Photoshop Notes

Photoshop Notes:

• CRTL + Zooms in, CTRL – Zooms out.
• Layers: Can be unlocked and locked. Click the layer you want to control it.
• CTRL T = transform/re-size, you have to keep your finger on the shift key to keep the proportions. Then click the square tool and then you can apply the transformation.
• You must have your text layer above your image layers
• Colour overlay = Colour text
• Do cover lines on different layers to avoid spacing issue

Task 7- Audience Feedback regarding Magazine Proposal

I created a proposal for my magazine "SOUL", and presented it to my AS classmates. I received audience feedback on the following questions that I proposed:




- Were all the main points covered? If not, what is missing?


- What did you like about my presentation?


- Do you have any concerns?


- Did my presentation convince you to buy "SOUL?"


Findings:


Following these questions, I received 100% positive feedback. 100% of my participants (4/4) said that all the main points were covered and that they enjoyed my presentation. 0% had concerns all stated that my presentation convinced them to buy "SOUL."


Conclusion:

To conclude, I have learnt from this feedback that the ideology and creativity behind my concept of "SOUL" is solid and successful. I am secure in knowing that I have created a product that will appeal to the correct audience as well.

Monday 20th October, 2014: Photography studio induction Notes

• The white backdrop is set up and can be readjusted accordingly.

• The model should not stand at the back of the backdrop, as they will bleach into the backdrop in the photographs.

• Therefore model(s) should ideally stand 5-6 feet away from the back of the backdrop.

• The main lights in the room should be switched off.

• In the studio, there are trinity flash heads (studio flash) that can be readjusted according to the type of shot.

• Everything is remote controlled.

• In terms of health and safety, it is important to be conscious  of long and heavy cables and equipment.

• There are settings on the back of the lights such as on/off and test (this tests the flash and builds up the charge- know as "dumping the flash"). There is also a music note that beeps if its charged and a + button which gives you a harsher flash, as well as a - button to give you less of a harsh flash.

• There is an option to use 3-point lighting. There is the key light which has soft boxes covering it to reduce light. Soft boxes can also be replaced with a lighting umbrella. There is also the fill light which is covered with a grid to spread out the light. The fill light takes the shadow away. Finally, there is the hair light and attached to it is the snout: which shines light onto the back of the model's head, as well as separating the model from the backdrops. This stops the image looking flat.

• There is a 3:1 lighting ratio. Each light should be set differently, for example at 4,3 and 1.5- to create a contrast. Different rations can be used to create different effects.

• There is a goodox plugged into the lights, which you push to flash.

• We use Nikon D7000s which have 17 million mega pixels, which ensures that no desaturation takes place. The zoom length ranges from 18-105. It also has a 3.5 LCD. Portrait and landscape buttons are different, as you can turn the camera and the button used changes. There is an auto mode , but if you want an extreme close-up it is better to use manual mode.

• There are also Canon 3500s.

• There are different settings . The first is aperture priority which is when everything is in focus. Secondly, there is shutter priority which captures movement. Thirdly, there is depth of  field: which is the distance between the nearest and furthest object- so this setting moves in and out of focus. Also, in the menu you can chose the standard or monochrome setting.

Task 6 - Short magazine proposal (word summary)

The title of your publication: Soul. (The word appeals to urban music fans and soul links directly to my genre)

Your chosen musical genre: Hip-Hop/ RnB

Content of magazine:

I want my magazine to have sex appeal and to gratify males, as well as lead females to aspire towards my main model. My main model will be an attractive female to attract my desired audience. I will include singers and rappers in the magazine. This is because these are the types of artists featured in this genre of the music industry. I will however use this as a countertype and make the rappers female as well as the main model. Female rappers are less common than male rappers so, by glamorising up-coming female rappers in my magazine- I can use this as an USP.

My regular features will be the weekly Rnb charts, in order to appeal to those who follow the Rnb Scene. Another regular feature will be future concerts and collaborations between popular artists. We will have the latest information before other magazines- this will be another USP as we will be ahead of other magazines. A third regular feature will be the latest urban fashions for guys and girls. I have chosen to include this feature because many fans of the music industry dress like their favourite artist or aspire to be like them. Whilst researching Vibe and XXL (my case studies), I discovered that they also feature style or trends as an editorial item. They are extremely successful so I will use similar features to them, but with a twist. For example, one item in the fashion section can be won by the audience every week if they enter the mainstream competition- this is a USP as no other magazine offers to give away brand items weekly. Also, each week a famous artist will have their choice of favourite songs featured as a playlist, which will entice fans of the artist. I will include other typical regular features such as updates in the music industry. 

