Creating Artificial Bokeh -Photoshop

During looking on the internet for tutorials to create Bokeh on a DSLR camera I had come across how to create this effect in Photoshop. This seems the easier way as I could take a normal picture without lights and then add them in the editting stage as I could choose the positioning of them and how blurred/glowing I would like them to be.

Tutorial:


Using Brushes
http://webdesignerwall.com/tutorials/chroma-wallpapers

Using Foreground and Background Tools
http://www.graphix1.co.uk/2010/08/17/bokeh-background-effect-photoshop-tutorial/

Merging Two Images Together Seamlessly In Photoshop

So now i have found out how to create my main image on a DSLR but i know that i need to take two images and merge them together as otherwise i would have to get the person that i am focussing on in the main image to stand very still because the shutter speed will be 1 second for example

Tutorials:

http://www.photoshop911.com/masking_channels/layer_masking.html


I then found something called Vector Masking by this tutorial and if i take two images one with the shutter speed open so i get the car lights blurred across the background and then another image with my model in the same background, but with the shutter speed lowered to get a clear picture and then with this tool i should be able to either use the Magic Wand tool to remove the background completly or use Vector Masking to fade the two images together


http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/vector-masks-photoshop/

Researching Into How I Can Create My Main Image- Tutorials

During some research i have found some tutorials since my last post that i can use to create my main image these show me how to get the Bokeh effect and how to set the camera in order to do this.

The first is a simple 5 step tuturial, explaining how to use the apperture and the depth of field in simple terms however this only gave me a basic idea of what i had to do:

http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/quick-tip-5-tips-for-getting-great-bokeh-shots--photo-8557

This tutorial therefore applied the terms to a Nikon DSLR camera with a similar design to mine and told me what to do specifically step by step however i am not sure whether this will cause the lights to blur in the background or whether i will just get a blurred background in general:

http://photographylife.com/how-to-obtain-maximum-bokeh

What do i do with the shutter speed or is it all about the Aperture and the Zoom ?

Youtube Tutorial on a similar camera in the Nikon range that i will be using with a 18-55mm lense standard to Nikon :

Researching Into How I Can Create My Main Image

I know that i would like to for my main image to focus on the model but also to have car lights moving behind the person however i am not sure how to carry this out or what settings i will need on a DSLR, instead of guessing i have decided to look into it and i looked over this theme of photography called Bokeh and is defined on Wiki as

'In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".^'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

Into the future i will also look into tutorials on youtube other such places so i can know how to carry out this effect so this will be a ongoing thing running up to my photoshoot

Planning the setting & Equipment that i will need for my photoshoots

For my front cover i have decided to use a night time scene for my main image on my front cover, this will be taken on Canterbury Road, Westgate as it is rather busy and will create the effect that i would like which is blurred lights in the background of the shot like the Complex front cover that i used in my research for codes and conventions. For this i will need a LED lighting rig consisting of one light that i could shine the light on the model i will be using from just one angle. On the front cover there will be no other images like in my mock up, and there will be minimal amounts of texts and because of my mock ups i will not have to change the layout or features such as text because it is already in place. The Main image will be taken at roughly 6 o clock on a night in the next two weeks whenever the person i am using for a model is free and when it will be in suitable whether conditions. On the contents page i will need 2 images, the bigger image yet again being of the same person as the main image on the front cover but the other one being in a studio setting with my other model. The camera that i will be using is my own (Nikon DSLR) as i am used to adjusting the shutter speed, aperture and many other settings that will be vital for capturing the best pictures i can , and finally for the double page spread i will need several images that would be focussed on the main article of the magazine, these will also be in a studio setting so therefore i may need one or two photoshoots in the studio, however my other images will be taken at the night setting as for costumes i will stick with the Classic indie of tight jeans and checkered short sleeve or long sleeve shirt, for one of the photos on the double page spread i will set my camera into a greyscale mode as when researching around the indie magazine area i had found that these images were popular with the likes of 'Artic Monkeys, Oasis' and other such artists.

Tuesday 4th Febuary - Main Image Shoot (Roughly 6pm) Canterbury Road
Costume - Skinny Jeans, Checkered Shirt
Equipment Needed- Nikon DSLR (Owned) & LED Lighting

Thursday 6th Febuary- Other Images in Studio setting, images taken will be those for double page spread and full body shot for contents page. If i cannot take all the images needed on this day i will hold a second photoshoot again the following Tuesday if studio is free.

Costumes- Model will be wearing chinos and a checkered shirt along with smart shoes (Not that they will be in any of the images used but they will in original images before editing)


Equipment Needed- Standard Studio Lighting, Nikon DSLR

Props- Microphone and DMX Lead if can get hold of, any images taken with microphone will be used as a backup incase the other images planned eg the medium close up does not fit well onto the planned contents page which i have made as a mock up

Mock Up -Double Page Spread

Personally I found this the hardest document to crate a mock up for because there was so many existing designs and ways you could lay a double page spread out that i was simply undecided. So i decided to go down the route of simply but effective, a double page spread with just one or two images,and small amounts of text but telling the reader what they want to know. Below is my mock up for The Strokes, of course my final double page spread will contain my image/ images and will also have a different context but the text is interchangeable.

