What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of

constructing this product?By Layla Cairns

Introduction

There are many different technologies that I have used throughout the process of my work, that have greatly contributed to my final product. Some important tools I used was Blogger, YouTube, Prezi, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, DaFont.com, and Slide Share.

Blogger

Blogger is a popular blog website where I have recorded and demonstrated my progress throughout my work. It has allowed me to show all of my research, planning, production and now evaluation in a systematic way. Before I started this production I had never previously used Blogger, and was slightly apprehensive of using a HTML format, however I quickly grasped how to publish blog posts and customize my website to fit the genre of my magazine. Blogger has allowed me to save posts as drafts and schedule when I want them to be published, this permitted me to be able to know when I need certain posts done by before they were accessible online. Furthermore, using an electronic method in showcasing my work has proved to be very convenient and time effective compared to filing everything into a portfolio. I was also able to take care with each post and if there was a mistake (spelling for example) it was easily changeable. Blogger has made it simple to locate specific blog posts through the use of labels, if I needed to go back and find some particular information from the past. It was also very important to showcase my work on different media platforms and Blogger has allowed me to bring all of this together, through the use of photos, videos, web links, and embedded creations). Blogger has proved to be a great platform to present all of my work, and can demonstrate a gradual timeline to my finished product.

Adobe Photoshop

In order to adjust and edit my original photographs, and helping with the design of my magazine, I have used Adobe Photoshop CS5 (and CC 2015 which is what I use at home), which is part of the Adobe Master Collection. Prior to creating my product, I was quite knowledgeable with Photoshop, but throughout this process I was able to develop and become slightly confident with the software. I also used online tutorials via YouTube to help with my preliminary task, and then I was able to use the tools I had learnt (Path tools, Feathering etc.) on my final product. By developing new techniques, it allowed me to create a professional feel to my magazine, and really made it realistic. Not only did Photoshop help with the development of my magazine, but with the images I took too. I was able to adjust the curves, brightness and saturation which made my images better. On the model, I used tools such as the Clone Stamp and the Spot Healing tool. This again made my product professional as the images were perfect. Throughout all of my work, I used the Text tool a lot, I downloaded many customizable fonts, and this really made my work stand out from others. Lastly, I used layer effects, brushes and shapes on my magazine, relating to my genre, therefore resulting in appealing to my target audience.

Camera

I used the Canon EOS 600D, which is a very expensive good quality camera, even though some adjustments were made to the images post- production. I had never used a camera that technical before, therefore it was a learning curve for me. I had used good cameras in the past, but not that professional before. I became familiar with zooming, focusing and capturing the images very quickly, and this let me produce great photos.

Photo-shoot Setting

I photographed my images at Sunderland University’s photography studio which was kitted out with all of the new camera technologies. I had to become accustomed to my surroundings, and take into consideration and care when working around backdrops, cables, and the TV display screen which showed the images after they were captured. I quickly learnt through trial and error where was the best lighting, how to work around the room, and the best way my model should pose to produce the best images I could.

iMacs

Throughout this production, it has progressed further through the use of Apple iMacs. I can find them in my media studies class and also in the library at my college, as well as having my own in my room at home. Since I have constant access to the computer, I have been able to develop and finish any of my production whenever I had free time, and really focusing on any work I think would improve my blog. I have also been able to transfer skills that I have learnt in other lessons about the iMacs, such as Graphics, which has enabled me to make my work more professional and improve my time keeping skills. Furthermore, by having an iMac at home, it has allowed me to spend time on learning about these computers, and how they really work, allowing me to navigate around them quickly. I can easily store files and access them at a later date. These iMacs are great to work on as they process really large files and holds well needed software such as Adobe Photoshop, this is also mirrored with what people in the industry would use. The iMac screen is large, clear and shows images in HD, allowing me to view my production in great detail.

DaFont.com

DaFont.com offers free legal fonts for personal, recreational and educational purposes. It categorizes each font into specific genres, which is found along a toolbar. This allows me to easily pick the perfect font for my genre of music- rap. There is also a search bar, where you can enter keywords, and it finds fonts similar to what you are looking for. The preview text box allows you to view your own work in every font, without having to download it, then see if you like your text in that font. I used this feature on DaFont.com a lot, as it saved me time. You can click download on any font, and its yours. Again this is great for time keeping, because once you download it once, you can use it on any software you want (Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop etc…). All of the fonts for the masthead, sub- headings and the main cover line was from DaFont.com

Other Online Software

• PreziThis is an online presentation software, that allows you to showcase your information in a different way. You follow a forward and backward path, but it moves from different places on a page, so it’s a really fun, interactive way of presenting. I used Prezi a lot throughout this process, as you will see on my blog.

• PowtoonThis is an online video and presentation creator, which allows you to either use a template or create your presentation from scratch. I only used this website once as it was quite hard to navigate around and produce exactly what I wanted. It also used a Powtoon watermark, which has covered some of my text on my evaluation question 5.

• Slide ShareThis website allows me to create an online presentation of any PDF I like, and put it together in a simple format that can be easily embedded onto my blog. I don’t think I used it very much throughout my research and planning, but has definitely helped showcase my evaluation answers in a neat way.