Cover Photo Editing/Selection
What Is Cover Photo Editing? Photo editing is the act of altering an image. Many photo editing techniques exist. Some are done manually, while others are conducted through automated software. Some photo editing is even done offline, on actual photographs, posters or other printed collateral.
Photo Editing helps magazine designers get the best image possible, as close to what they imagined when they got the photo or perhaps even better.
Photo editing is particularly important for magazine brands/companies. The quality of the image directly affects people’s opinion of the product and sales numbers. Studies have confirmed that high-quality images outperform stock (or poorer quality) imagery and that increasing the number of high-quality images helps build trust with consumers and increases conversion rates.
What are the different types of photo editing?
There are many ways to edit a photo — some simple and others more complicated. Most people can figure out simple photo-editing techniques on their own—though this does require time and patience. More complex adjustments may require a dedicated software program or a trained professional editor.
Simple photo-editing techniques include:
Straighten: adjust the horizon of the photo.
Crop: trimming out a portion (usually peripheral) of
the image to help draw attention to the subject or otherwise improve the
composition
Sharpen: enhance the definition of the edges in an image (will not make a blurry image in-focus).
Noise reduction: smoothing the picture out, typically accomplished by reducing the pixel size
White balance: the color of the light in the image
Contrast: higher contrast makes an image more punchy, while lower contrast makes it flatter in color
Exposure: the brightness of the photo
Lens correction: lessens the effect(s) of the camera lens
Color adjustments: change the color of an item or element in the photo
Background removal: delete the background from the image, isolating the subject (this is often used for white background product photography)
More complex techniques include:
Clipping paths: vector path that differentiates the part of the image that’s visible and the part that’s transparent (extracts a subject or element from an image)Portrait corrections: complexion touch-ups and enhancements
Drop and reflection shadow: create and adjust shadows
Special effects: this can mean an array of things, from animation to adding weather conditions like fog or snow
Adjusting text and visuals: add overlays or manipulate what’s already there
Photo stitching: when you seamlessly put two images together to make it look as though they were shot that way
Photo masking and Layers: the process of hiding and revealing specified portions of an image
Pixel editing and parametric image editing
Two methods of digital photo editing are pixel editing and parametric image editing. Let’s look at their definitions:
What is pixel editing?
Pixel editing, or pixel-level editing, is when you alter an image at the pixel level. Because you’re altering the pixels themselves, this also permanently changes the image file. That’s why pixel editing is considered a destructive form of photo editing because it’s not as easy to undo the changes and restore the original file.
Pixel editing allows you to make extremely detailed edits and accomplish certain functions that parametric image editing can’t (like CMYK color modes, for example).
Pixel editing, or pixel-level editing, is when you alter an image at the pixel level. Because you’re altering the pixels themselves, this also permanently changes the image file. That’s why pixel editing is considered a destructive form of photo editing because it’s not as easy to undo the changes and restore the original file.
Pixel editing allows you to make extremely detailed edits and accomplish certain functions that parametric image editing can’t (like CMYK color modes, for example).
What is parametric image editing?
Parametric image editing (PIE) doesn’t change the pixels of the image. Instead, these edits are recorded as a set of steps to follow to accomplish the final look. Thus, it’s a non-destructive mode of photo editing. However, PIE doesn’t always allow for all types of edits.
Many in the industry recommend starting with PIE, and then using pixel editing to refine the final details.
Photo Editing In Magazine Mockups
I used Canva for photo editing my magazine mockups. Canva is a free graphic design platform that allowed me to easily create my magazine mockups, making them look more appealing and professional.
When using Canva, I could upload my own photos and add them it's templates using a drag and drop interface. In my opinion, Canva is like having a basic version of Photoshop that's free and doesn't require extensive photo editing knowledge to use.
Canva's template categories include Zoom
backgrounds, posters, presentations, flyers, cards, infographics,
business cards, Instagram posts, resumes, invitations, book covers,
menus, letterheads, newsletters, photo collages, tickets, bookmarks,
invoices, recipe cards, and more.
Laslty, Canva's extensive suite of features helped my cover photos pop. It's features included
basic cropping and straightening, to adding textures and color
correcting. Canva's beginner-friendly features made the process of editing my cover photos
simpler.
As I could add various textured backgrounds, to give my cover photos more
dimension, insert text to create my own magazine masthead, create my custom photo grid and add contrast, brightness, and saturation to my photo.
Creation Of My Magazine Cover Mockups
Magazine Cover Mockup #1
I started it off, with choosing an image that I took for my magazine cover mockup. I took this image because it had a very artistic personality to it, which is one of the conventions for an Art Magazine. So, I enlarged this image, in order to add more focus on the art itself, rather than its background or any other element.
Now, I started to crop the image, so that it could better fit the magazine cover. This is very important, as if the main image is not edited properly, the audience might get confused on what the image is about, and may lose interest in buying the magazine. By cropping this image, I am making sure that the background has been fully edited out, so that the image looks clean, appealing, attention-grabbing, and professional.
It's time to format the image. The formatting process is the most important element, when editing an image, as this is what gives the image its flare, and makes the image pop out more. I made this image more vibrant, by changing its contrast and saturation. Contrast and saturation are two very important elements, in relation to photo editing. This is because, contrast manages the amount of difference there is between the colors of the image, as if the colors are clashing together, then the image becomes painful to see, which is a very bad sign. The saturation is what makes the colors bright or dark. Saturation and Contrast go hand in hand, as if the saturation is too much, then increasing the contrast will balance it out and vice versa. This balance results in a beautiful and visually appealing image, which is good for catching the audience's eyes and peaking their interest in the magazine.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that i I am going to insert in the magazine. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a similar color scheme to my image, so that they don’t clash with each other. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the darker side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the main image, to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on both sides, as this is included in the convention of an art magazine, as aligning the text on both sides is very efficient, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. I also placed my selling line on the bottom instead of the top. This goes against the conventions of art magazine, but I decided to include it, because it gives the selling line a comedic effect, which correlates with the text I have included in my selling line.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my first magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Magazine Cover Mockup #2
This is the start of my second magazine mockup. I took an image of my art sketchbook as this aligns with my conventions, because many art magazines serve as a medium for tips and tricks to improve one’s art, and the photo of a sketchbook helps connect these two ideas together. For my second magazine cover mockup, I want my image to be smaller and more to the side, as I will be adding a background soon, in order to try something new, so that it increases the appeal behind the magazine.
This is the part where I start cropping my main image, so that it fits correctly with the background. I start with cutting off my main image’s background, as this background is too dull and boring. It also makes the photo look unprofessional and unappealing, which is not a good sign, as this can make the image less attention grabbing which would mean that it would decrease the number of readers interested in the magazine, thereby harming its sales.
I added a background here, which makes the sketchbook pop out, even before I started formatting it. This is a good sign, as it means that the background is visually appealing and helps the main image pop out, which will help grab the reader’s attention. I also like this background, because of the contrast it creates with the sketchbook, as the lighter colors of the sketchbook, fit perfectly with the darker colored background, thereby creating a beautiful effect. This also means that when I start formatting my main image, it will pop out more and will look even more appealing.
This is the part, where I started formatting my main image, in order to make it pop out even more, so that it grabs the reader's attention and is easy to look at. I decreased the brightness for this image. I did this, in order to increase the impact of the contrast and saturation, to make the sketchbook look more professional and so that the image gets most of the reader's focus. The saturation makes the blue in the sketchbook brighter, while making the black sharper, in order to make the photo more defined and give it more power.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. For this magazine cover mockup, I only added three coverlines, instead of four, in order to make the cover look cleaner and so that the reader doesn’t get bombarded with information. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a different color scheme to my image, so that they pop out more and look and have a more defined impact on the reader. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the brighter side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the background , to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on the left side, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. This makes the coverlines extremely valuable, as if they are located right at the edge of the magazine, then the reader will be able to absorb the information from the coverlines at a much faster rate, thereby giving them a very quick synopsis of what the magazine is about and what it contains.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my first magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Magazine Cover Mockup #3
I started it off, with choosing an image that I took for my third magazine cover mockup. I took this image because it had a very artistic personality to it, which is one of the conventions for an Art Magazine. So, I enlarged this image, in order to add more focus on the art itself, rather than its background or any other element.
Now, I started to crop the image, so that it could better fit the magazine cover. This is very important, as if the main image is not edited properly, the audience might get confused on what the image is about, and may lose interest in buying the magazine. By cropping this image, I am making sure that the background has been fully edited out, so that the image looks clean, appealing, attention-grabbing, and professional.
It's time to format the image. The formatting process is the most important element, when editing an image, as this is what gives the image its flare, and makes the image pop out more. I made this image more vibrant, by changing its contrast and saturation. Contrast and saturation are two very important elements, in relation to photo editing. This is because, contrast manages the amount of difference there is between the colors of the image, as if the colors are clashing together, then the image becomes painful to see, which is a very bad sign. The saturation is what makes the colors bright or dark. Saturation and Contrast go hand in hand, as if the saturation is too much, then increasing the contrast will balance it out and vice versa. This balance results in a beautiful and visually appealing image, which is good for catching the audience's eyes and peaking their interest in the magazine.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a similar color scheme to my image, so that they don’t clash with each other. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the darker side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the main image, to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on both sides, as this is included in the convention of an art magazine, as aligning the text on both sides is very efficient, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. I also decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my third magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Magazine Cover Mockup #4
This is the start of my fourth and final magazine mockup. I took an image of a UFO with a rainbow effect to it, as this aligns with my conventions, because many art magazines serve as a medium to express different views and perspectives on one’s art, and the photo of a rainbow UFO helps connect these two ideas together. For my third magazine cover mockup, I want my image to be smaller and more to the side, as I will be adding a background soon, in order to try something new, so that it increases the appeal behind the magazine.
This is the part where I start cropping my main image, so that it fits correctly with the background. I start with cutting off my main image’s background, as this background is too dull and boring. It also makes the photo look unprofessional and unappealing, which is not a good sign, as this can make the image less attention grabbing which would mean that it would decrease the number of readers interested in the magazine, thereby harming its sales.
I added a background here, which makes the UFO a part of the space theme I was going for. This is a good sign, as it means that the background is visually appealing and helps the main image blend in with the theme, which will help grab the reader’s attention. I also like this background, because it creates a smooth transition with the UFO, as the bright colors of the UFO fit perfectly with the darker colored background of the magazine cover mockup, thereby creating a beautiful effect. This also means that when I start formatting my main image, it will blend and pop out more, making the magazine cover look even more appealing.
This is the part where I started formatting my main image and background, in order to make it pop out even more and connect it to the space theme, so that it grabs the reader's attention and is easy to look at. I decreased the brightness for this image. I did this, in order to increase the impact of the contrast and saturation, to make the UFO look more professional and so that the image gets most of the reader's focus. The saturation makes the rainbows in the UFO brighter, while making the black sharper, in order to make the photo more defined and give it more power.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. For this magazine cover mockup, I only added three coverlines, instead of four, in order to make the cover look cleaner and so that the reader doesn’t get bombarded with information. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a different color scheme to my image, so that they pop out more and look and have a more defined impact on the reader. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the brighter side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the background , to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on the right side, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. This makes the coverlines extremely valuable, as if they are located right at the edge of the magazine, then the reader will be able to absorb the information from the coverlines at a much faster rate, thereby giving them a very quick synopsis of what the magazine is about and what it contains.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my fourth and final magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
This is the start of my second magazine mockup. I took an image of my art sketchbook as this aligns with my conventions, because many art magazines serve as a medium for tips and tricks to improve one’s art, and the photo of a sketchbook helps connect these two ideas together. For my second magazine cover mockup, I want my image to be smaller and more to the side, as I will be adding a background soon, in order to try something new, so that it increases the appeal behind the magazine.
This is the part where I start cropping my main image, so that it fits correctly with the background. I start with cutting off my main image’s background, as this background is too dull and boring. It also makes the photo look unprofessional and unappealing, which is not a good sign, as this can make the image less attention grabbing which would mean that it would decrease the number of readers interested in the magazine, thereby harming its sales.
I added a background here, which makes the sketchbook pop out, even before I started formatting it. This is a good sign, as it means that the background is visually appealing and helps the main image pop out, which will help grab the reader’s attention. I also like this background, because of the contrast it creates with the sketchbook, as the lighter colors of the sketchbook, fit perfectly with the darker colored background, thereby creating a beautiful effect. This also means that when I start formatting my main image, it will pop out more and will look even more appealing.
This is the part, where I started formatting my main image, in order to make it pop out even more, so that it grabs the reader's attention and is easy to look at. I decreased the brightness for this image. I did this, in order to increase the impact of the contrast and saturation, to make the sketchbook look more professional and so that the image gets most of the reader's focus. The saturation makes the blue in the sketchbook brighter, while making the black sharper, in order to make the photo more defined and give it more power.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. For this magazine cover mockup, I only added three coverlines, instead of four, in order to make the cover look cleaner and so that the reader doesn’t get bombarded with information. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a different color scheme to my image, so that they pop out more and look and have a more defined impact on the reader. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the brighter side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the background , to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on the left side, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. This makes the coverlines extremely valuable, as if they are located right at the edge of the magazine, then the reader will be able to absorb the information from the coverlines at a much faster rate, thereby giving them a very quick synopsis of what the magazine is about and what it contains.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my first magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Magazine Cover Mockup #3
I started it off, with choosing an image that I took for my third magazine cover mockup. I took this image because it had a very artistic personality to it, which is one of the conventions for an Art Magazine. So, I enlarged this image, in order to add more focus on the art itself, rather than its background or any other element.
