Experimentation - Editing.

Editing

 As part of my experiments, I wanted to not just experiment within a studio with lights and altering them, but I wanted to take images, then in the editing process experiment with the way in which they turn out. By doing this it will enable me to find the things that really work for me and what they look like. In addition to me, it gives me 'practise' and allows me time to familiarise myself with the softwares and how to successfully produce the images with the aesthetic I want, this will mainly be done using Photoshop and Lightroom. As I want to produce multiple experiments with different techniques I will not only do some minor images outside the studio, but of course within the studio environment, adjusting the lights so on and so fourth. By doing some test shoots in the studio I will be able to play with the professional background, this will really help me when editing my images as it will be the same as when I do my actual photoshoot.

  I want to particularly experiment with the editing process as I am aware the aesthetic I am aiming to achieve will need to be created through a lot of editing, Although in my mood boards and mind maps I have included a lot of 'heavy' images that include a large amount of production/post production, I am also included more simplistic images in my magazine. I just wanted to make the front cover and a few other images very vivid and 'pop' in my magazine, to give good variation.

Mock-Up Front Page

 Initially I used an image off the internet (www.Missguided.co.uk) to use as my 'model' as this allowed me to play around with the editing process before I undertook any test shoots myself.
 I then altered the colour balance and effect on the image to change the colour, I first made it red/pink but then decided I preferred it without this kind of effect.

    Here you can see the original image, followed by my edited version. I was sure to remove the background too, as I wanted to add my own with slightly more texture.
 After realising I wanted to change the colour, I made it slightly lighter in contrast and altered the colour balance yet again, giving it a slightly blue tint. I really liked the way this turned out so this is defiantly something in which I will consider when it comes to my actual shoot and edit.
Once I had the image the colour I wanted it to be, I added a textured background of a white brick wall from google images. I didn't need to alter the opacity as it was the correct colour I wanted to achieve.

 After doing this alteration I wanted to see what it would look like with the text and more lighting effects. For the text I downloaded a font from Da Font, when inserting it I went in to the 'blending options' and changed the blend mode to 'colour dodge' ensuring I had added a stroke, this then gave me the outline of the text which is a technique I will use in my real product.
 Secondly I wanted to add a light source, therefore I went to 'Filter', 'Render' and then 'Lighting effects'. This gave me a large variety of opportunities to alter the light, both in the colour, positioning and more. I added a blue/green tint as I found the red light didn't work at all. I am aware it looks very 'edited' however with use of proper studio lights positioned the way in which I want them I am confident this will be very useful, when toned down slightly. Then on the other hand I quite like the dark look it gives, I feel it is very fitting to the type of text used and the clothing. After this I simply added a photo of a barcode so that I could play around with the positioning and layout of it and what my magazine will eventually look like.

The image above shows my final mock up magazine. I added some text, using a peachy/red/pink colour as I think it blended well with the colour shown on the top. I wasn't too fussed on getting the actual text right, so I only added a few things as this would grab a reader and also show what the magazine is about. In my final project I probably won't have too much text on the front so that the main focus is the image. I also tried out '3D mode' in photoshop as I hadn't used it yet, I really liked the way the text came out in the 3D effect (High end vs. high street). 

 In terms of editing I also was able to experiment with layout. I decided to mock up my front cover using a very 'typical' magazine cover however as said previously I want my front cover to have the image and logo and nothing else. So in addition to the above, I again used an image off the internet (test shots not yet completed) and mocked up a contents page. 

The above shows my first experiment with a contents page. I initially thought about having the first page with the contents on, so I layered a wall, model and some text (using colour dodge, adjusting the stroke etc) to give a rough idea of how I could show what the magazine includes. However I did not fully complete this as as I progressed I decided I wanted to use a double page spread. Therefore I took some inspiration from my above working and newly acquired knowledge and produced the below.

Firstly I created an A3 size document and used the ruler as a guide to separate the separate A4 pages, this was I would be able to see where the crease would be in the page and to ensure to not layer the photograph too close to the line.

Here I had the title 'Contents' facing right, then had the number bold and filled in as well as larger than the rest of the text, this however didn't give my the look I wanted to achieve and found it was too 'black and blocky' with the text and image.

Next I flipped the title, the made the stroke a bright pink colour, to tie in with the title and some of the colours on the shirt, but ensure the fill colour was black to make it easy to ready and still stand out.

Next I enlarged the text and layered it on the image, this filled the page better and made it flow together effectively.

Next I played around with adjusting the lighting effects as done previously, the hint however was too green and did not give the aesthetic I wanted it too.

Lastly I added a pink/red tones lighting effect to tie in with the font colouring and t-shir/accessory in the photograph.

  All of the above was created on photoshop and was a very rough edit for me to have done. I wanted to try and work with my layout before test shoots so that I can also see the type of images I want to take (close ups etc). This was a really interesting process and really helped me recognise what will work, in regards to layout as well as colour and positioning of fonts.

  Thoughts

By mocking up a from cover it has defiantly helped me in regards to experimenting with the effects in photoshop. I used tools that I haven't yet used which has given me more confidence in regards to using Adobe Photoshop, especially when it comes to the editing process of my magazine. In this blog post I did use all imagery off Google Images, therefore when I later experiment and take some test shots in the studio, I would like to mock up a front page, perhaps changing the layout of text, background etc. Also it has made me take into consideration the type of shot I will need for my front page specifically, for example this model's face is hidden my the text, and where the light its darker and casting a shadow, it becomes slightly difficult to read.
 In addition to these points, I have taken into consideration my previous research too, and the majority of font pages have the model looking directly at the camera, with head shots being the most commonly used. When I do my own photoshoot I will ensure to get a full body shot and close up, that way I can have the choice between the two as I personally like the image I used in my mock-up as it gives full view of the clothing, and at the end of the day my magazine is based upon fashion and therefore would still be suitable. For now, I intend to create more sample products of my magazine (inside etc) as it will be a good learning experience, for this I will continue to use images off google that are appropriate, until I undertake my own test shoot, when I will then create more!