Monday, 11 October 2010

Blog 7 - Photo Editing

There are many different types of software available today that can be used to edit images. With the increase in popularity of open-source software, I can get image manipulation programmes free of charge such as GIMP. However Adobe Photoshop is the market leader for professional graphic designers and magazine publishers. I intend to use this software to edit the images in my music magazine. When I have finished editing an image, I will import it into Adobe Indesign to position the image and start to create the magazine.

Re-sizing
I can change the size of an image in either Adobe Photoshop or Indesign. However I take care to maintain the focus and avoid distortion. I used this technique to alter the size of the CD cover on the front sheet and contents page



Cut & Crop
The purpose of this tool is to allow the designer to improve the composition by chopping out unwanted or unusable areas. I used this technique on the two shot image below



Retouching
I used Adobe Photoshop to retouch my image to optimize their appearance by correcting flaws such as the removal of unwanted items, facial blemish, lens or even airbrushing to enhance the subjects looks.

As an example I used this tool to remove a spot from my subjects face and demonstrate the process using screen grabs.



Using filters

Lighting can create a mood and helps establish the setting. The connotation of brightness is hope, happy and joyful whereas darkness might evoke a sense of danger or foreboding

By using certain filters I can change the appearance of images making them look more dramatic and exciting.






Layering


I built up my magazine design in a series of different layers. For instance I decided that the background canvas of my contents page was too bright so dampened this down by adding a layer with a greater degree of opaqueness. I also removed the back ground from some of my images before superimposing them on another layer.

I have prepared a tutorial in the video below to demonstrate the techniques used to produce my final images using Adobe Photoshop and Indesign.





1 comment:

  1. This is a fantastic summary of the magazine design process! You’ve hit on a really important point—choosing the right tool for the job. While GIMP is a great open-source alternative, the synergy between Photoshop and InDesign is hard to beat for professional layouts. Your section on layering and background removal is especially key; that’s where a design really starts to feel three-dimensional. For designers who find themselves with a high volume of images to 'cut and crop' or need complex background removal for their layers, Image Clipping Service is an excellent service to help speed up that part of the workflow. Great job on the tutorial!

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