A02 ao4 pdf

OCR Creative iMedia – Level 2 113 – Digital Graphics Editing

St John’s School and Sixth Form College – A Catholic Academy

AO2: Be able to plan the editing of a digital graphics montage 2.1: Identify the needs of the client

In this project, I am ‘employed by a new company who will specialise in personalised cups, jigsaws, canvases, key rings, etc.’ For this company I will have to produce an image which they can use on their sample products to display to their customers. As I have been employed by a professional company, my work must be completed to a high standard and look well enough to be published worldwide. I must ‘produce one final image from a minimum of 3 original images’ which will all have been edited to create a final montage. To do this a minimum of 5 edits must be carried out and the details of these edits must be recorded. I must make sure that all of my images are edited professionally, but also appeal to the audience of the images I chose to use. They must be attractive and ascetically pleasing. I have not been asked to take these images myself as this would not be possible, however I will have to collect the images needed and source them before going on to use them. The company need me to do this for their new products. It must not be a complex image, but be easily recognisable, as it is an image related to a specific area. As it is just to be used in a sample product, it has not yet been confirmed to be published, therefore it needs to be a high standard to be chose to possibly go onto to further production for the company. My audience will be wide, with jigsaws attracting more of a younger audience; however canvases are more of a home accessory, therefore for the adult. This means that my image must be versatile, and not aimed at a certain aim, but in fact a general promotion image. This will not be hard, as images of places do not tend to have a particular audience, however if I am chose to use a certain famous statue, building ect it must be known by all ages. For this project, I was given the option of choosing from:

Africa Europe New York The rainforest China Australia California

For my image I decided that I would like to use New York. I decided to use this topic as it is a state that I am interested in, but also find it very attractive, something which could be used easily to create an attractive image. As I have never been there, it will allow me to look further into the state, and explore what is there, which I find intriguing and interesting. I have seen various images before, and as a teenager I already recognise them, so I feel that all ages know many of the famous sites, such as the statue of liberty, therefore it will fit with the brief of being places on different age aimed products. I will need to find out what is the most popular part of New York, to have the widest audience possible. This can be looking at existing products and what sells well, as well as what is the most known in New York, and this could be through finding out the most popular places online or the most searched for. However, as using copyright images is illegal, I will have to find out information on copyright free websites. As New York is such a popular place, I find that this will be an easy task, and there are so many images to choose from online that there will be a collection on copyright free. There are various images suitable for my task, however nothing inappropriate as it will be aimed at all ages, and this is as well as anything offensive. I will need to use positive wording, which again will promote the company and the area, and bring in customers. The most popular images I think will be of famous areas, such as buildings and statues, but also by showing the large audiences New York attracts makes it look like a popular place. All wording will have to be associated with New York to fit the brief, and to give a clear indication of what everything is about.



2.2: List in order the activities that you will carry out to create an original digital graphic montage

Activity Timescale Resources

Identify client requirements 1 hour For this I will only need to use word. This is a simple way of recording a text document as it is a simple typing document. I will also use my assignment brief which will also be saved in word to refer back to identify the client and the needs.

Create visualisation document 1.5 hours For this I will need to use a pencil, paper and coloured pencil. As it is a way to express my ideas, it is easier to do free hand on paper rather than use a computer programme where I do not have complete freedom to express my ideas.

Source assets needed 1 hour + ONGOING

This again is a word document as I will need to record these in a table. This is the quickest way to source my assets. I will need the internet to collect the images, and I then can copy the website straight into my word document. If I find any more images to be included during the project I will have the word document which will be able to be edited whenever I want, and the table updated.

Edit individual assets 3 hours For this I will need to use Fireworks and Photoshop. These are the two professional programmes used in the industry, allowing my work to be completed to a high standard and look professional, fitting the brief.

Combine assets to create final montage

2 hours Again this will be used in the Fireworks and Photoshop documents, giving it a professional look. Using a computer gives me free control o moving the images exactly where I want them to be placed.

Save in appropriate file formats 1 hour This will be using a computer. I will convert them from the Fireworks and Photoshop documents to the appropriate style, which is just resaving and exporting them.

Gather feedback 2 hour This will be done on word as it is a text document. It will allow me to import the image that they are reviewing and then leave space for review on the same page, keeping a simple and neat layout.

Review final montage against the assignment brief

1 hour Word again will be used. I will use my assignment brief also saved on word but also my documents I have previously saved to compare and save the text in a word document. I will need My Documents to look at the work have completed.

