WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF

CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?

THE BEGINNING

At the start of this task my knowledge of technology was very limited to the basics, such as uploading single files and a very basic understanding of programmes such as Photoshop and InDesign. The majority of my work was done on an Acer desktop computer, with some of it done on a laptop.

PHOTO-SHOOT

For my photo-shoot I used a Nikon D40. During my first attempt of my photo-shoot I knew how to zoom due to my basic understanding. Throughout the duration of my shoots I learnt how to edit the brightness of the picture. I also managed to use the gridlock feature, this places grids onto the screen when taking the photo, so you can easily locate the centre of the shot. This was useful when attempting to align my model centrally.

TEXT ON THE MAGAZINEAll of my text was copied and pasted into word and spell checked to avoid grammar and spelling errors. I also used synonyms to see if there was a better alternative to the words I already wrote.

PICTURES ON THE MAGAZINEOnce my pictures had been uploaded onto the computer, I opened them up in Photoshop CS6. Before this I have never had any experience of this programme, so it was all new to me. I began by removing the backgrounds from the images using the quick selection tool to do this. But I gradually learnt it would not work this way every time, so I had to use the pen tool to remove the background for increased precision. I then used the air brush tool to remove any imperfections from the image. I also used the sharpen edges tool to get a crisper image.

INDESIGN

After I edited the pictures on Photoshop, I imported them into InDesign to be placed into the magazine. As I have never used this programme before it was quite difficult at first, but I learnt how to put all of the text into columns without using separate text boxes. I also learnt how to use the kerning tool to remove gaps in between my text, as well as the stretch tool.

EDUBLOGS

By using the blogging site, ‘Edublogs’ I was able to communicate ideas through to people and measure responses which helped me in the development of my magazine. Using the site to blog all the processes in creating my magazine really helped as I was able to keep up to date with all my work. I was able to post any developments whenever I wanted. It also came with the advantage of being able to look at other blogs. I could create ideas and develop similar designs from others.

YOUTUBE

YouTube was one of the most important websites I used as I was able to find tutorials on how to use certain features of Photoshop and InDesign that I could not use. One of the tutorials was on how to remove the background from an image - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTZ1HnGzm6E

SOCIAL MEDIA - TWITTER

Previous to this task I was very familiar with social media as I own accounts and use them on a regular basis. I realised that it would be useful to use these websites to get feedback and distribute my magazine directly to my target market.

CREATING AN APP

Previous to this task I had no knowledge on how to create an app. I knew that apps were very popular so I thought it would be good to create one as my research shown that 7 in 10 people in the UK had a smart phone. I found this easy to use website which made the process to create my app very simple and quick. My app is now available to download in the Android market.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, thanks to the making of the product, I have learnt how to use some complex techniques about how to use Photoshop and InDesign at a high standard, and where each tool comes in handy. But also through tutorials on YouTube, all these forms of technology are responsible for the three products I have created.