With reference to the video above of the screen shots I took, here is how I produced my digipak. I made the video using Windows Movie Maker as it is a good way of showing my screenshots without taking up a large amount of space on the blog post. Also the program is free to download and allows me to add music as well as photos.
Inside Right
After looking through my photo shoot images, I choose this image originally because I wanted to make it my front cover image. However, when I looked at my original ideas for my front cover I realised that this image didn't have the lighting and tones to make a black and white image for the front like the Emeli Sande 'Our Versions of Events' album and Sam Smith 'In the Lonely Hour' album cover. So instead I decided to use this image for one of the inside panels. I started to edit this image by adjusting the levels so that the background, with it been black, would make it darker and make the artist stand out more against the background. I then added a solid pink colour layer for the lips, and changed the blending option to overlay. Next I rubbed out everywhere but the lips and changed the opacity so that it made the lips look pinkier and more lush. As the colour looked pale in the original image. Using the same process, I used a green solid colour for my artist's eyes to make the colour stand out. Afterwards I used another colour layer to brighten up my artist's highlights. I choose a golden colour to highlight it with to match the text colour as well as to enhance the colour.
The reason for me editing my artist that way is because in Pop genre, women are made to look flawless as these are the women young adults look up too. Therefore I wanted to make my artist have this pop artist look. After editing my artist I then copied the shape and size of the digipak section for the inside right so that it would fit the digipak. I then filled the background, copied the image of my artist onto it and moved it across onto the digipak.
Front Cover
To produce my front cover, I first selected the image that I wanted to use for the front and has appropriate lighting for me to use covert to black and white which would show different highlights and tones from the studio lights. To start with to make the lighting stand out, I changed the levels to make the tones of light more graduate. I then used the exposure tool to darken the image and then unshaded everywhere but the edges of the frame making it lighter there. I did this so it would draw your attention to the artist and the technique is used in many album covers with a black and white front. After that, I copied the size of the front cover from the digipak template and I filled in the gaps so that my image would make the front background. Next I went onto the site where I fount the text I wanted to use (dafont.com) and referred back to the text post. From there I tried different text styles and in the end, I choose 'Birds of Paradise' for the artists name and 'Mount' for the name of the album from the collection I had previously selected.
One problem I encountered while selecting the text off the website was that when copied to photoshop, the writing was in black with a white background. However, I wanted this in reverse. To do this I had to screen shot the text of the website, crop it so I just had the text and then use the paint bucket tool to change the background colour to a different colour I wouldn't use. I then had to manually paint each letter the colour of my choice. This was quite time consuming however this was the only way I could think to do it. I decided to have my artists name in white with the album name colour to be gold as I wanted this to be my theme throughout my product. After that I then used the magic eraser tool to remove the background of the text image and then used the blending tool to add a black outline onto edges of the text to make it stand out against the background. Finally I flattened the image and added it to my digipak.
Back Cover
Looking through my images, I choose the image for my back cover because it reminded of Sam Smith's newest album. Firstly for this image I cropped it so that there is no background to my image. Next I altered the levels of the image to bring out the highlights from the studio lighting directed onto my artist. I used the exposure tool and selected the settings so that it made the chair dark, as due to the lighting the chair stood out next to my artist. Therefore by doing this and unshaded my artist so that it would darken the chair and not make it stand out as much. By copying the size of the section I need to cover, it gives me an idea of the space I need to work with. Because I have to fit my track list and other conventional information onto my back cover, I decided to put my image to the bottom left side. I thought this would be a good idea to place here as you read from left to right so therefore this will be the first thing the audience will see. This would also give me the space to write my track list. After that I placed a box in the bottom corner right for the space that would include my featured hit single. I decided to put it there as it would fit comfortably there and not make the cover look too crowded. I left the box there so that I could come back to this as I wanted to sort the arrangement for my track list. Using the text styles post research, I went back and looked at my text style options. Because I had used 'Birds of Paradise' for the artists name and 'Mount' for the name of the album, I decided to keep to a 3 maximum text font style so that the different text styles would be confusing. I chose to have the main title of the track list the same style font and colour of the album cover to show continuity between my products. I then used the the text style 'Optimus Princeps' for the alum track list as I wanted to stand out from the track list text and not be the same as the artist name text style. As I wanted her name to be the unique original style. Using the website dafont.com I sampled each track name and copied it to my back cover document. Then I used the paint tool to colour the individual letters to make the text white on black background. I then erased the background and moved the text in place. I decided I wanted the track list to curve around my artist. I'm not sure I want to keep it this way so I might have an experimentation session and see what other ways I could display my text. To start with I included the track number, however half way through editing, I decided to delete it as looking at other CD products, not many people include the track number.
For the featured section including the track of my music video product, I decided to use the glow technique that I had practiced on my model, to go on the outside box of the featured section. I thought this would work well as it reflects the name of the track as well as the colours makes your eyes drawn to this area and want to see what the information includes. After following the steps that I had learnt, I thought that it looked particularly good after a few attempts with the anchor point tool. I then began to add the text to go inside the box. I used the 'Optimus Princeps' style font for the 'Featuring the new hit single' text, with the 'new' being in bold. I wanted to keep the continuity for the text so I therefore used this font to match the track list font. I also added the copy right information and placed it under the box to the right. The text itself I used from an existing CD but changed the information to make it relevant to my product. As I wasn't sure what to right I decided to use a real product for ideas so that it would make it more realistic and genuine. Looking back at the featured section, I decided to add the name of the track and information about the music video that's exclusive for those who buy the product. I thought this would be realistic to add as many products use this to advertise themselves and opportunities for audiences to receive exclusive information. I had the 'new' and 'double rainbow' in gold and the rest in white to make it stand out and to draw the eyes of the audience to this area. I then copied the layer onto my digipak. As you can see my digipak is coming along nicely.
Looking back at my product I would like to reshuffle the track list and see if displaying it differently will look better. I also would like to change the 'Track List' name to the name of the album because looking at other CD products, you don't tend to see 'Track List', it is usually blank or repeats the name of the album. Another experiment I would like to look at is maybe making my artist bigger to fill in some blank space and to make her look more dominating.
CD Case Holders
I decided to have the cases sit on a black background as I have chosen this for the ground of my other case sides. By choosing a colour like this, it will make the CDs stand out. With it been plain it wont be a distraction from the images inside the case.
Inside Left
For the inside left panel, I decided to perform the same treatment as I did with the inside right, I changed the levels so that the highlights where more defined which made the backgound become a solid black colour. I then proceeded in empathising the little colour that was seen by creating a solid layer of pink to make her lips look less pasty. By creating a solid layer I can make the colour blend in and make any colour stand out more with the selected area I choose, I then did the same process but enhanced the gold that appeared in the artists hair highlights. At first I thought the colour was quite brassy therefore I lowered the opacity to a comfortable level that enhanced the hair and didn't make it too gold and unnatural. Finally I copied the shape of the cover off the digipak and made my artist fit the section. I then moved the layer onto my digipak and fitted it to the inside left area.
Spine
To create the spine I simply selected the area of the spine on the digipak and painted the section black to match the rest of the sides of the digipak. I then copied the text for the album name and artist and arranged them on the side so that when the digipak is put together, it would make up the side panel. Lastly I copied the record label logo to place on the side to advertise the music industry that my artist belongs to.