Now, I started to crop the image, so that it could better fit the magazine cover. This is very important, as if the main image is not edited properly, the audience might get confused on what the image is about, and may lose interest in buying the magazine. By cropping this image, I am making sure that the background has been fully edited out, so that the image looks clean, appealing, attention-grabbing, and professional.
It's time to format the image. The formatting process is the most important element, when editing an image, as this is what gives the image its flare, and makes the image pop out more. I made this image more vibrant, by changing its contrast and saturation. Contrast and saturation are two very important elements, in relation to photo editing. This is because, contrast manages the amount of difference there is between the colors of the image, as if the colors are clashing together, then the image becomes painful to see, which is a very bad sign. The saturation is what makes the colors bright or dark. Saturation and Contrast go hand in hand, as if the saturation is too much, then increasing the contrast will balance it out and vice versa. This balance results in a beautiful and visually appealing image, which is good for catching the audience's eyes and peaking their interest in the magazine.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a similar color scheme to my image, so that they don’t clash with each other. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the darker side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the main image, to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on both sides, as this is included in the convention of an art magazine, as aligning the text on both sides is very efficient, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. I also decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my third magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Magazine Cover Mockup #4
This is the start of my fourth and final magazine mockup. I took an image of a UFO with a rainbow effect to it, as this aligns with my conventions, because many art magazines serve as a medium to express different views and perspectives on one’s art, and the photo of a rainbow UFO helps connect these two ideas together. For my third magazine cover mockup, I want my image to be smaller and more to the side, as I will be adding a background soon, in order to try something new, so that it increases the appeal behind the magazine.
This is the part where I start cropping my main image, so that it fits correctly with the background. I start with cutting off my main image’s background, as this background is too dull and boring. It also makes the photo look unprofessional and unappealing, which is not a good sign, as this can make the image less attention grabbing which would mean that it would decrease the number of readers interested in the magazine, thereby harming its sales.
I added a background here, which makes the UFO a part of the space theme I was going for. This is a good sign, as it means that the background is visually appealing and helps the main image blend in with the theme, which will help grab the reader’s attention. I also like this background, because it creates a smooth transition with the UFO, as the bright colors of the UFO fit perfectly with the darker colored background of the magazine cover mockup, thereby creating a beautiful effect. This also means that when I start formatting my main image, it will blend and pop out more, making the magazine cover look even more appealing.
This is the part where I started formatting my main image and background, in order to make it pop out even more and connect it to the space theme, so that it grabs the reader's attention and is easy to look at. I decreased the brightness for this image. I did this, in order to increase the impact of the contrast and saturation, to make the UFO look more professional and so that the image gets most of the reader's focus. The saturation makes the rainbows in the UFO brighter, while making the black sharper, in order to make the photo more defined and give it more power.
This is when I started to add text boxes over the main image. I did this, in order to get a rough idea of where my cover lines would be placed, and what I can do to improve the placement. For this magazine cover mockup, I only added three coverlines, instead of four, in order to make the cover look cleaner and so that the reader doesn’t get bombarded with information. Also, I had to add text boxes to my magazine, because it follows the conventions of an Art magazine because every Art magazine has a masthead, a selling line, coverlines, date, price and a barcode. The placement of the coverlines is very important, as if they are placed right in front of the main image then, the main image will lose its focus, and will fail to catch the reader's attention, and if the cover lines are too much in the corner, then it will be difficult for the reader to understand what is present inside the magazine, and will quickly lose interest.
This is the part where I actually inserted my coverlines, which were made solely by me. I have included these coverlines, in relation to the article, that I am going to insert in the magazine. I decided to put my selling line, right below my masthead, as this not only aligns with my genre conventions, but also give the selling line a more defined position, increasing its focus and impact on the reader. I still haven’t positioned them correctly yet, as I am trying to gauge, on which font I should use, the different sizes of the elements and how the selling line and masthead will correlate with each other. I have also included my barcode, in this part, so that I can change its size, if it becomes an obstruction for the coverlines.
I started to add color to my text. This is very important, as color acts similar to contrast and saturation. The color makes the text pop-out, so that the reader can figure out what the magazine is about from afar. Colored text also plays a big part, in the convention of an art magazine, as mostly all art magazines have colored coverlines, in order to attract the reader's attention. My colors have a different color scheme to my image, so that they pop out more and look and have a more defined impact on the reader. I have made my text’s color, a little bit on the brighter side, so that It doesn’t completely blend in with the background , to the point where the reader can barely see the coverlines. This is very bad, as if the reader is straining to read the coverlines, then they will quickly lose interest in the magazine, and won’t even notice the articles that are included inside the magazine.
