CD cover

This is the CD cover I made using the brush tool, I used downloaded custom brushes from brusheezy.com.

I set my page size to 120mm x120mm because this is the ideal size for a CD cover to be, if the size was any bigger or smaller it would not fit a CD case.      

Post Production Photographic Effects

 This is my original image it is an image that I was quite happy with and it is one of my best photos. 

 This is the same image but edited very slightly using auto color and unsharp mask.

In order to get auto color you have to click the image tab and then click auto color, and to get an unsharp mask you have to click the filter tab and then scroll over sharpen, then you click on unsharp mask, this will  open up a panel where you can adjust, these are amount with amount you can edit the amount of sharpen the image has this should be between 40 and 200, you can also edit the radius of the sharpen this should be around 2 to 2.2, and the last thing is threshold this you don't have to edit.  

 this version is edited using brightness/contrast, to edit the brightness and contrast you click the image tab and then adjustments, and then you click brightness/ contrast, from this window you can actively change the brightness and contrast of the image. this image is also vignetted this allows me to frame the subject of the image by editing the brightness around them, in order to vignette your image you need to select the eliptical marquee tool and then change the fethering to 90 pixels then you draw a circle around the subject, then you go to slelect and invert your selection so that you slelect the area around the circle, then you adjust your brightness to create a fethered frame around your subject.    

this version is edited using desaturate and dodge and burn, to get desaturate you clickthe image tab then adjustments then finaly you click the desaturate button once you have desaturated your image you can feel free to alter brightness and contrast to make the picture look better, in order to get the dodge and burn tools you have to click and hold the button on the tool bar that looks like a hand this is the brurn tool the tool above it is the dodge tool. the burn tool allows you to darken sections of the image by drawing on them with the burn brush and the dodge tool allows you to lighten sections using the dodge brush tool.   

Shutter speed Photos

I have been experimenting with shutter speed, the Light photos were taken with a 15 second delay on the shutter and i think that they turned out quite well, and the movement photos were taken with a 1/250 shutter speed to capture the movement in a freeze frame, I think that these turned out well however I wanted to capture an absolutely still image and these images still have some motion blur I think if I was to do these again I would have to Make the shutter speed even faster.    

Composition Photos

These are some of my Improved raw Photos, I think that I have greatly improved Since my first few raw photos and I think that these photos have turned out well, I am getting better at keeping the eye lines where I want them and I am also experimenting with composition. I am very happy with how these pictures Turned out and how my skills are progressing  

Raw Photos

These are some of my first raw images, I think that they turned out quite well, however I had some trouble with keeping the eye lines in the top third of the screen, I also has some trouble with getting a good head and shoulder shot. These are things that I think I have improved on since.  

Magazine Front Cover

Initial Skills Assessment

AS Media Production: Technical Skills Audit Print Production

Name:       Connor Stephenson           Tutor group:      2.40  Date: 19/11/12

Photographic Skills

Which of the following photographic features/equipment have you used on a camera before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Manual Focus features		X
Shutter Speed		X
Aperture control	X		I have some experience with aperture control, to a basic level
A tripod		X
External flash	X		I have some experience with external flash, to a basic level.
Self timer facility		X
Light meter		X
Composition grids		X

Photoshop Skills

Which of the following features of Photoshop have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Have you ever used Photoshop ever before?	X		I have experience with Photoshop from as level Fine Art and as a hobby
Text control	X		I have experience with text control to a intermediate level, I have used it in AS Fine Art and to create You Tube backgrounds for multiple people
Filters	X		I have experience with filters to a basic level, i have used it in AS Fine Art
Brushes	X		I have experience with brushes to an intermediate level
Layers	X		I have experience with layers to an intermediate level
Opacity control	X		I have some experience with opacity control to a basic level
Shape creation	X		I have experience with shape creation to a basic level
Brightness and contrast control	X		I have experience with brightness and contrast to a basic level
Dodge/Burn	X		I have experience with dodge and burn to an intermediate level
Clone stamp tool		X
Colour curves adjustment		X
Resolution setting control		X
Magnetic lasso, polygon lasso tool		X
Cropping tool		X
Retouch tool		X

In Design Skills

Which of the following features of In Design have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Have you ever used In design ever before?		X
Margin and column guide creation		X
Inserting text in ID		X
Inserting images in ID		X
Resizing images in ID		X
Text manipulation – resizing, rotation		X
Text manipulation – controlling kerning and leading		X
Text flow creation		X
Text effects – drop shadow		X
Drop cap insert		X
Using transparent imagery in ID		X
Shape creation In design		X
Text wrapping		X
Exporting to PDF from In-design		X