Album Cover First Draft - Mrs Fisher

First Album Cover Draft 

This is the first draft of my album cover for my artist 'Shani'. 

From the photo shoot we carried out as a group I favoured this picture to be used as an album cover as I feel it represents the artist and will appeal to a wide target audience. As well as this I feel that this image shows the conventions of a Reggae artist. The body language of the artist is sophisticated from the outfit she is wearing and gives the feel of a friendly, sweet young fresh new artist. Below is the original image and you are able to see the difference made just by different editing techniques. 

I will now be stating the different stages I had to go through in order to create my final draft for my album cover.

Firstly I had to separate the background from the actual image of the artist which is what I wanted. I did this by using a specific tool and removing certain layers to free the outline of the artist’s body. Following this I cut the shape out of the artist and deleted the background making sure I did not cut anything off the image. Only when I managed to get the image cut out to the way I wanted was I then able to delete the background and start adding in effects and edits, I cut out the image using the tool ‘magic wand’ which allowed me to be precise and exact. However before I could do this I had to change the colour of the background so that I was able to see the off cuts of what I did not want to be included in the image. The best colour that brought out any of the little bits I did not want to be included in the image was burgundy. Only then was I able to identify and correct the outline of the image. Here is a screenshot below displaying what procedures I had to follow in order for the outline of the artist to be exact and sufficient enough for an album cover.

After the artist was cut out correctly I removed the burgundy background and changed it to plain white, this then allowed me to experiment with different backgrounds for the album cover. Once this was done the edges looked a bit harsh from the outline I had cut out this then meant I did not feel it looked the best it could. As a result of this I then chose to blur the outline of the image which created a softer looking edge. I found this most effective around the hair as it made the texture of the image look smother and professional. In conclusion to this I am very happy with the way the image was cut out of the background, then placed on to a plain white background while using the different tools I did in order to help me. Moreover by experimenting with Photo Shop it has allowed my confidence to grow throughout more editing aspects. 

After I was happy with the edges of the image I then moved onto the background colour of the album. I thought it would be best to apply a neutral colour base due to the colour of the dress being so bold and vibrant. As a result of this I chose cream and added a small hint of green to add on effect. Once this was done I felt that everything was put into place, as well as that my edited image was looking like an album cover that would attract consumers of all kind. 

Once my final image was done I was pleased with what I had produced, however I still felt that there is room for improvement which is why I carried out a draft version first in order to see what direction my album cover was going. Now a draft has been done I will be able to see different aspects that have a positive impact as well as negative ones and make changes so that in my final draft of my album cover I will have no doubts about any of the editing styles or layout of the image. 

In conclusion to this I do feel the image is lacking something due to the large space left on the left hand side of the image. Having said that it is not too busy and does not distract away from the artist which is the main cause for album cover artwork.