Editing Front Cover Image

Editing Front Cover Image

Resolution

This is the original image which I will be making adjustments to in order to make it as possible for the front cover of Total Film magazine.

Firstly, I needed to resize the image and change the resolution. The image was initially 72 dpi and I increased it to 300 dpi which was the suggested resolution.  

Unsharp Mask

The first thing I experimented with was the unsharp mask filter which creates a more defined effect on the model, particularly on the face. I altered the radius making it 2.2 pixels and changed the amount to 71% as it created a more cinematic effect but was not overdone. This also brought out the main colours in the image being the reds and oranges which was the aim regarding the colour scheme. 

Auto Tone

I then experimented with the auto settings in order to see if they created an appropriate effect on my photo. I tried auto contrast, auto tone and auto colour which resulted in the auto contrast creating the best effect as it made the most important features stand out even more. Although this effect improved the tone of the subject, the background was now not dark enough in some areas.

Burn and Dodge Tool

The next tool I experimented with was the dodge and burn tool. The burn tool allows me to darken certain areas of the image whereas the dodge does the opposite and creates a lighter effect in certain areas helping me to create contrast. I used this tool to make the background darker and also create more of a shadow on the left hand side of the subject's face to create a sense of mystery which is the impression I want to give of the character on the front cover. The dodge tool allowed me to make the model's hair a brighter orange/brown colour which also helped reinforce the theme of fire.

Red

RGB

Curve Tool

The curve tool which was in the adjustments section allows me to cross process which is a way of processing film in 1980's for certain effects which emphasises certain colours. Creating an 'S' shape on the curve grid created a certain effect on the image which are shown in the surrounding images. For the blue curve I had to create an inverted 'S' to achieve the best effect. In order to achieve the best effect on the blue curve I had to create an inverted 'S' on the grid. 

Green

Blue

   

I chose to use the RGB curve and the red curve to put an effect on my image as it followed my colour scheme the most. The image to the left is the result of my experimentation with the curve effects. This effect successfully put emphasis on the red and brown colours which is what I hoped for.

                     

Desaturation 

Desaturating the image creates a black and white effect as seen to the left. I still needed to alter the brightness and contrast on the image after I had chosen to desaturate it.I also returned to using the burn and dodge tool to even out some of the light and dark.

I will not use this effect on my magazine cover photo as I want the main emphasis to be on specific colours and this filter does not allow this.

Noise

Another filter is noise which adds another layer to the image and creates a slightly less crisp effect and more of a television effect which may be ideal for my magazine cover image.

Layers

There are a wide range of layers which can be added to images on Photoshop. I experimented with the majority of effects in order to achieve the best possible looking image for my magazine cover. Below are some examples of the layers I experimented with. 

Exposure Layer (Soft Light, Opacity = 30%)

Black and White Layer (Darken, Opacity = 50%)

Brightness and Contrast (Colour Burn, Opacity = 30%)

Clone Mask Tool

Part of the photo editing process included masking any unwanted blemishes on the model using Photoshop. The images below show an example of the before and after of the effect.

In order to erase any imperfections on the subject's face I used the clone mask tool as it creates a more blemish-free look which would be expected on the front cover of a magazine as it makes the character seem more unrealistic and supports the fact she is a fictional character from a film. To use the clone mask tool successfully I had to hold the 'alt' key whilst clicking.

Before

After

Photoshop Image Tutorials

Vintage Photo Effect

'Renowned graphic/web designer Veerle Pieters discusses a method for putting on a vintage photography effect on images in this tutorial that uses a few techniques like adding a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment layer and utilization of Smart Filters.'

      Original Image

  Brightness and Contrast 

     Layer  + Curves

             
 'Convert for Smart Filters'

Manipulating Double Page Spread Images

Original Image

1. I adjusted the brightness and contrast of the image to to make the image stand    out as much as possible. I increased the brightness to 44 and decreased the      contrast to -14 in order to create a more retro effect on the image to            reinforce the period in which the film was made.  

2. Afterwards, I experimented with curves to accentuate certain colours in the      image. I used a technique I learned over the process of editing my front cover    image which was to create an 'S' shape with a colour curve. 

Original Image

1. Due to the fact this image was quite dull I decided to use the 'Auto Tone' tool.

2. I also experimented with the Black and White layer but felt the filter was not as effective as the originally coloured but desaturated image.



3. Finally, I made use of the dodge tool in order to accentuate certain areas of the image such as the knife held by Johnny Depp's character which would attract the attention of readers and potentially make the target audience of males more interested, stereotypically, due to the suggestions of horror and violence in the film still. 




Overall, I experimented with a wide range of photoshop effects on my front cover image. This lead to an increase in my photoshop knowledge and skills which benefits the process of creating my final magazine front cover as I can choose the best suited effects for the purpose and audience.