Q6:Technology – What have you

learnt about technologies from the

process of constructing

this product?

Poppy Beamish-Benson AS Media

Imac G5• The Imac G5 has a 2GHz intel core 2 duo processor,

3GB (667 Mhz) memory and a mac HD startup disk.

This computer was first made in 2005, later discontinued

in 2006. This is the computer I used to produce my

media product.

Keyboard and mouse• While using the macs, I realised that the controls were

different to that of which I normally used. Instead of

having a ‘printscreen’ button, I had to use three

separate keys (APPLE-SHIFT-4) to take screenshots of

the page.

• To copy and paste objects I had to use APPLE-C and to

paste had to use APPLE-V.

• I also had to use the up and down keys due to the

mouse not scrolling down which was again different to

other computers I had used before.

Nikon D3100• The camera I used for my various images was

The Nikon D3100. This camera has a manual

Aperture setting that was set to 11, and a shutter

Speed of 1/300th. This was set specifically due to

the addition of strobe lights enabling us to take

Photos successfully for our magazine.

Strobe lights• For the lighting of the images, we used strobe lights.

The dial on the back of the light adjusts the lighting

output, this we had set to modelling light on due to it

being appropriate for the purpose of our images. The

auxillary lights were to slave, this meant that they were

triggered in-sync by built in light sensors. This made it

easier for us to take our images due to the lighting

being coordinated and efficient.

Horseshoe Flash Trigger

• To trigger the flash we used the Horseshoe flash

trigger, this uses an infra red signal that is sent to

the strobe light. The flash then triggers the flash

in-sync with the camera shutter (speed set to

1/300th sec to match strobe speeds). This piece

of equipment ensured that our images would be

well timed and taken to their full potential. It was

attached to the camera making it easier for us to

take the images and use the trigger at the same

time, this helped while taking my image due to

the strobe lighting being something completely

new to me therefore the trigger made the

process easier and more efficient for me while

taking my images.

Soft Boxes• We used soft boxes within our photo-shoots to

disperse the light and give a softer, rounder light

on the subject. This avoided harshly lit images

which would’ve looked over edited and less-

effective within our magazines. They were

placed on either side of the backdrop to make

the shadows within the image equal thus making

it look more professional and eye-catching to the

viewer.

Backdrop

• We used a clean, white backdrop which was

lit further by two additional strobes on full

power to create high exposure. This made the

images look more effective, with a white

background making our models the focus of

the image. A busy background with more

colour would’ve made the images look tacky

and crowded thus making our magazines less

enticing for the reader.

Photoshop• The main piece of software I used to create my

magazine was Adobe Photoshop. This

program enabled me to sue several different

tools to successfully edit my images making

them appear more professional, while also

improving their quality. A key tool I sued while

editing my images was the ‘magnetic lasso’

tool which allowed me to select parts of my

image, such as my model. I could then

enhance the image by changing the brightness

and contrast levels in addition to adding

shadows with the burn tool and turning specific

parts to black and white to highlight parts of

the image such as my models hair and

clothes.

Photoshop• Another feature of photoshop that I had to use

was layers; layers enabled me to copy parts of

the image to duplicate them such as my

models hair to overlap of parts of text. Text

could also be placed in a separate layer to

create an ordering where some layers would

be more prominent than others, each new

item placed on the image would be created as

a new layer therefore they had to be named

and ordered in a specific way to ensure the

cover and other images were successful.

PhotoshopThe magnetic lasso tool enabled me to select specific parts

of the image to enhance and alter.

The crop tool enabled me to crop images to the exact size

that I needed, such as my contents images.

The fill tool allowed me to add shadows to parts of the

image and change the colour of areas, such as parts of my

models tie-dyed top.

I used the text tool to add text to my images,

such as quotes and conventions for my cover.

• The separate tools for photoshop were placed on a bar at the side

of the page, making them easily accessible and visible.

Photoshop

• There were also ‘auto’ tools that we could use to

correct our photos and alter there contrast and

lighting. This made editing easier due to the computer

enhancing the image for you.

In Design

• Indesign was another programme that was key in producing my

magazine, with the main body of text being added to my article through

the tools provided. Indesign was similar to photoshop with there being

layers and a toolbar at the side. To begin with, the programme was quite

challenging to use due to it being new to me, however after using it

regularly I understood the tools and their functions.

In DesignI used the arrow tool to move my text and image within the page to the

correct spacings and places making it more professional.

I used the text tool to copy my main body of text onto my article and to

edit and adapt it to fit within my article page.

I used the layer tool to create columns for my text within the page.

In Design

• Indesign enabled me to create character styles,

such as a large character at the beginning of the

article text, in addition to creating paragraphs and

finding specific fonts.

Powerpoint

• I decided to use powerpoint to produce some of my

evaluation questions due to it being an effective

presentation tool. Powerpoint enabled me to add text and

images to effectively present my product evaluation within

my blog.

Safari

• The internet on the macs was different

to that of a windows computer, with the

controls being different such as adding

new tabs to the page.

Wordpress• We have used wordpress.com to

produce our blogs and present our

magazine. While using this site I have

learnt how to embed files and media to

present my work in a professional and

easily accessible way. I have learnt how

to create posts and pages to present my

work in specific ways.