Looking back on the entirety of this course this semester, I can truly say I learned a lot. Not just skills that have helped me in this class, but skills that I will use in other classes and in the future as well. Creating a website using WordPress was a great experience that I would not have had the time to do otherwise. I look forward to exploring the site even further and seeing what I can still add to enhance my website. I really enjoyed being able to take the project in my own direction and focus on something I am passionate about, photo editing. As the course comes to an end and I look back on every assignment I completed, I can say that I truly am excited to spend more time listening to podcasts as well as creating my own. Being able to use new softwares including Audacity and Soundcloud excite me to see how I will use them in my future. I really enjoyed this class and the real world connections it has drawn upon, especially as technology continues to change.
When it comes to the final project, I can honestly say I enjoyed every part of it. I never had a previous interest in podcasts but I am so glad that we were forced to make one for this class. Being able to share a message with any audience through audio bring endless opportunities. I look forward to using the skills I have acquired in Audacity in my personal life to continue recording podcasts. I also enjoyed finding a nonprofit organization that fits so well with my topic, as giving back is an important aspect of my life. Being able to promote a nonprofit organization through a podcast is a great and effective way to introduce it to your target audience while connecting its relevance to the purpose of your podcast.
Thank you, Professor Hodges for a great semester despite the online transition! I appreciate how understanding you have been and this has been one of my favorite classes so far.
From my final podcast, you can expect to learn about 3 mobile apps for beginner photo editors which include SuperImpose, PicsArt, and VSCO. I have used all three of these apps for over 3 years and have found them to be easy to learn and the top editing apps I tend to use. I begin my podcast with an introduction of the purpose, target audience, and URL of my topic. I then transition into a public service announcement regarding a nonprofit organization called 100cameras, where I explain its purpose as well as ways for my audience to get involved directly. Then, I review each of the 3 apps by highlighting key features as to why the app is so easy to learn and provides great results. I also mention pros and cons to each. I conclude my podcast with a reminder to check out my website, as well as 100cameras.org to get involved. I remind my audience how I would love to see the photo edits they came up with, and ensure them I am here to answer any questions that they may have by direct messaging me via my Instagram @jlseditz.
This first meme I chose relates to my target audience because college students are familiar with the brand Supreme and know how overpriced their clothing items are. This also relates to my topic because the bottom right section of the meme is a photo that was clearly edited to make Karl from Jimmy Neutron look rich, as the meme is trying to portray. As stated by Davidson, the ideals of a meme “dictates the behavior, which in turn creates the manifestation” (pg. 123). In this case, the idea behind this meme is the fact that you can take an ordinary, basic object that is usually cheap on its own, slap a “Supreme” label on it, and suddenly it’s worth 1000% the price and creates a higher status. The behavior of the meme is the idea that similar memes can be created where the Supreme logo is attached to any object and the same meaning with remain, that Supreme creates a higher status. As the Know Your Meme online database expresses, this began because of the brand’s “limited quantities and extreme hype, Supreme clothing is resold for high prices, almost always twice the price of retail.” The manifestations include the croissant, Karl, and the Supreme logo. They are different from other possible manifestations as the croissant and Karl can be substituted, but the Supreme logo would remain. The specific manifestations relate to my target audience because they grew up watching Jimmy Neutron, and have become familiar with the status of Supreme, allowing them to be able to connect the two and find them comical.
The second meme I chose relates to my target audience because college students are familiar with the show Spongebob so they are able to recognize Mr. Krabs, the main character of this meme. This also relates to my topic because the blur effect surrounding Mr. Krabs is a photo editing technique that adds character to this meme and makes it more funny. The idea, or “small combinations of recognizable glyphs [that] represents the intent or emotional state of the person transmitting them” (pg. 134) behind this meme is the fact that you learn more about your family and life as you grow up and things you ignored growing up are more clear now as you come to a realization. The main behavior in this meme is Mr. Krabs, as the image can be reused in other memes with a variety of text descriptions. The image originated from the popular television show Spongebob and have spread over the internet through the creation of various memes. The manifestations of this meme are the image of Mr. Krabs as well as the text description above it. They differ from other possible manifestations because the text can be used with a different image and the image can be used with different text. The specific manifestations relate to my target audience because college students understand Mr. Krabs and who he is as well as the text description because it is a popular meme caption that has been presented across the internet.
The third meme I chose, relates to my target audience because Tiger King is one of the most watched Netflix documentaries, especially by college students. This also relates to my topic of photo editing as the meme uses a technique to rebrand (in this case the Kellogg’s tiger and slogan) for a purpose other than what it was originally intended. The idea behind this meme is the fact that in the popular documentary Tiger King, it is implied Carole Baskin had her husband fed to tigers, hence the Kellogg’s tiger saying that “Carole’s Husband Tasted GRREAT!” The behavior in this meme is using the Kellogg’s tiger and slogan and reworking the text to relate to Tiger King. The tiger and slogan originated from the popular Kellogg’s cereal Frosted Flakes. The message behind the text originated from the very popular Netflix documentary Tiger King. This meme has spread over the internet as the Netflix show increased in popularity. The manifestation in this meme is the tiger and quote on the wall that can be used in a variety of fashions. Whether the text is altered for a different purpose, or the background is changed from the side of a building to something else. The specific manifestations relate to my target audience because again, the text and tiger image relate to the show Tiger King but also dry environment where this photo was take looks similar to the dry, country land where Tiger King takes place.
