because it was going to feature larger and more text. I positioned them at angles and in seperate locations on the page. For the Text, I decided to use the same Text style as used for the Main Titles ("Will & Grace"). I included 4 pieces of text (3 with block backdrops, 1 without), although they all say different things, they are all styled the same, I wanted to use the Black & white constrast to emphasize the titles, so I made the text white using the hue/saturation adjustment, then giving all the text shadows to use against the backgrounds, but not as heavy as the Main Title shadows to differentiate them, I finally used the move tool to position them in the places of choice.

Next, I needed to add detail to the stories featured so I chose a different font, this time I chose "Lauren Script" contrast to the contemporary text style I had used previously. I used the Font Tool to add the text to the page and then used the Move Tool to adjust the size and positioning of the Text. I done this so that the magazine featured slightly more detail to the magazine and so that it attracts the audience's attention more significantly towards the different stories featured.

Finally, to complete the process of creating the Front Cover I needed to make the magazine more attractive yet more professional looking so I decided I had to finsih it off with some PUGs. I created the PUGs by using the Custom Shape Tool, I used circles, 1 was an outline of a circle with the use of shadow to emphasize the text featured in the core, and the other was a black circle with the Text featured over the top of it. For the outlined circle PUG I used yellow and black to contrast one another so it would stand out more significantly. For the black circle PUG I used the "Will & Grace" styled text, I had subtle shadows behind it because I used a different style of highlight for the text, I gave it a chrome and metal effect so it appeared shiny to match the sparkle on her lip. I also used the colours of the main theme to follow the continuity of the page.