Post 19 - Amaray/Label Review

The module had various requirements to be completed such as using certain tools.  Part A of the assignment was for the Amaray DVD/game wrap. The first stage was to create the canvas size and style suitably i create the canvas to the size W 27.3cm and H18.25cm. I used various layers and created layer masks to ensure non-destructive editing. I also used the Photoshop filters such as burn and dodge tool. I set up the guides to help with the construction of the case. I decided to go beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment and used other software such as nchsoftware. To create a better quality of the Amaray inlay i decided to also create a 3D inlay cover.Part two required for me to create a DVD label. The minimum tool requirements were the clipping mask tool, pen tool, brush tool and placing images. I created the main image using Adobe Photoshop and placed it within the illustrator work space. The pen tool was used to create shapes for the DVD label and the brush tool used to add camouflage effect to go with the action hooter theme of the game. I completed at minimum the required tools etc i also decided to go beyond the requirements by making another 3D inlay. Also i used software such as Adobe Fireworks to create the PlayStation logo and the finishing CD rims.


Next Time:

Overall i believe that the end products for this part f the assignment  are up to the standards of finish i expected. The general images look fairly professional and portray the theme of the game quite well. However i do believe that i could have sent more time in refining the images and experimenting with the various tools of Photoshop to change and add effects to the images. As an example i performed color editing work on the Label and Amaray inlay and also brushed, patched and smooth cut the pictures well however to ensure a greater finish and also  more realism so each character does not seem as they have been drawn from a separate background.

Post 18 - Amaray Filters

As i used various other software to edit the image and resolution i did not change the DPI levels of images within my PSD file. Similarly i created some effects in other software so i did not use the filters in Photoshop a numerous amount of time. However i did use the burn and the dodge tools. I used the dodge tool on the "Fight till the end" banner to improve the aesthetics and to add affect as previously the banner was very bland (Top Left). Also underneath the Zombie on the left hand side i used the burn tool to add a burnt effect to the "Hell's Highway" to go with the theme of Hell.

Post 17 - Finish 3D Label (Star)

I have used the pen tool to create an inner shape after creating the outer grey star shape. I decided to use the inner pen tools initially as i  decided it would be easy to create curves using the various anchor points. The central image was created with the pen tool and then given a yellow fill to add some brightness to the star. The outer star was created by using the inbuilt star tool and then given a purple fill. I sent the purple star image to the back using the pathfinder Minus tool to give a separate color edge effect. One star with an outline effect could have been used but i decided to add two stars as originally i was to add more than two stars. I selected these colors to contrast to the main image and give a bright contrast and also i selected colors different from the text so it was not covered up. The shade of colors is something that also needed to be considered as a similar shade would ruin the text 3D effect.

The next tool used was the paintbrush tool i filled the central yellow star with various paint brush colors. The colors i chose were combat colors to give the militarily effect. When filling the shapes i used the brush effect so the sharp colors would not contrast the combat inner paintbrushes.I used the clipping mask tool for these shapes to help combine both of these shapes by using the group selection tools. The clipping mask was beneficial as it created various different layers and preserved the images in different layers before combining them in one top layer. I also used the transparency effect so the star image is not overpowering in comparison to the remaining image. The central camouflage colors are on a separate layer and were also lowered in opacity to ensure the image is not overpowering and also allows the background  to be viewed.

Post 16 - Reasons why (stretch/background)

The reason why the character in the background has a slight stretch is to present the character as the most dominant and to create a hierarchical effect. For example the FIFA 14 cover presents the Messi larger than the other players to present him as the main and superior image/player. However i scaled the image during construction to ensure the best quality image and also i saved it as a TIFF image to maintain the image resolution.

On the Amaray front cover the character on the top right i have maintained part of the characters background instead of cutting it out. The reason why i have done this is to present the image as its own rather instead of it being part of the main image background. I copied this effect directly from the Splinter Cell Conviction cover where the background is also maintained instead of just outlining the characters. I have cropped to include the image below.

Post 15 - Vector Mask

Using a vector mask can be used to give a more refined image than a layer mask. Pen, Shape and/or path selection tool can be used for this mask. It is slightly more extensive work despite the better quality it can give.

Initially i  decided and began using this technique however the work was not as a efficient as working with layers masks and therefore i switched to using layer masks.

Also after performing some research from :

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/12/17/unveiling-photoshop-masks/

Vector masks cannot vary pixel opacities, they have to be at 0 or 100. Therefore masking requires hybrid implementation.

In order to change layer opacity and i had to select the layer mask option.

Post 14 - Finished Image

The image is about 99% complete however i would like to still add some filters and effects to the image to complete the aesthetic.

Post 13 - Layer Mask and Merge

I created the template and added various images with various different layers onto the background. After completing this i merged the layers together. Merging the layers was beneficial as after adding various images i merged the layers to secure the images into one and locked them down as i was happy with the image and no longer wanted to edit it or affect it. Also i could change the color lighting and saturation for the complete image together to create a smooth feel  throughout instead of selecting the various images.

Layer masking is a good method in preserving parts of the original image on a separate layer known as non-destructive editing.One part of the image can be masked, the image can be modified and restored as the mask covers the image and not delete in case change of mind. Masking gives you the ability to hide, edit, and protect selected areas of an image meaning you can duplicate arts of images and use their cropped versions on other layers.

I have included evidence of the layer work:

Post 12 - Amaray Main Image

I created the main cover image by sing various characters fro a range of different games to be displayed on the front and rear of the Amaray inlay. The polygon tool was used to cut the images that had very similar colored background color and i used the magnetic tool when the background and character has a high difference in contrast. This tool was more suited to this type of image because the tool picked out the image from the background easily due to the colour difference.

Where there are any excess background features attached to the  image i erased the outside as i could work around refining the image without affecting any other layer as i had them locked.

Some of the images used: