Updated notes on: where my skills are currently at, where i'd like to develope them to and what i'll need to do in order for it to happen

Up to this point our preparation as a group, and my own individual preparation, for the A2 coursework has been progressing at a steady pace. While we have actively been developing our skills in class time, using software and programmes such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dream Weaver to help us when the time comes to make our magazine covers and web homepages, individually I have been researching as well as developing the concept for our film -an idea we came up with from scratch as none of our ideas within the group were suitable- into a fully realised proposal and synopsis (all of which can be viewed in my sixth blog entry below as well as much more).

In class we were taught the basics of programmes we would need to know how to use, and reasonably well, in order to complete certain aspects of our coursework. We were shown how to use Adobe Photoshop to create a professional looking magazine front cover and a web page for a fictitious film we had created as a group. We were also taught how to use a more complicated programme called Macromedia Dream Weaver, which allowed us to broadcast our web homepages live on the Internet. It was very important that we paid attention and learning how to use both of these programmes well, as we would be designing the magazine front covers and homepages individually, instead of as a group.

Having had some experience with Photoshop before, I was familiar with the programme, however needed a bit of a reminded of some of the features. I found making the magazine cover quite straight forward, although the finish result was very basic. I am very determined however to improve my skills on Photoshop before the time comes to make the real thing because although my attempt at the cover was good, there is still room for improvement. Creating the homepage however was a lot more difficult than making our magazine covers had been, simply because the process was slightly more complicated and involved more steps. We had to put together a webpage on Photoshop (similar to what we had done with our front covers), by doing this it would mean that the screen shown would be saved separately. Using Photoshop was only half of the task however, for the second part we were asked to use Macromedia Dream Weaver, a programme that I had never used before. This was the programme that would allow us to broadcast our webpage’s live on the internet. The programme was quite complicated and we had to follow all the steps accurately to get it right. I am currently not very confident with using Dream Weaver as it is such a complicated programme. To improve I will need to revise the notes I made and practice making another homepage and broadcasting it on the internet. In time for making our covers and homepages I would like to know exactly what I’m doing on both Photoshop and Dream Weaver and know how to use them well, resulting in a professional outcome. Practice makes perfect.

(My finish magazine cover for publication ‘Dazed and Confused’ can be seen in my fifth blog. My original notes on using Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dream Weaver can be found in my third and fourth).