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

Katie Hall

Photoshop

When I started my product I was new to Photoshop and had to learn to use the software effectively to create my product. I had a chance to experiment with it during my preliminary task and use many of the features which I also used when making my final product. During the production of my final piece I learned how to use Photoshop effectively and create an attractive product.

Using PhotoshopMove tool, used to move layers around the page

Lasso tool used to remove the background and unwanted parts of images

Magic wand tool used to remove certain colours and backgrounds

Crop tool used to remove edge parts of an image which are unwanted

Eraser tool used to erase parts of an image

Paint bucket tool used to fill shapes with colour

Text tool used to insert text onto my product

Using Photoshop

I edited images using the colour and contrast options. Here I could adjust the levels and make images brighter or more dull where appropriate.

Gimp

Another form of software I used was Gimp 2.8, another image manipulation programme. I used this as I already had some experience with it and It had options for manipulation which Photoshop did not offer. It was easier to remove certain colours using Gimp and I could add a larger variety or shapes and boarders to my products.

Using Gimp 2.8

Editing text and adding a boarder to make the text stand out more. I did this by adding an edge and choosing the texture to add.

Move tool

Scale

Rotate

FlipPerspective

TextPaint bucket

Paint brushEraser

Smudge

Layers

Both Photoshop and Gimp use layers to enable you to edit some elements whilst keeping others the same. It also allowed me to place images on top of text or text on top of shapes. It allows me to order my images and easily edit one part of the product whilst keeping all other layers unchanged.

CameraTo take my images I used a Canon EOS 1100D as it is a good camera appropriate for what I needed it for. It has the following specifications:

• Step up to DSLR image quality with a large, APS-C sized 12.2MP CMOS sensor

• ISO 100-6400 sensitivity for low-light, hand-held photography without flash

• Wide-area 9-point autofocus for precise rapid focusing

• DIGIC 4 with 14-bit image processing for improved colour gradation and tonal range

• 63-zone iFCL exposure metering system for accurate light measurement

Online presentation - Blogger

I used blogger to keep and present all of my research and planning in one place. Blogger is good as it can be viewed by anyone with or without an account, and posts can be organised to be placed in a certain order, allowing you to go back and add posts in to earlier dates and times so that posts are in a chosen order rather than the date they were uploaded. Blogger is also good as you can easily embed technologies from other websites such as Prezi presentations or slideshows through slide share. This is better as it means that no external links are needed. Finally Blogger allows you to write posts online meaning that work cannot be lost if one computer breaks and no other software is required such as Microsoft Word or Publisher. I have developed skills in using many online presentation websites during the process of planning and creating my product.