6 | Evaluation

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

During the process of researching, designing and creating my

magazine I have used a range of new technological
programmes to help me. The main programme/website
I have used is blogger as, it has been an ideal
way show my work clearly while mixing

a range of media together for example, I was able to give links to

other sites, and upload pictures. I have particularly about the

embedding of coding, and how it contributes to the presentation

of my blog, e.g by embedding the links to my survey making it

appear in a box on my blog to be used.

I have also used blogger to ensure that all my work has been

uploaded on time, and to keep a clear record of that.

I have accessed blogger using my laptop, as well as the school

computers. I have also accessed other forms of technological

programmed using my laptop, which has been ideal when creating my

magazine as it allowed me to save the process' of my creation and go

back to it, and was able to develop the creation of each singular thing.

By using such a laptop I was also able to easily transfer images and

other programmes, that I could use.

I have constantly used my camera during the process of not only making the magazine but also, to take pictures of the work I have done on paper. Firstly, this technology has taught me that the quality of an image during the creative process greatly contributes to the overall quality of the magazine. The technology alongside the laptop also works well in terms of convenience- I was easily able to upload the images.

When researching and making more interesting versions of presentations I was drawn to using Prezi. Prior to making my magazine I hadn't used Prezi in the past. Using this new technology I not only learnt how to operate my way around the technology, but also how it can be used to combine with other media such as images, or even

videos from youtube. I also learnt how to make more interesting modern presentations, and ways of showing my research. I also later learnt how put these on my blog readily available rather than simply a hyperlink to the prezi. I have frequently used youtube during my research stage to look into other Alternative-Rock artists.

I have used a range of Microsoft programmes such as Word, Publisher, and Powerpoint, to create cleaner presentations and clearer writing. I have learnt that in the opening stages of creating a magazine Publisher is ideal for creating simple, clear plans for layout or initial drafts of the magazine. This is because it is easy to use and ideal for presentation as you are easily able to copy and paste and rotate them and freely lay them out on the page. I also learnt during the creative process that this isn't ideal for a professional looking magazine although, it is good for the initial structure. I also used Powerpoint to create a reasonable looking presentation for my spider diagrams etc. as it was neat and easy to use. Similarly I used word to write the articles for my magazine, this is because it is a more professional word programme and specifically can correct spelling and grammar. It also allows me to save my article in process, and later develop the text.

When choosing fonts for my magazine I used a website of which I hadnt used in the past, as well as a font used on word for the content of my articles. For my Masthead, and, coverlines I have used fonts from 'Dafont.com'. This meant I was able to look at a wider range of fonts when considering the fonts I will use. It also allowed me to consider whether my fonts suited the purpose in comparision to other fonts, also, it meant I was able to look for matching fonts.

Throughout creating my magazine I specifically relied on Photoshop when creating my front cover, contents page and double page spread. When creating magazine I first learnt how to crop an image using the lasso tool on Photoshop, I was able to crop around the artist allowing my front cover and double page spread to have a plain background. I also learnt how to adjust the lighting suitably. Although my skills with Photoshop were suitably comfortable I hadn't in the past been able to airbrush images, however, I learnt how to do this when creating my front cover, this also meant I learnt the significant difference between an un-airbrushed and how it contributes to the professionalism of the image. When adding the font I was able to experiment with different sizes of fonts, also how when resizing the fonts you must be carefull of maintaining the clarity of the image, ensuring the writing is clear. I also found that Photoshop was ideal for layering, this is because you can move the layers to make certain things overlapp on the page, which is ideal for a magazine, and again, makes the magazine look more professional.
This is a screenshot of me working on Photoshop. In this screenshot I was using Photoshop to create a more professionally edited image, by using airbrush. This was an effect I hadn't used in the past. However, by using Photoshop I was able to create an overall more professional looking magazine.