Final Initial Skills Assessment

Photographic Skills

Which of the following photographic features/equipment have you used on a camera before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Manual Focus features	X		In my first project I used manual focus to create a more focused and quality photograph. It made the photo a lot sharper and enabled me to focus the photograph myself ensuring the main model and the background of the photograph was in focus.
Shutter Speed	X		I used the shutter speed feature in my project whilst taking photographs of my models jumping in the air and using a torch in the dark. By having a long shutter speed it enabled the dark photographs to capture a large amount of light which created and a picture and a short shutter speed allowed me to capture a photograph with my models in mid air or with the water they threw in the air.
Aperture Control	X		I used the aperture control feature when taking photographs of a bottle, I learnt that a small depth of field made the object in the picture more in focus and the background less in focus, a medium depth field allowed the object to be in focus and some of the background to be in focus, and a large depth field allowed the object and the background to be in focus.
Continuous Shoot Mode	X		I used the continuous shoot mode feature when taking photographs of my model blowing bubble gum, I was able to capture a three different photographs at different stages of them blowing the bubble. One photograph showing them beginning, the second photograph showing the bubble being completely blown and the last photograph showing the bubble popping.
A tripod	X		I used a tripod whilst also taking the photographs using the aperture control mode, I did this because it helped to focus the object within the photograph and it also helped to get a less unfocused photograph, the tripod also helped to balance the camera and eliminate it from sitting in the snow.
External flash	X		I used an external flash whilst taking photographs for my magazine. To do this I used a soft box during my photo shoot, which helped to make my models look flawless and they also helped to make my photographs look more professional.
Self timer facility		X
Light meter		X
Composition Grid		X

Photoshop Skills

Which of the following features of Photoshop have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Text control	X		I used text control throughout my whole project, but I mainly used it when creating my magazine front cover. I changed the measurements in between each word of my headers when changing the size of the font, which meant there wasn’t as larger gaps in between each word and the headers gave biggest impact, it also meant that I was able to include more exclusives ect onto my front page.
Filters		X
Brushes	X		I used brushes when creating my album cover , I downloaded a group of different shaped brushes and it then enabled me to create different shapes with the brushes on the album cover, making it unique and different.
Layers	X		I used layers during photo shop mainly when creating my magazine as I had to place text on top of images, so this meant I had to create new layers so that I was able to edit different layers at different times separately without having to edit a lot of features at the same time on one layer.
Opacity control	X		I used opacity control on my final magazine front cover when making a circle shape break out box with an exclusive included inside, to give the magazine front cover an edgy look and give a unique element to it.
Shape creation	X		I used shape creation on my magazine front cover, as I created a circle which I then placed text on top of, to create an exclusive for my magazine front cover which is eye capturing.
Brightness and contrast control	X		I used brightness and contrast control when editing some photographs I had taken of my model, I experimented making the contrast high and low and also making the brightness high, which then made the photograph more eye capturing and the colours were much more dominant.
Gradients	X		I used gradients when experimenting with photo shop, there is a few pictures on my blog where I have played with the gradient of colours on the photograph, making them brighter or duller.
Load selection features		X
Feathering	X		I just feathering when using the vingetting tool to edit my photographs, this then subtly changed the colour of my photograph.
Colour curves adjustment	X		I used the colour curves adjustment tool after vingetting which gave the photograph a colour correction.
Resolution setting control	X		I used resolution setting control when opening up my photo shop document for the first time, I usually used the setting DPS 300, but sometimes it changed depending on whichever would suit my document and purpose the most.
Magnetic lasso, polygon lasso tool		X
Cropping tool		X
Clone tool	X		I used the clone tool when cloning one part of my models skin and then using it to cover spots.
Retouch tool	X		I used the retouch tool when using the healing tool which I used to get rid of spots on my model. There is a before and after on my blog where I healed part of the models skin by replacing the spots with the skin I had cloned from other parts of her skin and face, this then resulted in the spots not being visible on the photograph.
Other skills Dodge Tool Burn Tool Sponge Tool Placing an image behind another Export to a BMP	X		I used the burn and dodge tool to lighten and darken parts of the photograph, I used the burn tool when creating one of my photographs model into a zombie, I also placed an image behind the photograph and made it transparent so that the face of my model looked rusted and zombie like. I also used the burn and dodge tool when creating a vampire, making her skin almost greyish like.

In Design Skills

Which of the following features of In Design have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Margin and column guide creation	X		I used margin and column guides when creating my double page spread, these helped me to keep all of my text within the same line of each other and make them straight and in line upon the page.
Inserting an image ID	X		I inserted an image in on my double page spreads by creating a text box and then placing the image inside.
Resizing images in ID	X		I resized images on my final double page spread so that some were larger and some were smaller than each other, which then gave the double page spread an edgy look. When resizing an image on indesign I had to press CTRL + T to select the image and then hold down shift whilst resizing it so that it didn’t become pixelated.
Text manipulation – resizing, rotation	X		I used text manipulation on my double page spread when resizing text, I made my header much larger on the page so it was the first thing the eyes were attracted to, I did this the same as how to resize an image, by selecting and then holding shift to enlarge and shrink.
Text manipulation – controlling kerning and leading		X
Text flow creation	X		I used text flow creation on my double page spread so that it enabled my article to flow from column to column across the two pages, to do this I created all of my different sized text boxes, entered my article in the first and then clicked on the red cross and dragged it across all of my different text boxes.
Using transparent imagery in ID	X		I used a transparent image when creating a PNG, so that I was then able to insert an image into the background without having a plain coloured background behind that, it then enabled me to have an image as the whole background of the page.
Shape/line creation In design		X
Exporting to PDF from In-design	X		I exported my final double page spread to a PDF, so that I was then able to access and view my work as an image and not a document.
Text Wrap	X		I used text wrap around some of my photographs on my double page spreads, on both of my double page spreads I used advance text wrap, where I made the text wrap around a certain image shape, not just a square, I also made my article wrap around my rule of three photographs I used on my final double page spread.
Other Skills Turn text wrap off images Export to a BMP	X		I learnt how to turn text wrap off some certain images, such as a text box with text within, but remain the text wrap on the circle break out box behind the text. I learnt how to export my work into a BMP so that it was then viewed as an image and not a document and also so that the examiner could view it much more easier and I could download it to moodle.

Number of new skills achieved: 28

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