Upload work to the e‐portfolio system

1 hour This will use the internet, to upload it to the MAPS system. I will already have my work, so will only need the internet to select the correct documents as no editing will be needed due to everything being completed.

2.3: Identify appropriate file types and formats for the digital graphic montage

See uploaded Prezi ‘File Formats’



AO3: Be able to produce a digital graphic 301: Source/create the assets identified for use in the digital graphic montage

Image (file name) & location saved

P/S Description Source Details Permission Date

Times Square.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S This is an image of a busy Times Square in New York. The website is www.freedigitalphotos.net and allows me to use a small 400 x 263 image at a free cost. I would need to crop the image to fit into the section of my montage.

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It states ‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project ect please publish the following credit; Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ which is what I am doing here in my assets table. However it states if I was to publish this image I would need to buy it at a cost of $3 or mention Damian Brandon on the image which would look unprofessional

18/4/2012

Sky Line.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S It is an image of the New York Sky Line in the night. There are many buildings with the river beneath. I would need to crop this to make a more landscape look, and edit the contrast to make it stand out more. The image is a Small 400 x 300 from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Vitasamb2001 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project ect please publish the following credit Vitasamb2001 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ This means mentioning the name in my sources tablet or if I was to publish for a business purpose I would either have to buy the small image for $3 or mention the name on the photo which would look unprofessional and un neat.

18/4/2012

Statue of Liberty.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S It is an image of the Statue of Liberty from below with a bright sky and clouds in the background. I would need to crop this into a more portrait image to fit my plan and also make the image brighter to give off a sunnier and more positive day. It is a small 400 x 266 image

Porbital / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project ect please publish the following credit Porbital / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ However if I was to publish the image for a business it says ‘You must publish a credit to Porbital , the digital artist who created it’ which means adding their name to the final montage.

18/4/2012

Taxi.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S This is an image of a famous yellow cab rushing down the street. The background is blurred apart from the taxi which I want to keep in my photo however crop out most of the road and improve the brightness and contrast to make the yellow stand out more. The image is 200 x 262


It states ‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project ect please publish the following credit; Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ which is what I am doing here in my assets table. However it states if I was to publish this image I would need to buy it at a cost of $3 or mention Damian Brandon on the image which would look unprofessional

18/4/2012



Central Park.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S Image of central park from a distance. Focused on the greenery with the New York buildings in the background. I feel the image slightly boring so would have to brighten the image to make it livelier. The image is 400 x 267 Small.

Image: Susie B / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It states ‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project etc. please publish the following credit Image: Susie B / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ it states if I was to publish this image I would need to buy it at a cost of $3 or mention Damian Brandon on the image which would look unprofessional

18/4/2012

Sky Line 2.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S The image is of the New York Sky Line in black and white, showing the building and river from above. I would like to keep the black and white colour however change the brightness etc. to still keep it interesting yet classic. The image is small 400 x 267

Image: Antoine Henrich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project etc. please publish the following credit Image: Antoine Henrich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ However if I was to publish the image for a business it says ‘You must publish a credit to Antoine Henrich, the digital artist who created it’ which means adding their name to the final montage.

18/4/2012

Sky Line 3.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S The image is of the New York Sky Line in the night. The buildings are light up however I feel increasing the brightness would make this stand out more. The image is small 400 x 300.

Vitasamb2001 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project etc. please publish the following credit Vitasamb2001 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ This means mentioning the name in my sources tablet or if I was to publish for a business purpose I would either have to buy the small image for $3 or mention the name on the photo which would look unprofessional and un neat.

18/4/2012

Ground Zero.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S The image is of the ground zero 9/11 memorial in New York. The image has been taken from a distance so I would like to crop the image to give a more detailed look. The image is small 400 x 176.


It states ‘If you are using this image in a printed material, computer applications, video, school project etc. please publish the following credit; Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net’ which is what I am doing here in my assets table. However it states if I was to publish this image I would need to buy it at a cost of $3 or mention Damian Brandon on the image which would look unprofessional

18/4/2012

School Bus.jpeg Z:\Creative iMedia\113 Digital Graphics Editing\Original Images

S The image is of a classic Yellow School bus stationary and now in use. I would need to improve the brightness of the image to make it look professional, and bring out the bright yellow.