Mock Up- Contents Page

When i was researching into Contents pages i Particularly liked Billboards contents page with their blue lines separating parts of the page. I had then decided to use this in my mock up, and the final mock up is shown below. I have used found images from the internet and will be asking for feedback from my focus group just like the front cover for any other improvements i can make in the layout or the design of the Contents page.Also as this is only a mock up i have adapted the content of the magazine to suit the images that i have used however for my real magazine i will yet again adapt the contents so that it matches up with the images i will have taken.

Edited- After looking back on this mock up and after creating my double page spread i have decided that it does infact make the magazine look more 'Amateur' than professional print and therefore in my main task i will use more image manipulation, still using the lines to seperate certain parts of the page but i will use overlapping circles which will also tie into my double page spread showing that i have a consistent house style

Mock Ups-Front Cover

With the help of my focus group i have managed to create a mock up of the front cover thus far, this will help me in the later stages of my coursework as i know that the layout will be identical to this one, however i may need to change the color of fonts etc. In order to fit in with my main image. I will also be asking my focus group overall what they think of the final mock ups in order that i can improve them if need be for my final magazine

Designing The Layout For My Pages

Before I decide how I am going to create my mock ups first I am going to create a template that will help me decide where to put things. These will be quickly created pages only containing text and shapes,with no images, I will then approach one member of my focus group,different for each of the pages and will finalize the layout to then move onto the mock up which would hopefully save time. Front Cover-

Contents Page-

Double Page Spread

Focus Group Member- After being shown this layout I can see that the magazine is going to be laid out like other music magazines,or any magazine infact,however I am not certain that the final front page will look good because there is not much content on the page,and the fonts will have to be larger to fill the page. The contents page looks nice, and I can see that this is going to be filled up with different things,although I am suprised there is no special offers or adverts like many other magazines I read. The double page spread layout looks simple with the whole left page filled with a image and the right hand page filled with the columns etc, the boxes on the page gives a 3D effect however I think it will look better if circles were used.

Focus Group- Magazine Titles

The next question once i recieved feedback from my focus group about fonts was
"Out of the three names provided which one do you think would be best for my indie style music magazine?"

Person 1- The name Neutrik is catchy, and looks good in the font that has been chosen, i think this will be a great fit for the magazine as it is unique

Person 2 - Out of the three names i think that Neutrik is the best as it is musically related

Person 3- All three names to me are good , i could see all three of them on a magazine and i cant choose a final choice because i am tied between Conform and Neutrik

Conclusion- From listening to my focus group i have decided to go along with Neutrik as it also ties in with the use of microphones as Neutrik are cable connectors for XLR leads and other connectors that are needed in places such as music studios

Focus Group- Fonts

I asked my focus group what font should i use on my front cover as the main title, the screenshot that was gave to them via photo messaging on my phone is the one below, the question asked was "Out of the four fonts provided which font would you most likely see on a indie music magazine and which one most suits a night-time shot" and the feedback is as follows:

Person 1 - I prefer the font second down as it stands out from the front cover well, the ruggedness of the font adds something new to the magazine

Person 2- The first font is my favorite because its a cleanly shaped font and i would expect to see this on any music magazine that boasts some type of sophistication.

Person 3- Out of all the fonts provided it was hard to choose between them , i feel like the last time fonts despite being adventurous and they look good are not suited to the magazine itself, and that if the magazine was on the shelfs in a shop it would not stand out much to me, for this reason I am going to say the first font.

Conclusion- So overall i am going to use the first font as it stands out the most from the front cover, i will keep it in the color white so it shines from the cover and i will keep the shadow on it to keep the 3d  effect of the text.

Starting to Plan

In order to get a clear understanding on how i want my magazine pages to look i am going to create several rough sketches and mock ups so when i come to taking the images and editing i will know roughly what the fonts i will be using, how the pages will be laid out and drafts on what the content will be.

I will also involve my focus group along the way to help me with vital decisions such as the name of the magazine.

