What have you learnt about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

QUESTION 6

DSLR & COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA’S

I have used the DSLR camera to take professional pictures in a studio of my models for my magazine. For this task, I had to keep the camera focused to get a very good quality image. I used the Trinity flash lights and a soft box to make the photographs look more professional too. Also, the lighting on the background was very important because if the lighting was wrong, I may have had to change the colour scheme and font style completely for the front cover.

The compact digital cameras had to be used instead of the DSLR cameras because I needed to take location photography, so it was quit difficult to get an image that was as good as the DSLR cameras photography. I then developed these skills by using different shot types like close ups and full body shots.

PHOTOSHOP & INDESIGN

I used Photoshop for the front cover of my magazine. At first it was a really difficult software to use but as soon as I experimented with it, it got easier. This software has helped me make my magazine look more professional and original because I managed to change the tone of the lighting of the image, I could even manipulate and clear all the blemishes my models had which was very useful. In addition, I managed to add backdrops to my masthead and to certain cover lines to give them a better and more eye catching effect which also made the front cover look professional.

InDesign was used for my contents page and my double page spread. This software also was difficult to use because this one specialised in manipulating the double page spreads more. I used this software for both my contents page and my double page spread. I particularly enjoyed using it for spreading out the images on each page because you could also crop and move it about as much as you wanted to. This software got easier to use as I had to apply it onto my magazine for 2 pages.

I used illustrator for certain fonts on my contents page and for my double page spread. For example, I used illustrator for the title of the contents page ‘Teen Beat Contents’ because illustrator is a software that allows you to manipulate the text more compared to Photoshop & InDesign. I enjoyed gaining knowledge and using this software as it helped me to manipulate one font into many styles and effects. For example, the ‘Regulars’ and ‘Features’ style of font was completely different from the other text/ journalism which clearly illustrated the difference between the subheadings, the main text and the captions on my contents page.

ILLUSTRATOR

BLOGGER

Blogger is the website where I had to blog and update everything I did in this project, to prove my understanding of the work. I had to regularly update it with the steps of how I was making my magazine and how I incorporated my initial ideas to my final piece. So, I could clearly see how I gradually improved and added ideas through my blog, which has helped me gain more knowledge of the technologies I have used. I also had to embed my Prezi, SlideShare and MindMeister to HTML in order for me to be able to blog it properly.

SLIDESHARE

SlideShare was another website I found really useful. To be able to blog my PowerPoint’s for Task 11, I had to first upload the completed PowerPoint's on to slide share and then copy the link for it. After I copied the link, I then had to paste it as a HTML on to my blog, so that I’d get a full PowerPoint on my blog when I viewed my posts. This was a very easy way of presenting my evaluation as I knew how to use it, so it wasn’t that difficult to use like I struggled with Photoshop and InDesign when I used them for the first time.

TIMETOAST

TimeToast was one of the first things I had to create to help my time get organized for this whole project. I had to use this website to plan my production schedule, which I also had to mention what my task was for each week, what I had to do in order to complete the task and when each task was due. This really helped me use my time effectively.

PREZI

Prezi was actually one of the websites I enjoyed using the most. It’s a really creative and easy way to present your ideas through an online presentation. You could pick a suitable theme for your ideas and for your magazines theme, that was also really fun to do. Prezi has helped me realize that not all presentations have to be boring slide after slide, which was also another important technology I have gained knowledge of.