9. Adobe Photoshop I was already familiar with Adobe Photoshop when I began to create my magazine; this is partly why I wanted to use Quark Xpress in order to create my actual magazine on, due to the extra sense of technology and tools that it offered. Although I didn’t use this programme in order to create my magazine; I used to edit and adapt any images that I used in my magazine; this programme allowed me to: change the brightness and contrasting of the images, crop them and also make them smaller or larger without any pixilation, it also allowed me to edit and delete any unnecessary things that were in the background of the image. Considering I chose to create my cover, contents page and double page spread I did find the image and text manipulation a lot easier and more efficient on Adobe Photoshop than it was on Quark Xpress; I found that there were more tools in order to do so which Quark Xpress lacked, but I felt that Quark Xpress was more relevant and gave my magazine a professional publishing style to it. I found that this programme was easy to use and extremely adaptable as to what you specifically wanted to do to the images on there, though overall I found the programme easy and adaptable I did come across a few complications due to the layering system that the programme has; I couldn’t get the hang of them at first but eventually I realised what I was doing wrong or what had to be done in order to make it correct.
10. Blogger.com With this coursework task I found Blogger.com extremely useful to use; it has been the main programme that I have used during it. I found it easy to keep track of my work using its online record system which we have kept all of our media work on and I have used it to update and record all of the work that I have done for this task and others so far it also allowed me to present my work in a clear and consistent way. In this task I have used Blogger.com to blog the production, research and planning and also post production on my magazine. I found it easy to use and to sign up for it; and also to maintain anything that needs doing or updating on my magazine; I think Blogger.com is an excellent source for recording work with. The fact that you can embed videos and slideshows as well as add images to it; helped me a lot with the project as it allowed me to narrate and show how I did things and also find different technologies in order to do so.
11. Slideshare.net I used slideshare.net to upload and eventually embed my PowerPoint presentations onto blogger.com. I find this an easy website to use as it doesn’t require users to create a log in or account; though there is the choice to; I used a guest account which allows you temporary access. After uploading a PowerPoint onto the website you must convert it; which is done automatically after it uploads and once that is done you can collect the link to it and copy and paste that onto blogger.com. I would definitely use this again as its simple and less complicated that I thought it would be. This programme will allow me to make my evaluation interactive.
12. Youtube.com I was familiar with youtube before I decided to use it for my evaluation; as I have had an account for several years. I have used Youtube.com several times to upload videos to my evaluation of my magazine; I have recorded videos of people from my target audience giving feedback on my magazine on my mobile phone and I have then uploaded that onto my previous account and then embedded it into blogger.com.
13. Digital SLR Cameras I used a Digital SLR Camera in order to capture the images that can be seen on the cover, contents page and double page spread and it also allowed me to access my images quickly and effectively; I felt that it was slightly complicated at first because I couldn’t figure out which settings that I needed to use in order to get the best image that I could get, though eventually I hired one of the cameras from the media department out and I figured out which setting did what. After learning how to use them I felt that it was easy to adapt the camera to the correct settings as well as importing them onto the computer. This camera played a major role in the production of my magazine and I would definitely use it again as I felt it was easy to use and it is a good piece of high quality equipment.
14. Dafont.com Again I feel that Dafont.com took a major role in how my magazine was planned as well as produced; I feel that the font is one of the main points that attract particular audiences and this is why I used Dafont.com; due to its vast range of different free fonts. At a few points I did struggle with this site as when I downloaded the font I wasn’t completely sure how to get it onto the programme but once I had it explained to me I was fine with it. I feel its easily adaptable and offers a great and helpful range of different fonts of all kinds. I would use this again as it could be used generally for almost anything.
15. Overall I feel that all of the technology that I used helped me to gather new skills as well as easier and more professional ways of doing things such as; editing pictures. I think without some of the professional software that I used I would have a less successful and professional looking magazine and I think it would have bad pixels and a little bit messy.