Emma Blacklock 18/4/2012



3.2: Edit the images and graphics using a range of graphics tools and techniques

Original Image Edited Image

Describe why this image is fit for purpose (both before and after editing)

I think that this image is fit for my theme as it is a famous part of New York which is recognisable and will therefore show what my image is about. I think that as the grass is included you can tell it is Central Park rather than just the famous building, which is why I left it in my edited image. I feel that now my edited image clearly shows what it is promoting, and especially will when joined with the word YORK as it spells out my city. I think that the bright sunny day gives off a positive look on New York making you want to go there.

Describe the tools and skills used to edit the image. Justify the decisions made.

I used clipping mask with text for this edit. At first I had to choose a suitable text that would be bold enough to hold enough of the image showing what is inside, but still be clear enough to state the word. I then had to place the text layer behind my image of Central Park and then clipped them together. I did this as I feel that it is a quirky way of sowing my image rather than a boring square, and it uses two jobs of stating the city without it just being a boring plain text. I think that the font I used is quirky and not too boring, without being too much for my montage.






I feel that this is one of the most iconic images of New York therefore fits well with my theme. I think that the yellow stands out from the grey background making it catch the eye, which is what my whole project is about. I do however feel that the colours are quite dull, and that there is too much grey. I feel that my second image fits the purpose a lot better being more positive with brighter colours, and less grey focusing more on the main image, not boring the audience.


For this edit, I firstly c hanged the auto levels to give colours which worked better with each other. I did however find the yellow that matched the grey was too dull, and I wanted the image to stand out as much as possible, so I increased the Hugh, saturations and lightness, making a vibrant yellow. I then used the clipping mask with the text to fit my previous image and spell out the title. I chose this image for the YORK word as it is longer than NEW and I wanted as much as the taxi in as possible, rather than using it as a normal image, where there would be too much grey blank space not promoting anything.






This shows the whole of New York therefore fits my theme. I feel that it is one of the most recognisable images I have used. The black and white effect gives off a classic look which makes my montage look more professional. I think that it fits my montage as I needed an area for a title, and the white sky line allows this. It will stand out against my coloured images.


I decided to increase the colour balance higher towards red to give off a more warm feeling than the black and white. The warmer the image, the more inviting the city seems the more the image connects with the audience. I also increased the shadows so that the city stood out more. It seems to jump out the image more with stronger shadows pushing the image forward, and giving a more complex and professional look.






I feel that this image is fit for the purpose, as my theme was New York which this is iconic too. I needed 3 square images to be place on the edge of my montage, and I felt that this statue would fit the size I needed. I feel that the bright sky in the background gives off a positive look on New York, looking picturesque. The fact that a low camera angle has been used makes the statue look more important.


The simplest effect I used was a crop. I had already used to use a square image therefore I measured out the correct size, as I feel it gave it a classic look that I am trying to make my image meet. I decided that by bringing the Hugh down and the saturation up, the image appeared brighter and the colours enhanced. This made the green of the statue stand out, and with a more vibrant colour, looking more attractive. The fact that the blue skier appeared righter gave of the effect of a brighter day which gives a positive outlook. I then added a border so that the image would stand out against the background and be noticed.






I feel that this image is appropriate showing the popularity of New York. It is already a bright vibrant picture before the editing, so I did not feel the need to increase the colour as it already stands out, with the bright billboards jumping out. The long shot shows the size of New York, and how much it really has to hold. The fact it is looking down Times Square draws in the audience, with the eyes following the path.


Again I decided to crop this image to fit the theme along with the others, being square. This kept a classic look, rarely finding square images these days, much more portrait and landscape. I did not feel the need to alter the colour, as it was already so bright and in your face. However as it was such a busy place, I decided to add Radial Blur on the zoom setting, which made the place look even busier, and exciting. The blur follows the path of Times Square drawing the in the audience. I then added a border so that the image would stand out against the background and be noticed.






I feel that this brings back the traditional side of New York, which bringing in the older audience, overall extending my audience. I feel that the yellow stands out and fits with the yellow used in my title. I fact that the bus is on a title angle facing the side gives off a more quirky look however the title of the school bus still clearly states what the image is about. I feel that the bus looks worn down adds an element of vintage to the bus, showing how it’s an old city with a lot to explore.


Again I cropped this image to a square being one of my side images. I decided to enhance the fact that there was such a dull background against the bright yellow by increasing the Hugh, saturation on lightness, which made the yellow brighter and the greys in the background duller. This made the image stand out more and showed how much of an important part of New York it was, standing out so much. I then added a border so that the image would stand out against the background and be noticed.



