Production Skills

PRODUCTION SKILLS

Ancillary products:

Why I used Adobe Photoshop:

Created with Padlet

Back cover: 

For my ancillary product to look aesthetically pleasing, it was essential that I edited the images used. An excellent example of alterations that I made to an image was that which was used as the main focus of the back cover of the digipak. As shown, the original shot taken was in full colour; this would have been unsuitable for use as it would not have contrasted to the bright shades of purple and turquoise of the text placed over it; it would also not have fit into the colour scheme which features black and white or followed the conventions studies during the genre research process on pop punk records such as Sum 41's "Underclass Hero". 

In order to convert the image from colour to black and white, I used the image editing programme Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 - This is a relatively recent edition, thus allowing me to make use of the many features that it had to offer. From research, I have found that much of the  graphic design that goes into products such as digipaks is created on this programme, reassuring me that great results will be produced. I am confident in using Photoshop because I have gained experience from using it several times before, not only in other coursework projects but also for personal use. 

Although making the image black and white improved its suitability for it would now follow the house style and encourage a professional appearance of continuity, it still would not look right with the text. In order to solve this problem, I changed the colour balance so as to create more of a contrast between the background and the close up of the hand that is the focus of the shot. This was done by brightening the white and darkening the hand, with more enhanced shadows that result in a more dramatic image. These actions greatly benefited the outcome of the digipak. Below is a visual representation of the improvements made to the image:

Below is evidence of the actions that enabled the alterations of the colour balance to be altered:

As well as altering colour balance, I also cropped the image so as to make sure it was the right size for the canvas, which needed to be the size of an actual conventional CD case. This also meant that the composition of the piece could be made as my plan suggested, with the image  off centre to follow the rule of thirds which makes the product more aesthetically pleasing and professional. Almost all products follow this rule as it is so important. 

Also altered using Photoshop was the font used, which was taken from a specialist website; this meant that I needed to change the colour manually because it appeared in the format of an image in the editing programme. I did this by using masks and changing layer properties. This allowed me to place the now white font over the purple shapes. Photoshop was an appropriate programme to use in that it allowed for the use of layers; this was very useful as it made moving and changing different aspects dynamic, simplifying the process and producing a well organised end result. The skills used in this stage of the editing process resulted in bold, attractive fonts being applied to the product. This is demonstrated below: 

It is very noticeable to the consumer that this piece of design has been made professionally, for rather than simply placing text onto the product, it has been made to carry the appearance of an old label; this required skill in that the shape had to be produced as well as the font being placed over it to combine the two. Tying these factors together is a small cross that appears as if it has been painted with spray paint, which will be relatable to the target psychographic and demographic of rebellious adolescents who may participate in vandalism themselves or spend a significant amount of time in places covered in the artwork. The effect also makes the product more conventional because it can be seen in many others of the same genre, such as Green Day's Uno, Dos and Tre. This small image has been painted with the paint brush tool, with the hardness of the edges decreased so as to have the desired appearance of spray paint. It's turquoise colour ties in with the purple shape and white font it has been placed over to create a recognisable brand identity.