Target Audience- Questionaire and Final Decision

After creating my focus group i felt the need to ask what genre of music they are into as this will help me in the future with how the magazine should look etc.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Media Studies Questionaire:
Name:__________________
Age:_________
Gender: Male/Female (Please Circle as Appropriate)

Q1) What genres of music would you say you are interested in?  (Please Circle as Appropriate)
(Rock/Electronic/Indie/Pop/Metal/Alternative/Rap,Grime/Classic/Motown/Jazz/RnB/Hip-Hop)

Other/s: (Please Specify)_________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________


From the feedback i have recieved from the questionaire via my focus group i have decided to base my magazine on a age range of 16-22 Males similar to the target audience of the weekly magazine NME and it to be focussed on the genre of Indie. The reason i have made this decision is that my focus group is in this age range. I will also look for inspiration elsewhere such as Complex, Q and Billboard for their layout and codes and coventions. The age range that i have chosen also therefore means that the price of the magazine will have to be a lot lower than magazines such as Q as this age range are less likely to have more money to spend out on a magazine, also this means that the paper used can be like NME, cheaper thinner paper than Q magazine.

Creating a Focus Group

To help me with several decisions along the way through the production of the magazine i have decided to create a focus group where by all decisions or problems i have will be posted to my focus group members who are 16-19 year olds which then they will leave feedback in the comments on which deicsion i should make in their own opinion whether it being what fonts look best or layout.

Target Audience Research - NME

A target audience is a specific group of people (potential consumers) within the target market of which a product is aimed at, it can be defined by; age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation for example, females between the ages of 17-25, straight males etc. A target audience is very important for producers, so that they can adjust their product to appeal to specific people. Without a target audience producers would not know what to include in their products, specifically magazine editors, who would find it difficult to pick the correct colours and fonts to attract certain people, it was also be difficult for them to define who they are creating their product for.

Despite researching into magazines such of Complex and Q I have decided to base my magazine on a young target audience such as a magazine like NME as Q obtain a target audience for the more civilised older generation still interested in music with a wide range of genres, however to not stick with the layout of NME as I find the other two magazines are a lot more adventurous on their front covers and their double page spreads.

NME is a music magazine that targets mainly men between the ages of 17-30, it targets people in the working class.NME stands for 'New Musical Express' and has been creating magazines for 60- years which means that in the past it has had a vareity of different celebrities on the front cover. As it is called new musical express it mostly provides information about new music and bands. NME therefore include bands and music that is becoming more popular , and news stories about celebrities that consumers will want to know and read about, it also includes information about upcoming gigs which is beneficiual to readers who are interested in them.

Magazine Research -Front cover, Contents Pages and Double Page Spreads

To give me inspiration and ideas of what i should use on my front cover, contents page and double page spread i am going to research into several different magazines to find the codes and conventions of the features and techniques they use on theirs. This will therefore give me a background on whether i should include a barcode for example on my front cover , what sort of image i should be looking to take and how i should edit it to create the most professional document i possibly can.

Preliminary Task

In the brief i was told that i was required to create a front cover and a contents page of a school magazine as a introduction of Adobe Photoshop. Below are my documents that i have created thus far.

How well does your preliminary task fulfill the brief?

I feel that my documents fulfill to the brief i was provided with as i am clearly using a medium close up that was taken by myself  and by first glance the magazine is easily established as being based around school. My contents page is simple yet shows a basic layout of a contents page as stated in the brief.

What obstacles did you overcome in order to complete the preliminary task?

None as far as i am aware of on the Photoshop side of things as i knew how to use basic tools and features of the program in order for me to complete the task, however when coming to taking the main image for the front cover i found my skills were a little absent.

How could you have improved the production values of your preliminary task?

I could have taken a better main image that was professionally lit rather than a shot that just used natural lighting, i could have also considered using different fonts that were clearer and bolder and making the banner more subtle but yet to stand out more as on my preliminary task it looks like i have not put much thought into the style of it. I had also carried over the color schemes onto the contents page by using plain black writing however i feel i could have used a different color to add more value.Overall i feel that i could have used more advanced techniques in Photoshop to create a more professional and cleaner looking magazine however for my first try at creating a magazine front cover i am almost satisfied. 

What tutorials did you use to create the preliminary task?

I did not use any tutorials what so ever to help me with this task as i felt i would like to see what i can do with my current skill level of Photoshop despite not being 100% competent with version CS6 and this was the only program i used during production.

What important lessons have you learnt in preparation for completing your main task?

After completing this task i have found out now that i will need to think about lighting the main image on the front cover and also that i could have used more advanced techniques in Photoshop to improve the outcome of my main task, i have also come to the conclusion that i will need to plan out my design more thinking about font styles and the colors of fonts to tie in with the magazine as a whole. 

I have also asked three non media students to comment on my magazine and these are as follows :

"The front cover looks good especially with the use of the slightly 3D title, although the main image does look more like a 'mug' shot than a picture i would expect to see on the cover of a magazine. The title page is simple yet effective, the one image takes over the whole page and i quite like that"

"The blue writing that is present stands out from the front cover but not for the right reasons, the blue that has been chosen for me doesn't look professional, i would have liked to see a bit more Character in the photo on the front cover as this is what i expect from magazines"

"I really like how the front cover is laid out, there is no overcrowding but some of the fonts on the front page are hard to read compared to those on the contents page"