AO4: Understand how to review pre production documents 4.1: Identify strengths and weaknesses of own work 4.2: Compare the finished object to the original brief

In this project, I was asked to create a ‘sample products to display to their customers.’ The aim of this was to promote an area of my choice from the list I was given, which I chose to be New York. I would be creating a image with the purpose of being sold on merchandise in the area such as ‘cups, jigsaws, canvases, key rings, etc.’ As I was employed by this company, I knew that I had to fit the working standards of a normal employee, and make my work look professional enough to be sold. The choice of products fit a wide range of audiences; therefore it had to be appropriate and appealing to all audiences. As it was focused on images, I also had to make sure I met the copyright law, claiming permission for all assets I used and sourcing them. As my image was ‘focused’ on New York I knew that my images had to be relevant. Before creating my image that fit the brief, I had to plan. First of all I had to think about what was expected of me, which was a quick task, and as I have followed briefs previously, I knew what to focus on to create a suitable image. I then had to create a visualisation diagram, which I drafted the layout of my montage. I found this easy to express my ideas as it was by hand; therefore I had nothing to hold me back. I added colour to this to create it in the highest detail, drawing where I wanted certain images, and their colour schemes. After this, I moved onto the computer to find the images I wanted to use and source them. I stored these in an assets table. I found this an easy task, as New York was such a popular place, there was many copyright free images online which I could use, however still mention them in my source, giving them credit. I also knew various friends which had visited New York which made this even easier to me, and they allowed me to use their images straight away, with no problems. After I gathered my images I was ready to start producing my montage. Before I brought my images together I edited them to make them fit the brief more, such as increasing the colour and blur to make the city seem more popular, exciting and busy, giving off a positive image. I mainly used Photoshop to do so, as it is a professional programme giving me high quality edits. As I have previously used this I had experience and knew what I was doing, however the more simple things such as cropping seemed more complex on this professional programme, so I did these basic edits in Fireworks, and extremely basic editing programme. This helped me overcome the problems, and was a quick technique. I then decided to bring together all of my documents on Photoshop, as it was where all of my images were saved due to editing. The main problem I experienced was the resizing. The images on the edge of my montage were the same size as the background, however needed reducing extremely without losing quality. I attempted to do so in Fireworks, again as I was familiar to it, however as I lost quality, I decided to play around with Photoshop and find out a higher quality way to do so. Also, when moving images that were cropped such as my ‘New’ and ‘York’ I experienced an untidy white background behind them, but I could easily remove this once I rearranged the layers meaning none of the other images were being distorted. I feel that after all of this I have created a high quality product. I feel that my image if fit for purpose, being appropriate for all ages. There is no context that may be offensive, which would make it not suitable for selling. It also is fit for purpose showing New York by using popular landmarks that would make it recognised by a wide audience. I do feel however that to fit the purpose even more I could have made a higher quality product by using more images I sourced from people I know which would have been a larger document that those of the internet, keeping quality when resizing. However I decided not to change my images as they fit my initial ideas of what I wanted to achieve. I think that the layout I have used is professional and clearly set out, with no images being hidden beneath another, therefore everything can still be recognised. I met the brief by making ‘one final image from a minimum of 3 original images’ with a ‘minimum of 5 edits’ and all details sourced. I decided to edit as many images as I could to give my own personal touch, to make the company have a product which stood out from others and sold well. I feel that my time plan was suitable and I kept to it as well as I could. However after editing my images I did not need the full two hours as I was more experienced with the programme after editing. I knew more tools which I learnt from the previous lessons which helped me speed up the process. I also kept the images I was editing fitting my initial ideas so I kept on track when it came to bringing my images together. Overall I feel that the strengths in my work were the appropriateness. I feel that the bold title clearly shows what this image is about and attracts the audience. The layout also achieves this by making all images clear and working well against each other, such as the darker background against the brighter images making a contrast noticed by the audience. All images I have used are recognised to the city, and my edits bring out the best in this. I feel that the vibrancy in my images give off a positive feel to the city which is what I set out to achieve, giving the company a bright stand out montage to sell. I found that the sourcing was easier than I initially planned due to the popularity of the city making it so easy to collect copyright free images. I thought that I would be contacting various owners of