Publisher:

Spin Media publish the very successful Vibe magazine so it would appeal to use them to publish Soul. However, I am not going to use this publishing company as I would be indirect competition with their other urban magazine- which would not benefit my magazine. I have researched the drawbacks of printing magazines and I have discovered that many companies are losing profit due to not selling as much as they print.  One example of this is the music magazine NME, who have slumped in sales as a result of printing. Therefore I have made the decision to have my magazine entirely online to avoid this. Also my target audience is 16 year olds to a maximum of 30 years old. This group use social media and the internet regularly and dominate the platform of e-media. Therefore it would make sense to use this to my advantage.

Design features:

I will elaborate more in my presentation regarding design features. However in terms of my colour scheme I am going for black, white and red. Black connotes darkness, red connotes passion and danger: whereas white connotes purity. This creates an enigma regarding my main model and the magazine itself, which will compel my audience to read my magazine. I would like my masthead to be white, all in capital letters and with a full stop at the end. The full stop helps communicate the fact that my magazine is purely soul and urban influenced, nothing less and nothing more. It is also unconventional of a masthead, so it will be a great USP.

Target audience:

My target audience’s age ranges from 16-30. I have chosen this age group because it is similar to Vibe’s (16-34).  In terms of gender, I am appealing to both male and female. By including an element of sex appeal I aim to gratify males. By using a female model I hope to lead females to aspire to be like her. In terms of social class I am aiming for the working class audience as they are more likely to listen to rnb/soul music. Those who enjoy fashion, music and other related hobbies are also targeted.

Task 6 - Prezi Presentation: magazine proposal

This is my Flat Plan for Soul. I have chosen to include 35 pages in my magazine for those who access my magazine via postal subscription as they pay more than those who will access my magazine. Therefore those who access my magazine in the form of an e-zine will view less pages, The green pages represent the adverts, the purple pages represent other items, the red pages represent the interviews and the blue is general. I have chosen to include adverts such as sports adverts, fashion, popular celebrities and concert tickets. This targets my audience directly as it relates to my audience profile (see presentation). I have chosen to include two interviews as I think the reader will be getting the value of their money. I think that including more than two will raise the price of my magazine, and I have to keep in mind that the majority of my audience will be in tertiary education. 

Task 6 - Youtube Video of my magazine proposal

When watching please consider:

- Did I cover all the main points? If not, what have I missed out?


- What did you like about my presentation?


- Do you have any concerns regarding my magazine?


-Did my presentation convince you to to buy "Soul?"

Task 5 - Magazine distribution methods part (b)

There are many methods used by the media industry to distribute magazines. The most successful companies use a range of distribution methods to reach a larger audience. The publisher is the company that publishes the magazine, and they can do so using a variety of methods.

One method that is quite modern and has become popular is online publishing. They are easy to access and enable companies to reach larger audiences, which increases their success. There are different distribution methods under the online branch such as E-Zines. These are online  magazines, which the audience can interact with by turning pages via the mouse and sometimes even watching videos and social networking links in the article. This form of interaction causes readers to be more interested in the articles given as they can actually watch the videos mentioned and more. Another form used to distribute and encourage the viewing of magazines are apps on smartphones and tablets. Some examples of magazines that have an app are Hello magazine, OK magazine and Elle magazine.This extends the audience of the magazine because readers can continue their experience outside of the actual magazine. They can learn more and interact, which keeps them interested.

Another form of distribution is postal subscription. Readers usually subscribe to receive a magazine weekly or monthly. This method is favourable because the publisher benefits, as the sale is generated and no copies can be wasted.

  

A more traditional method is sale or return. This method has drawbacks as, if less copies are sold than placed on the shelf- those extra copies are thrown  away or returned to the publisher. This results in a loss of income. Also, printing costs can be quite expensive as well as the competitive nature of trying ton get their magazines placed at eye-level.

Direct distribution is also used to generate publicity and popularity. This is where the magazine is placed directly into the consumer's hands, which makes the method effective. Directly distributed magazines are free, so the publisher has to have an abundance of adverts to generate income. One drawback of direct distribution is that the magazine is distributed to a smaller audience.

Music magazines use social networking to increase their success. For example, Vibe magazine has an official Facebook page, where they advertise news related to music, such as new singles and videos of gigs. They also advertise their own regular issues on the Facebook page.

A link to Vibe's Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/vibe

Music magazines such as Kerrang also make use of twitter, TV and radio. They have their own radio station, where they play rock music and advertise their magazine. They also have a twitter page to advertise their brand, and by using this social network they can use twitter trends to their advantage.

