What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In order to make my magazine look professional, it was vital that I used the appropriate editing software. However, first I needed to use technology to ensure I had the components for my magazine.

Technology I used throughout my production:

 

 

 

 

For the research part of my coursework, I used the internet in the form of Google in order to find out information and search different music magazines for me to analyse. This was a convenient and swift way to do so. Otherwise, I would have had to buy magazines and take pictures of them, which would have been very expensive and time-consuming. Using the internet for my general research meant that I could get very accurate information according to my vision.

 

To take my images, I used an iPhone 5C, which is my own phone. I did not use a camera because if I'm honest, nowadays, the quality of the camera on a phone equates to the quality of an actual camera. Cameras on an iPhone enable you to do multiple things: zoom in and out, use flash, and choose different profiles such as portrait or landscape. This meant that I could get the best photos possible, which is great if you want your magazine to look professional. I learnt a lot of things by using the camera on my phone like using it to its best ability.

 

To edit my photos, I used the application from the Apple Store called Photo Lab. This app is very good as it allows you to do almost everything; edit, crop, add filters etc. For the image on the front cover, I used the filter from this app which makes your images look like they are 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch. I felt like these images definitely triggered the artistic qualities within my music magazine. For my other images I used a variety of different tools to let me change the overall look of the image: I adjusted the contrast in my images to make them more eye-catching, I brightened up my images to make them less dull - I did this on quite a few of my images as the lighting wasn't that great due to the location being outside and the lack of sunlight. For the images on my double page spread, I used the black and white filter on Photo Lab - this was to add contrast to the colourful illustration of the sunset. Furthermore, I used tools, like crop, that actually change the shape of an image, and I used a tool that allowed me to remove backgrounds. This tool, however, I used in a combination of Microsoft Word and Pixlr Editor. I removed the background in Microsoft Word, and to make the image look polished, I then continued on to Pixlr to magnify the image and erase any irretrievable parts. Overall I have learnt that this type of technology is very useful as it allows me to create a very professional look to my images, and will thus, make my magazine look very professional.

I used the website Canva to produce all of my work. Believe it or not, this is a very inspiring website and a highly recommended one from me. It holds everything you need to create an amazing design; templates, images, filters, text, fonts, icons and shapes. EVERYTHING. It still requires you to do the work, but it is very easy to use.

 

Blogger is the platform that I have used to upload all of my work. It is a webpage in which you can post 'posts' on and it is very easy to use. It is very pleasing too as it enables you to personalise your blog as much as you like. It is also good for the reader as it clearly shows each post and allows you to comment on it.

 

For parts of my evaluation, I uploaded PowerPoints that I created on Microsoft onto SlideShare, which I then linked via Blogger.

 

Overall, without all these different technologies, my media product would not be possible. At least, not professionally possible. Canva is a very good technology as it enables you to do anything with your design. Next time, I will most likely use a professional camera to take pictures instead of my phone just to make the whole experience seem much more realistic.