Work in Progress 2
In these past few weeks of class, I explored PhotoShop and its capabilities/functions as a program. I focused my skills assignment on gathering information on how to layer images in PS effectively to incorporate this aspect in my design. One thing I could not figure out was linking images in my GitHub pages correctly. I researched numerous tutorials and could not seem to get this to work, which was quite frustrating.
In regards to our in class projects, we spent a few classes working in PhotoShop and experimenting with parameters with certain images. I enjoyed doing this because I was familiar with these editing options already.
My partner and I took an image from Finding Nemo and added text to it, to make it seem as if it were a scary film. We specifically chose a picture where Marlon and Dory are faced with the angler fish (famous scene from the movie). Both fish are petrified of the angler fish, thus causing us to use a darker color scheme and more serious font. We also used the paintbrush in PhotoShop, raised the pixel size and changed the color to red and clicked in the text to create a blood splatter effect. In the end, we added the text “Based on a true story” near the top, while making the ‘true’ part boldfaced to add emphasis. This was an interesting project for me; I had never really experimented with the paintbrush in the program to create different narratives. 
After the Finding Nemo/horror story approach in PhotoShop, I decided to edit a photograph that was taken for my friend’s clothing brand. I loaded the picture in the program and started adding effects to it. I first added more contrast in the picture to give more emphasis and depth. I then focused on the edges and sharpening to create a clearer image. My friend was wearing a pink hoodie in the picture, so I turned to the Hue/Saturation option and made the pink pop out more. Using color finder, I selected the hoodie to obtain the exact shade of pink, and then chose a font to create some text near the bottom of the photograph. The clothing brand is called “OFTN,” standing for “Only For The Night.” I typed “Only For The Night” in the light pink color and experimented with the curve aspect of the text box to make it look angled and skewed, which gave an interesting effect to the picture overall. 
As for my website design, I have kept it pretty simple with minimal updates. I have not spent a great amount of time updating it; rather, I update it when there is an assignment due and go from there. I try to get the most out of each assignment and do take it seriously, but I also feel as if most assignments are extremely vague, or misleading. For example, when I did the 20 hours of deliberate practice and then integrated the log and written reflection in my website – which is what the assignment called for – I was still given a bad grade because it seemed as if I was taking shortcuts, and what was asked of me was not showing. However, I was not taking any shortcuts. I was simply doing the learning log and had it completed before the due date, but had not written the code out for it as of yet. It was frustrating to see that I received a bad grade when I had genuinely put in the work. I feel that is how most of the assignments are going for me. I was told in the comments for the Skills Assignment that my written reflection could not be accessed, so I revised this by going into the file and updated my sharing permissions, which was a minor fix. I still do not understand why I was given such a horrible grade.
For the soundscape in class assignment, I was put in a group where we never even finished the soundscape. We had come up with an idea, but nobody ever executed their ideas… another frustrating aspect. Our idea was “the calm before the storm.” Basically, this soundscape was supposed to capture something light and calm before something chaotic occurred (AKA, the storm). In Audacity, I created the “calm” part by combining nature loops I had in a sample pack and a few musical elements (guitar loop, drum loop, bassline). When we were in the groups in class, nobody ever moved forward. We created a Box folder to share samples, but I never saw a finished product of this. I do not hold anybody singularly at fault – I just think that this one in class assignment could have been carried out much more effectively if we all communicated in an efficient fashion.
I thought this class would help me become a better designer and communicator; instead, it has made me a more frustrated student who has become discouraged. At this point, I am trying to get the assignments done in an efficient manner and hopefully receive a passing grade for this class. I understand in my Work in Progress Submission 1, I had not included my first few in class assignments that were supposed to be integrated in the website. This in turn has made me become more self aware in the upcoming assignments and how to go about them. I reread my biography and will definitely make revisions on that because I do not think I will include music in my website anymore. Rather, I want to incorporate more simple concepts, such as photography and photoshopped elements. I hope to effectively convey my ideas in the last few weeks of this semester in order to successfully pass this class.