Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

In my preliminary task I had basic understanding of a magazine and of its workings. I also had very basic photography and Photoshop skills. First of all the photo shoot I conducted in my preliminary task was very limited with only about 10 pictures taken this didn’t give me a lot to work with when it came to putting them into my magazine. I also took photos I intended in cutting out in scenery instead of in a studio which would make the whole progress much more difficult. This is something I took on board when I was taking my final product photos. Instead of only taking a few pictures I took hundreds which gave me a vast selection in which to find the best of the best pictures to put in the magazine giving it a more professional appearance. I also dedicated a whole photo shoot to studio work. This allowed me have plenty to work with that I would be able to cut out a lot easier than what had been done in my preliminary task. When I started my preliminary task I did no planning which left me making up everything such as layout, colour scheme and text as I went along. This made the whole process much more difficult as I created a piece that was a lot less effective as I had poor guidance. However when I started on my final piece this was something I took to mind as I drew up planned copies of my magazine, planned colour schemes, sell lines and much more. This allowed me to clearly focus on the task that had to be done causing the whole process to be quicker, simpler and more effective. I think the biggest progress throughout the course has been my Photoshop ability. As you can see from my preliminary task my mast head is just a basic text with a white boarder which doesn’t work to well or look professional. However in my final piece I have developed a stylish masthead that is aesthetically pleasing and sells the brand of my magazine well. Also my skills at cutting people out have vastly improved. In the preliminary task pictures have either been left with a background as it was too difficult to cut out or have been poorly cut with jagged edges making the whole publication appear unrealistic and amateur. However in my final piece I have developed these skills to a high ability. Pictures that have been cut out are smooth with no bits missing or unwanted pieces still there. I also managed to do this with white clothing on a white background, this is an extremely difficult and tedious task that took allot of time and practice to perfect. In the preliminary task all photos where just as they had been taken with no editing giving them an amateur basic camera appearance. However in my final piece I have used a range of lighting, hue/saturation, black and white effects and many more. These have produced an overall higher quality pictures that fit perfectly into a professional publication. Finally the editing in my preliminary task didn’t extend past putting the models in circles and bevelling them to create a button effect. This skill in itself I have tweaked and improved for my final publication with a front cover button that looks like it was professionally made and fits into the magazine well. I have also used a larger range of effects in Photoshop which I was originally incapable of doing in the preliminary task. The sell lines I have created have used layers and drop shadows give a almost 3D appearance which fits into the run of the magazine in a positive way. However my personal favourite piece of editing uses a similar technique to the buttons I created in my preliminary task. That is the photo grid in my double page spread. In which I fit images into squares like I had done for my buttons. However this time they are more like windows through the page demonstrating a variety of photos of my model. Overall my ability and learning has expanded greatly throughout this project in which I have created what I believe to be an effective and professional music magazine.