Reflection

 This Week in PR Publications

This past week was one of the fastest yet fulfilling learning experiences. The first accomplishment was to actually open both Photoshop and InDesign applications. To me, this were programs, I only associated with graphic designers.

My class was asked to go through a “bootcamp” to learn all of the basic applications associated with Photoshop and InDesign. Some of the lessons included extended videos, each one going more in-depth with the elements.

In Photoshop, it started with simply learning the concepts and placement of objects. I learned that the main idea in this program is manipulating the layers. I learned how to have a masked layer and how to make a picture more realistic.

 This is a screen shot of my first attempt to creating a masked layer in Photoshop. It is no where near perfection, but it represents the learning struggle. 

InDesign, on the other hand was a little easier for me. The main lesson we were given was to manipulate a newspaper template to look like a sample provided. I liked that I could move objects so easily. I learned how to resize images without them being pixelated. Ever since I took a short photoshop class in high school, I became aware of the annoyingness from pixelated images, so this was a big help. I also really enjoyed that moving one object or text box did not bother any of the others, like it happens when using Word templates.

Reflection. I think I used to have the wrong image of Photoshop and InDesign programs being very complex programs for professionals because I always saw the great work that can be created wit using them. However, there is a Spanish saying that goes, “nadie nace enseñado,” meaning that no one was born an expert. This week made me realize that although progress is slow, it takes time to make it better. There is also a great benefit in learning the best use for each program.