References
Davison, P. “The Language of Internet Memes.” The Social Media Reader
I decided to create a tutorial video for how I edit my photos to be able to walk you all through this process step-by-step. I intend for my video tutorial to be able to be understood by college students who are looking to get into photo editing and are considered beginners. I truly believe that viewers who come across my video will find it worth watching as it is not too long, includes visuals to keep the audience interested and has an overall visual appeal. I also made sure to avoid rambling too much about a specific idea so I can cover more material in my video. I feel that my tutorial video is to the point while encouraging the opportunity for users to personally reach out with any additional questions they might still have. From this video, I hope you all are now able to achieve easy, aesthetically-pleasing edits to your photos! If you have any questions regarding the process or ways to use the different applications that I mention, please feel free to reach out! I’d be more than happy to connect with you all on an individual level either through my website’s contact page or my instagram account @jlseditz direct messages! I would also love for you all to share your creations and tag me in your final results!
I expect users who are looking for my video to search on YouTube along the lines of “beginner photo editing” which is why I titled my video “Mobile Editing Tutorial for Beginners.” I also think users can find my tutorial video from my Instagram page and website where I will share the link which makes it very easy for my audience to find. In Wolf’s article DIY videos on YouTube: Identity and possibility in the age of algorithms, she states “the elaborate algorithmic systems that govern what content is displayed, when, and to whom also influences individuals’ experiences in these online spaces” (3). Therefore, it is extremely important to use key words in a video title that the viewer would be likely to search in order to increase potential video views. Another factor that Wolf mentions that is important to consider is that “Algorithmic processing has the power to — whether intentional or not — manipulate social relationships and institutions” (3). This means that algorithmic processing has the power to prioritize some social movements or videos and not others. Some videos will gain millions of views and others will plateau at 30 views. In order to prevent your YouTube video from being lost completely in the overwhelming amount of videos on the internet, it is important to be able to fully understand how website algorithms work to get your video on one of the top pages in terms of search results.
My featured image conveys that my website is focused on sharing tips and tricks that I have learned along the way when it comes to editing photos, primarily posted on Instagram. I feel this featured image meets the needs of my target audience, as I tend to edit almost every picture with glitter in one way or another, I felt it was essential to incorporate it into my featured image to show my fun and unique approach to photo editing.
I found my source images on Google and Flickr. When searching on Google, I made sure that I filtered my image search by going to “Tools” and making sure I clicked “Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification” to narrow my results down to images I knew I could use. I also only searched for “Transparent” images so it would be easier to create a multi-layer featured image and be able to put the camera logo image directly on top of the glitter background. When searching for a background image on Flickr, I made sure to filter my background search by clicking “Creative Commons Mortifications Allowed.” I then verified that both images I found were usable as their licenses came up as “Universal Public Domain” on the Creative Commons website.
In order to create my featured image, I decided to use Photoshop as it is a software I am familiar with and already have the software installed on my computer. I began with multiple layers for the glitter background and the camera logo. I played around with the look and design of my featured image which is what lead me to duplicate the camera so that it is on both sides of the background image. I then adjusted the opacity of the camera itself and brought it from 100% to 80% so the glitter background would slightly show through. I also rotated the camera on the left 90 degrees counterclockwise to create an asymmetrical look and feel for my featured image. As described in Manovich’s article, I was able to use layering techniques to be able to work on different components of my featured image without disrupting other components. The most common feature I used for each layer as Manovich mentions, is the transparency tool where I can see the effect that each layer has on one another.
When comparing my production process to that of a single-layer bitmap image as described by Davison, it is clear that the multi-layer approach provides much more flexibility as you are able to manipulate different layers separately. Although there are many features that are the same in both techniques including brushes and tools, it is clear that multi-layer editing allows for much detailed creations and allow you to edit each layer multiple times throughout the design processes.
Hey everyone, welcome to my site! I am so excited to share my photo editing tips, tricks, and skills with you all that I have learned and continued to improve over the years. I will be posting weekly blog posts that will discuss a variety of skill sets I use and what applications work best for each skill.
My target audience for this site is college students like myself, who I feel would get the most use out of the advice I have to share. My generation is the most tech-savvy when it comes to social media, and it is clear people my age are able to learn new applications rather quickly. Therefore, I feel many other college students will be able to understand the skills I use to edit photos and will be able to learn new editing applications as easy as I did.
I decided to share my digital media content online through my new website because I find it to be a great location with many different pages where viewers can learn all about my interests and tips that I am sharing. In this one location I am able to share visuals as well as blog posts describing my images where I can easily communicate to my target audience explaining the process it took to edit different photos. When making a website, it is important to understand Creative Commons and its purpose. Most importantly, “Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable you to modify your copyright terms to best suit your needs” (Creative Commons 2020). This is extremely helpful when it comes to my edited pictures as I can let people share my photos online without allowing large companies to sell them.
jane's edits 