images and waiting for replies, however after finding these useful websites the whole process was sped up. Working with the programmes was also a lot easier than I expected due to the knowledge I learnt throughout the process, I found that the editing became easier the more I did. However I do think that a main difficulty was finding the appropriate edits before actually using them. Due to Photoshop being such a professional programme it had very complex tools which I found hard to approach until I got a clearer idea of their job. I feel that the main weakness of my product is quality. I feel that as my images along the side are so small, they have lost their detail, and although are still recognised do not have the effect I set out to achieve. I do not feel there was any major part of the project which was difficult to me, as I feel experienced in this area of editing. However if I was to do this again, I would try and source my images from a source nearer to me which would have been larger documents, or if this was for actual production, pay for the copyright images as larger documents, as I would be making a profit back. A final improvement would be to use an image of the Sky Line with a larger blank area to place the images that the one I have used overlapping. Although it makes my montage look busy and fun, just like the city, I do not want to lose the images behind and keep it a relevant to the topic as possible. Overall I feel that my work is to a high standard and fits the brief, being appropriate.

4.3: Obtain feedback on the product

Client feedback Analysis

• On the 25th April 2012 I gathered feedback on my edit of ‘New’ and ‘York’ on my blog www. /holliewatson113.blogspot.co.uk and received these comments: ‐ “Well done Hollie, I like both of these pictures & think they're both really suitable. I like that the blurred effect of the taxi gives the effect of a fast paced city. I think you've completed this edit to a high standard.” ‐ “I really like how you put am image into the text as it makes it stand out more and it is more effective than just having the picture on its own.” ‐ “These are both really good edits. I like how you have put images related to New York in the text. I also like the blurred effect that you have used on the second image because it makes the taxi stand out.” ‐ “I like this edit. I love how you have incorporated the traditional yellow cab into the words as this makes it look authentic.” ‐ “I really like these edits because the New York skyline and yellow city cab are two things most associated with the city. The edits look very professional, and the blurred effect on the cab image reinforces the phrase 'The city that never sleeps' as it shows the busy fast‐paced atmosphere of New York.”‐ “I like how the pictures are masked into the text, this looks unique and the blurring on the picture of the car looks great. The text is bold which makes it stand out and because the pictures were masked onto the text, this made the text look bright and colourful, and the contrast between all the colours looked extremely eye‐catching.” ‐ “I like both of your edits and I think that it is a very good idea. to improve further I think that you should move the image in the word "new" down so that it is mainly the buildings on show”

• From this first set of feedback on my first edits I knew I had created a good product. Almost all of my feedback was positive, saying that I had kept

an ‘authentic’ look which is what I set out to achieve of New York. I agree with all of the

comments that the images are appropriate, and the good use of clipping them into the text which is why I originally chose this design. However at

the end what I am told to ‘move the image in the word “new” down’ I disagreed. I felt that if it was mainly buildings showing it would not stress the

image of Central park which is known for its gardens, and would just look like the New York buildings as seen in my background therefore

would clash.



• On the 2nd May 2012 I received a piece of feedback from my blog www. /holliewatson113.blogspot.co.uk on my 3 edits which would be used on the side of my montage: ‐ “You've done a lot of work to these images & they've turned out really well, I'm impressed! I like the consistency of the images & how you've made them the same shape & size. Will they appear on your final montage as they are or will they have borders to make them stand out?”

• After creating all of my final images I placed them together to create my final montage and gathered feedback once more: ‐ “This is a great final image. The layout is clear and there is no overlapping, which gives off a tidy effect. All images work well together being related and the different choices in colour make it stand out” ‐ “You can clearly tell what your brief was based on and the images in the title add even more detail. I feel that the images work well together, none of similar topics giving a wide view on New York. There is a clear and effective layout!”

• Again I agree with this feedback, as it is positive. I decided to use the squares to keep a

consistency which my audience has recognised showing that my idea had been sent across. As the review asked if there would be borders I found that this would be a good way to make them stand out, therefore I went ahead and

followed their advice. When placing together my montage I found this was the right choice and

gave that extra boost of detail. As they can tell I have put ‘a lot of work’ in I know my hard work

has paid off.

• This final feedback was very positive which reflected on my work. I agree with all of this and

feel that the layout is strength in my work as none over lap, giving a professional look. I can

tell from looking what my topic is as all images as relevant. I am proud of my work and feel that

this feedback shows how well I have done. There are no further improvements for me to make, as

neither I nor the reviewers can think of any.

4.4: Suggest improvements for own work

• Larger images keeping higher quality • Source my own images • Use a focus blur instead of a full blur on ‘Times Square’ edit • Use an image of the Sky Line with a large sky area to place images