Photoshop Practise

I have already acquired Photoshop knowledge from my print work last year, but to remind myself of the program, I did some Photoshop practice. I will be using Photoshop in my ancillary tasks, so it is important that I am familiar with the program.

I wanted to experiment with the magic wand tool on Photoshop, In the hope to further my Photoshop skills 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15YwmuR6g0U 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOddVbdMLXY 

These two videos explained to me how to use the magic wand tool efficiently, and I chose the silhouette of a couple and their dog to layer onto a photo of another sunset which I sourced online. 

 This is the picture I wanted to edit onto the new sunset. The silhouette of the couple and the dog stands out from the bright background, and I thought it would also contrast nicely against the other sunset.

 

Using the magic wand tool and rasterizing the layers, I pulled the couple and dog onto the new sunset. I am pleased with how this worked out and I enjoyed exploring an aspect of Photoshop that I had not tried out yet.

I  then wanted to experiment with the clone stamp tool and magic wand, so I took this photo of Kayne West and started playing around with the different effects you can use on the layers. 

My digipak and magazine advert will have text, so I wrote out his name to try out different fonts and colours.

I then used the clone stamp tool to smudge his skin in an attempt to make his face look more even. I ended up making him look slightly cartoonish, but I liked that he looked more animated. I also used the liquefy tool to enlarge his eyes and his cheekbones, creating a look that he is more defined.

I chose this background to cast behind Kanye. I used the magic wand tool I researched in an earlier task set for myself to remove Kanye from the white background and projected this behind him.

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I then cast the background onto him and changed the 'layers' from Normal to Luminosity. I really like this effect, as it creates the look that a light is being projected onto him. This is defiantly something I would like to experiment with for my own cover.

I then searched for another background and found a photo of a scratched piece of metal. I layered Kanye over it and found this gave a really dramatic tone to the photo. Kanye was in the centre where the metal was highlighted and this made him the focus of the photo, again something I would like to reflect in my cover. 




However I then changed the layer tab again, and thought it was just as effective. This effect made Kayne look like he was reflecting light, and he was the darker object, so remained the focus of the picture.

Experimenting with how layers are cast helped me practice basic Photoshop skills and using the levels tabs, inspiring me to play around with them in my ancillary production.

I took a photo of my artist from my first photoshoot, and layered the moon and then her hair over the photo. I didn't intend for this to be used for anything, but it was more of an exercise to use photoshop again.

Jellyfish

"Jellyfish hold acceptance and faith, knowing and trusting that All That Is will provide the necessary for them to survive."

I love my use of jellyfish in my production, and this post will explain how that first came around.

 Moon jellyfish have the power to illuminate. By my use of photoshop, I have found how layering photos like this over images and fonts can look so different and gives a variety of effects. Here are some of the ways I experimented with the use of jellyfish:

This was one of my first drafts of the digipak. I layered the jellyfish and also the title 'LUNA' so that they would cross each other, creating the pink and white spaces.

These productions were all created using the moon jellyfish in different layers. I love the way the jellyfish are so different and subtly add to the photo 

This photo of the jellyfish in the glasses was also created on photoshop, by layering the jellyfish to 'overlay' and minimising and cropping it into the glasses.

On photoshop, I used a template of a CD to cut out the shape onto the photo of jellyfish. I experimented with layers and colours until I came across the 'poster' option, which almost invertebrates the colours. Although I probably won't use these for my final CD, epeimenting was very useful, and it was helpful to extend my photoshop knowledge through this task.

Copyright Permission Request

I had to send an email to FAMM records (Smith's label who own the rights to the song.) Here is the email I sent to them:

Dear Famm Records,
I am an A Level student working on  Media A Level and am writing to request permission to use the following track as part of this project :
On My Mind- Jorja Smith
With your permission the track would be used as the accompaniment to a short form video made purely for assessment purposes with no commercial use.
The copyright holder and artist will be fully recognized in the preproduction and evaluation material that accompanies the project.

Yours sincerely,
Daisy Naisbitt

Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School

Song Choice + Breakdown of Lyrics

  I had two songs from my chosen artist Jorja Smith that I had to choose from, 'On my Mind' and 'Fine Line'. Both songs have a very similar vibe and to pick which one I think would suit my music video ideas better I broke down the vibe from both songs. 

Fine Line- Jorja Smith

The song has a vulnerable feel however there is a contrasting sense of empowerment. There is a feeling of moving away from a particular person, perhaps a toxic relationship or someone who has been playing "games",  however it is a raw, confusing and conflicting feeling for the voice, as it is an ongoing process of frustration and turbulence for them. 

On My Mind - Jorja Smith

In this song, the voice is realising that a person is not good for them and taking  them for granted. She has suddenly found what has gone wrong in their relationship and in her head, it's already over, now she is telling the receiver that she doesn't need them anymore.

I think this song is a better choice for my music video as it empowers the artist who is making a choice to walk away.

Here is a breakdown of the lyrics to this song:

Mind, mind, you think I would
Mind, you think I would, mind
Mind, you think I would mind
Oh, you think I, oh, my mind (x2)
Don't want to feel you
Don't want you on my mind
Don't want to feel you
Don't want you on my mind (x2)

This repetition could be great editing wise for my video, and I like the long intro, common in the neo soul, hiphop genre.

Why on earth would I leave
If you were everything I wanted you to be?
When I saw what you did, who you were with
Got me questionin' the things that I believe
So I ask myself, do I let you go?
Or do I keep you in the frame of my mind?
Now I'm growing wise to your sugar-coated lies
Nothing's sweet about my misery, yeah

The voice is beginning to understand what is wrong in their relationship and is torn between keeping them 'on her mind' and lettin them go.

I finally found what went wrong
You think I would mind
I finally found the wrong in you
You think I would mind (x2)

You again, why'd you call?

This line has inspired me to have my artist on the phone in some shots thought the timeline of their relationship as it reflects the progression and collapse of their time together.

I don't need to hear you cryin' out my name

Unlike before when you and I laid eye to eye

Now it's time for you to taste the bitter end

So I ask myself, do I let you go?

Or do I keep you in the frame of my mind?

Now I'm growing wise to your sugar-coated lies

Nothing's sweet about my misery, yeah

I finally found what went wrong
You think I would mind
Oh, you think I, oh
I finally found the wrong in you
You think I would mind
Oh, you think I, oh(x2) 

Don't want to feel you
Don't want you on my mind
Don't want to feel you
Don't want you on my mind
Don't want to feel you
Don't want you on my mind
On my mind, on my mind
Mind, mind, mind
(Preditah)