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

Whilst constructing my cover, contents page and double page spread I have learnt how to use many aspects of Adobe Photoshop that I didn’t know how to use before.

I chose to use Photoshop because it was the best programme to use that would enable me to use the fonts I want and how to get the layout correctly, as well as allowing me to edit my pictures.
On the cover of the magazine I cut the figure from the background using the magnetic lasso tool. This then allowed me to create the fading red and white background with the gradient tool. I then used the smudge tool to make the outline of the figure less obvious so it looks more professional. For the cover lines I chose the font I wanted from 'dafont.com' and pasted them onto my cover. I had to use the magic wand tool to delete the background so they didn’t have a white box around them. I used the fill tool to change the colours. I used the shape tool to create the seal of approval and added a shadow to make it look raised.
I desaturated the image of the figure to make him black and grey. Finally, I added a glow to the title of my magazine ‘Sound’ to make it stand out and look different from the cover lines, and used the burn tool to darken some areas.
On my contents page I used the magnetic lasso tool again to cut out the figure. I again desaturated the image to keep the running theme of black and white images; I also desaturated the images I got off the Internet. I again used the smudge tool to make the outline less visible, and used the magic wand tool to delete the background of the writing and the fill to change the colour of the font. To make the lines I used the shape tool and selected the line, then I chose what size I wanted them and altered the colours using the fill tool.
On the double page spread I didn’t delete the background of the image; I kept it as I liked the greyness. Instead I used the eyedropper tool which allows you to select any colour from an image; I selected the grey of the background and applied to the background behind the image as the image didn’t reach the edges. I again had to use the magic wand tool to delete the background of the font and fill to change the colour. The actual text I used for the interview was already on Photoshop so I just used the text box tool to write that, I then highlighted the quotes and changed the font and colour using the tools at the top of the page.
Before my task, I wasn’t completely comfortable using Adobe Photoshop and didn’t understand some of the tools, however, this task has allowed me to heighten my Photoshop skills and will be useful in the future.