Task 5 - Magazine distribution task - part (a)

This is the music section of the newstand at WH Smith's. A variety of music genre's are displayed, and are separated so that the audience can distinguish between the different types. Some of the music magazines available are Kerang, NME, XXL and Blues. I've noticed that magazines under the same genre use a similar colour scheme and house style. For example, a common colour scheme under the rock section is red, white and black. The magazines are displayed with the lower left third showing, so that the audience will be tempted to pull out the entire magazine. 

The iconography used on the cover of the magazines changes according to the genre of the magazine. This stand was towards the front of the store, and I think that it has been placed there to entice the customer. A lot of the cover's main models were men, which hints at the music industry being possibly dominated by men. A popular font regarding the masthead seems to be block capitals or bubble writing. White, red or black is the chosen colour for mastheads. At eye level, the most popular magazines are placed. For example, XXL and NME. Towards the bottom shelf their are less popular magazines, such as musical instrument-themed magazines and Opera.

Task 4 - Preliminary Task- Audience Feedback

The task I had to carry out consisted of creating a cover and contents page of a college magazine . I enjoyed this task because I have experience in the media field and therefore enjoy creating publications such as magazines, trailers e.t.c.
I found using Photoshop for the cover as it is less restricted than InDesign.

I asked five targeted questions which were as followed:

1) What do you like about the magazine?

2) How much would you pay if you bought this magazine?

3) Do you like the layout?

4) Do you like the colour scheme (appropriateness)?

5) What would you improve?

According to my audience feedback, the iconography chosen was a hit and appropriate for the type of magazine I produced. One participant said that the iconography "relates to the magazine and target audience." I think that iconography is essential because it relates a lot of messages to the reader without using words. Therefore I am pleased that my audience feedback regarding this was positive.

Another positive review was that my magazine's front cover was unique and original. One participant said that they "like the image on the front cover as it is different to others."

Another element that received positive feedback was the organisation of the iconography and typography. It was said that the "contents page...is organised showing that it was prepared and planned."

Overall, the participants liked the limited colour scheme as it made my magazine look professional. When too many colours are used, it either spoils a layout or makes it look too unprofessional.

There were elements, according to audience feedback, that could be improved. Two out of five did not like the colour scheme, as the bright colour made it hard to read the cover lines. One participant also said that the layout of the front cover was messy. I also did not add basic institutional features such as the price and bar code. Also, I was advised to make the masthead bigger so that it would be clearer.

To improve, I need to add institutional features so that it fits into the codes and conventions of a magazine.  I also need to re-address the colour scheme and make sure that my typography can be clearly read. Thirdly, I need to make the front cover look as aesthetically pleasing as the contents page and Dps.

Task 3 - Preliminary task- College Magazine - Finished products

InDesign was used for the contents page. I found it relatively easy to use. I do not, however, like the limited availability of colour.

Photoshop was used for the cover of my magazine. I have previous experience with Photoshop so I did not find it extremely hard, however it is more complex than InDesign. I prefer it to InDesign because it allows you to be more creative and do more things.

1) What do you like about the magazine?

2) How much would you pay if you bought this magazine?

3) Do you like the layout?

4)Do you like the colour scheme? (appropriateness)

5)What would you improve?

Task 3 - Preliminary task - sketches of college cover and contents page

Fig 1- CONTENTS

Fig 2- COVER

These are my sketches of my cover and contents page. For the contents (figure 1) I chose this structure because, from my research I concluded that the most professional college magazine contents pages had the editorial features on one side and the iconography on the other. Even though I wanted my magazine to be professional in terms of aesthetics, I also wanted my magazine to have less formal elements, so I decided to use a mixture of bright and darker typography to connote this.

For the cover (figure 2) I chose to place my cover lines, teasers and free prize on the left-hand side because, in terms of placement on a shelf- magazines are placed on top of each other, with only their left side showing. This encourages readers to put effort into pulling out the entire magazine if they like what they see, so therefore an audience would be attracted to whatever they see first.

Task 3 - Preliminary task - Analysis of a contents page

Distribution of magazines - Notes

• A lot of companies are now publishing their magazines online (E-Zines) because it results in less paper costs as they use glossy paper in print form, it reduces the competition for placement on shelves, and it also reduces distribution costs. Online publishing also increases accessibility in terms of national and international readers.
• It can also be more interactive i.e. videos, interactive links.

Main 4 :

- EMAP Bauer

- NatMag

- Conde Nast

- IPC

Task 3 - Preliminary task - Analysis of front cover

This is my analysis of a cover of a college magazine. This task was a simple task for me because I have previous experience in Media and therefore I have knowledge on how the media industry uses typography, iconography, enigmas e.t.c,