Stage 1: Using photoshop on my image

After taking numerous pictures in different positions I finally found the photo that suited the style of magazine. this picture clearly displayed a model looking like the typical college student, with the relaxed posed to make it casual as well as the folder to show some formality and recognition of she still being in education.I then put it into Photoshop to start editing. Firstly, I increased the hue and saturation to give a bolder colour that would stand out more, followed by increasing the brightness and contrast to make it seem lighter and slightly faded, giving a more delicate and fresh touch.

 

The next thing I wanted to do was to remove the background. I originally thought to use the stamp clone tool and make the whole background yellow like the wall, but in the end I thought it would be better to get rid of it al together. I started to use the magic wand tool, which although worked to a certain extent, didn't edit the bits I wanted it to.it kept picking up on the wrong bits and gave a rough edge which I didn't want. Therefore I used the lasso tool which worked much better to remove the excess and give me the plain background with a smooth edge I wanted.

I then started to experiment with colour for the background. I first chose a red that matched the folder she was holding, using the colour catch tool. By using the paint bucket I could fill the whole background in one. However this didn't really look very good as some of the image had been lost when making it brighter, giving it a rough edge. Also the colour was too bold for the background and overpowered the main image.

Instead I changed it to a light peachy colour, not unlike the models skin tone. This worked better as it made her the main focus of the magazine with the missing edge of the shirt less visible. It also gives a lighter mood to the magazine that I preferred. By then playing round with the different editing tools I decided to use the smudge tool around the edge of the image to make it seem she was coming out from the background as if a misty effect.

I then decided to use the dodge tool around the edge of the figure as well, making the lines around her blend into the peachy background even more. This way some parts were hard to see where the image stopped and the background started, which was something I wanted to achieve.
Before:

 After:

The use of the dodge tool makes the main image almost glow, softening the edges to give the photo a fresh and bright feel.

Overall I like how my picture eventually came out. Even though I'm not very good at Photoshop this gave me good experience to experiment with the different tools and see what works well with what. I'm glad I got rid of the background as keeping it may have made it look less professional, and the peachy colour is defiantly more eye catching. Also by changing it to a red it would have given more focus to the background rather that the image itself, as well as making it harder to see the text I would put on it later. Moreover, it may have come across as a different type of magazine, and no longer look like a college magazine so changing it was the right thing to do. I also like how well the image 'glows' off the page, really standing out as something fresh, which is what the magazine is entirely about; new music, films, jobs and things that interest the college student.