Final Skills Audit

AS Media Production: Final Skills Audit Print Production

Name: Jack Eckels    Tutor group: 1.35      Date: 22/4/14

Photographic Skills

Which of the following photographic features/equipment have you used on a camera before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Manual Focus features	X		I used it on composition (shutter speed pictures) and production pictures.
Shutter Speed	X		I used it on the shutter speed images, where I took pictures of my partners move around with torches, to create sort of a sparkler effect.
Aperture control	X		I used this outside when taking pictures, to adjust the amount of light let into the camera, as it was bright outside.
ISO Control	X		We changed this to increase the amount of light into the camera on the shutter speed pictures. We changed it from 200 to 800.
A tripod	X		I haven’t used a tripod in media, but I have used it in film to film my project.
External flash	X		I haven’t used an external flash in media but I have used it when I did photography in GCSE.
Self timer facility	X		Used in Photography at school.
Light meter	X		I used the light meter when linking up the camera to the lights in the studio room, when taking photos for my final project.
Composition grids	X		When taking photos in the studio for the final project, and when taking photos of my models in any photo, I have the grids on as I try to make the models eyes on the line of thirds.

Photoshop Skills

Which of the following features of Photoshop have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Text control	X		When readjusting the text, by stretching, resizing and changing the width of the gaps between the letters.
Filters	X		I used a sketch and posturize filter when testing on what design to have for my final project.
Brushes	X		I used many different brush strokes on the Christmas cards. I also created a brush from scratch in brush properties, which looked like particles and snow.
Layers	X		I used layers constantly on Photoshop, just so that particular things got edited instead of everything.
Opacity control	X		I changed the opacity to reflective shapes on the bauble for the Christmas card. I did this by adding a white shape, selecting overlay in the mode and lowering the opacity.
Shape creation	X		I again used this for the bauble; every part of the bauble was made up of different shapes.
Brightness and contrast control	X		I used this in all of my Photoshop pieces, to make darker and lighter.
Gradients	X		I used gradients for my bauble to make it look spherical. I also used it on background of the bauble Christmas card.
Load selection features		X
Feathering	X		For my final project, the image for my DPS, had too many shadows on, so I masked around the models then pressed modify edges, then I selected feather
Colour curves adjustment	X		I applied this to every Photoshop piece, as the RAW images were not right in some way.
Resolution setting control			I used this every time before a Photoshop piece and changed it to 300 pixels.
Magnetic lasso, polygon lasso tool	X		I used this basically on every piece on Photoshop; I use the lasso tool instead of any other selection tool.
Cropping tool	X		I used this once, on the DPS image as there was photography set surrounding the white background on the RAW image.
Clone tool	X		I used the clone tool on many pieces; it is actually my favourite tool. I used it on Zoey to get rid of her spots, on my models to get rid of any blemishes and on my zombie picture.
Retouch tool	X		I used this briefly on the Zoey project.
Other skills	X		Warp Stroke Drop Shadow Outer Glow Free Transform Dodge/Burn Inner Glow Magic wand tool/Quick Selection tool Zoom Hand Eraser Sponge Shape Eyedropper Blur Paint bucket Tool Healing Brush Tool

In Design Skills

Which of the following features of In Design have you used before:

Feature	Yes	No	Comments if yes – where have you completed this skills and to what level
Have you ever used In design ever before?		X
Margin and column guide creation	X		I used this to stick to a strict layout for my columns and image.
Inserting an image ID	X		I inserted an image to have as my DPS image.
Resizing images in ID	X		I need to create a image in the same layout as a magazine DPS I had seen. The DPS I looked at was none-music related but was to do with the Muppets, although it was a nice layout.
Text manipulation – resizing, rotation	X		I needed to rotate some of the text -90 degrees to have it running down the left side of the DPS. I resized all of the text to make it resemble that of the DPS I looked at.
Text manipulation – controlling kerning and leading		X
Text flow creation		X
Using transparent imagery in ID		X	I did not use this – but I know how to
Shape/line creation In design	X		My DPS required a long straight black line along the top of the page for design.
Exporting to PDF from In-design	X		Everybody had to do this to upload it to the system.
Text Wrap		X
Other Skills	X		Stroke Highlight and Highlight Properties

Number of new skills achieved:

(Compare with your initial skills assessment)

Photographic Skills

I can now use Manual Focus Features, Shutter Speed, Aperture Control, Light Meter and Composition Grids, where as before I could not.

Photoshop Skills

I can now use Filters and the Retouch tool, where as before I could not.

In Design Skills

Everything that I have ticked yes in the table I can do, as before learning about InDesign, I knew absolutely nothing.