For this magazine, I also included a neon effect for my masthead, selling and coverlines. As they make the magazine cover look more thematic. The neon also makes the text correlate with the main image, and creates an amazing contrast with the background. This neon effect also gives the text a fresh new look and an excited personality. This also makes the reader excited, and eager to buy the magazine. The neon also attracts the reader’s attention, more than any other element, which is good, as this makes the magazine cover special, which makes the reader curious of what’s inside the magazine, thereby attracting their attention and increasing the magazine’s viewership.
This is the part where I finished positioning the text present on the magazine cover. The way I have positioned the text, gives the reader an easy view of what the magazine is about and also gives enough space for them to admire the main image. The covelines are not too close nor too far away from each other, as if they were, then the reader would either be bombarded with information, or would have a lot of difficulty navigating and connecting the cover lines together. I also aligned most of the text on the right side, because whenever a person sees a magazine, their eyes always start reading from the edge of the magazine and not from the center. This makes the coverlines extremely valuable, as if they are located right at the edge of the magazine, then the reader will be able to absorb the information from the coverlines at a much faster rate, thereby giving them a very quick synopsis of what the magazine is about and what it contains.
Lastly, this is the part, where I made my final tweaks to my fourth and final magazine cover mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their cover and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the cover is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to revaluate their magazine cover, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that the final cover looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the magazine sells.
Summary
In conclusion, all of my cover mockups had 5 main similarities. They all had the same masthead, "Artifice" which is another word for art. They all had the same coverlines, "Breaking The Norms'', "Breaking Reality: Digital Art", "How Manga Changed Art", and in some of them, "Tips And Tricks To Improve Your Art." They all also had the same selling line, "Funny Mushrooms!! Who Doesn't Like Em'' and also, "Tips And Tricks To Improve Your Art."
The formation for the selling and cover lines were also the same, glow effects were added to most of them. The purpose: to make the cover and selling lines cleaner, clearer, and visually appealing to the reader, in order to make a big impact. Some of my mockups had a background, one had the background of space, while the other had a dark background of a structure. Other mockups had the main image covering the whole space, making them the sole element of attention.
One had 2 giant mushrooms with a butterfly on top, while the other had 3 smaller mushrooms, with a black and white and rainbow colored background, creating a beautiful contrast. All of my mockups had a date, price, and barcode, but their positions were changed in every cover. The materials I used to make my mockups were my school chromebook and home laptop. The software I used to make these mockups is called Canva.
This software allows us to create magazine covers very easily and efficiently. For my blog, I used google blogger, which I had some difficulty in the start getting the picture positioned in the right place and remembering to save after each paragraph, since google blogger doesn't have an autosave feature like canva does. I had some difficulties during the creation of my mock drafts, as most of the pictures I took were either too dark or too unappealing to become the main image. But after spending some time searching, I found the perfect pictures, which I could use to make an impactful and appealing main image.
I did format my images, several times, changing the contrast, tone, brightness and adding the background all through canva. I imported my images to google blogger, by downloading my cover mockups through canva and then inserting them to my blog. All in all, I am very happy, the way my 4 cover mockups turned out, and now I am going to find ways to improve them even more, so that one of them can become my final cover for my art magazine.
Tools And Sources:
Canva, Canva. “Collaborate & Create Amazing Graphic Design for Free - CANVA.” Canva, Canva, 2013, https://www.canva.com/.
Alexandra Sheehan on September 21, 2021. “What Is Photo Editing?: A Definition.” Path, 21 Sept. 2021, https://pathedits.com/blogs/tips/what-is-photo-editing.
Demarest, Abigail Abesamis. “What Is CANVA? A Guide to the Graphic Design Platform's Features and Capabilities.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 18 Sept. 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-canva.
“13 Magazine Cover Mockups for Designers.” Web Design Blog Helping Website and Graphic Designers, 17 Feb. 2021, https://line25.com/free-design-resources/13-magazine-cover-mockups-for-designers/.
C, Aditya. “Cover Mockups and Element Choice.” Cover Mockups and Element Choice, Blogger, 3 Feb. 2022, https://adityachhabria.blogspot.com/2022/02/cover-mockups-and-element-choice.html.
Rocheleau, Jake. “Magazine Mockup Design: Tips & Resources for Creative Page Spreads.” Vandelay Design, 8 July 2016, https://www.vandelaydesign.com/magazine-mockup-design-tips/.
Jeprie, Mohammad. “Create a Magazine Mockup Using InDesign and Photoshop.” Design & Illustration Envato Tuts+, Envato Tuts, 29 Apr. 2020, https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-magazine-mockup-using-indesign-and-photoshop--psd-18362.
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