Editing the images for front cover

Previously I have planned out & completed three photo-shoots in order to gain the images for my magazine. The next step was for me to pick out the needed images for my front cover and begin editing them in order for them to be more attractive and for them to have the right codes & conventions. Looking back at my layout we can see that I have chosen my front cover to have three images on it, so these are the images which I have picked:

EDITING THE MAIN IMAGE

Above we can see the steps which I have taken to manipulate the main image for my front cover. I have began with opening the image in Photoshop. This software has provided me with a wide variety of tools with one of them being the "Spot Healing Brush". The top left screenshot presents the use of this tool in order to clean the models face and cover up the unwanted areas. By this I have given the model a 'clean' look which will make her more attractive on the image, making the image more suitable for a large print as it will take up all of the front cover. Next of all I have moved onto a online editing software named Pixlr. This software allowed me to easily modify various areas of the image. Firstly I have descreased the saturation of the image to -100, then increased the contrast to 22 and finally added a 'Bob' effect over the image. As a result I have gave the image a very contrasting colour combination in black and white. This way the the image emphasises the model which is the subject of the photograph, and by this it shows the audience what they have to focus on in the image. Additionally, by turning the image into black and white from colour, I have given the image a melancholic feel to it, as black and white makes it rather nostalgic and shows to the audience the rough 'hip hop' life the person has gone through. I believe that this suits the codes and conventions of hip hop genre as hip hop is mainly associated with violence and rough life.

Here we can see the comparison between the original and the final image which I have come up with. Comparing the images, we can clearly see the difference the manipulation which I have completed have upon the message which this image conveys. The transformation from colour to black and white has really had a effect on the overall image as by this the photograph seems more emotional yet more attractive to the eye. This is a good feature of the image as it will directly link to the article which I am going to write on the double page spread of my magazine.

EDITING PICTURE BOOST 1

The editing of the first picture boost was very quick yet effective. At first I have began with a very successful image which as a result made my editing far less complicated. Firstly to gain the right mood in the image I have chosen to decrease the brightness and increase the contrast of the image just by a tiny bit. This small adjustment had a very large effect on the shot, giving the image the right 'street' mood. Second of all, I have treated the image with a effect named 'Hagrid'. This effect has underlined the lighter areas of the image by making them even brighter and sharper. This has made the image look very strong as the image became sharper in both the outline and the colour. As we can see on the left I have shown again the difference between the original and edited image. From the first glance we can see that the bottom image represents a better 'hip hop' material. This is because it gives an impression of a far more harsh surrounding.

EDITING PICTURE BOOST 2

This is the second picture boost which I am going to place on my front cover of the magazine. Same as the first picture boost, the process of manipulation has not been very time consuming yet has improved the image. For the process of editing this image I have chosen Photoshop as my manipulation software. The first step which I have completed in Photoshop was to use the 'Spot Healing Brush' in order to clean the face of the model. I have done this as in my earlier research I have noticed that all of the images of models which are placed on magazine have the models shown in the best way possible. Therefore hiding any unwanted areas would make the image more suitable to for magazine use. After getting this step done I have noticed that the image looks very dull which has hinted me onto using the "Hue/Saturation" function. This allowed me to tweak the colours which make up the image. As a result I have increased the saturation to 43 which provided the image with sharper and more live colours.

Above we can see the comparison between the two versions of the image. The final version of the image which is on the right will be used in my music magazine. This is becuase I find it more attractive in terms of colour which will definately draw the audiences attention. By it being so eye-catching it would present the content hidden behind it better.