Building The Framework

As I am going to be developing a DVD cover, the first task is identifying how large a DVD cover will be. Once the correct dimensions have been discovered I can start setting up the Photoshop document correctly, allowing me to start working on the cover itself.

When the term DVD case comes up, it normally refers to those rectangular, thin, book-length sized cases that most commercial DVDs and games are sold in. These cases are based on the design specification developed by ASG Amaray. Amaray cases are definitely not the only way to hold DVD media, but as they are the most common (especially for film) using their specifications will ensure that my cover is somewhat authentic.

 By following the Amaray (2008) inlay specification, it's quite simple to work out how to measure out the cover. The specification states that the dimensions are 273.5 across and 184 down and it also defines the width and location of the spine. Finding this inlay specification was quite useful as these specifications not only set up the initial document correct, but can also be used to draw draw guides on the screen. 

This is how I have decided to set up the document. There is a lot of different parts to discuss but the first topic I want to mention is the difference between the Amaray dimensions and my specified dimensions.. Abel and Madden (2011) blogged about using bleeds in comics when dealing with printing. The technique is used to ensure that there is no white space left when the comic is cut out. This works by extending out the artwork pass the trim line, so that even if the trim isn't 100% accurate there still wont be any white space left around the edges. This trim line will be the Amaray given specifications, so I need to extend those dimensions slightly to account for the bleed area. I'm not too sure how much bleed to create to be honest, so I decided to go with a much smaller bleed (.25mm). If this pans out to incorrect later I can try to adjust it the best I can by maybe ensuring all the important information is further away from the trim area but this does show a bit of carelessness on my part though.

Photoshop also allows me to specify the unit of measurement that is used. I decided on millimeters because it's the measurement standard used by Amaray. Another reason is that millimeters help relate back to the real world. Using other measurement standards such as pixels do not help because it's hard to gauge how big that is in print. Pica's and points also relate to the real world, but from my understanding they are mainly used in typography and magazine publication. This is supported by Jacci Howard Bear (n.d) who pointed out 'Newsletter layouts frequently involve small pieces that are difficult to measure in fractions of inches. Picas and points provide easily for those tiny amounts.' This suggests that I should use points for font on my document, but maybe maintain millimeters for larger objects and the document itself.

Outside of dimensions there are two other parameters that need to considered, resolution and colour mode. Resolution relates to the how clear an image is, by specifying how many pixels can fit into the image. The higher the resolution the more detailed the image can be. The Photoshop CC Bible (Dayley, Lisa DaNae and Dayley, Brad) states 'when setting the resolution of an image, you should understand the resolution capabilities of the medium from which you will output the image'. The standard resolution for digital images is 72 pixels per inch, however as the cover is for print this can be changed for a higher value. Referring to the Dummies (n.d) chart for resolution, a standard ink-jet printer is normally set at 300 dots per inch, this is also mentioned in the Photoshop CC Bible as well making it a reliable number to set the resolution at.

Colour mode denotes how the document processes colour values. The two main colour systems are RGB and CYMK. RGB is the basis for computer colourization, mixing 3 beams of primary coloured light(Red, Green, Blue) to produce a spectrum of colours. This method of mixing primary colours is called additive reproduction (Charles Poynton 2003). CYMK acts in the opposite way, the inks used in CYMK subtract(absorbs) colours apart from their own, making it subtractive. Cyan for example negates yellow or magenta, only reflecting the colour cyan back. Black ink is used as an cheat to produce black colouring, as perfectly balancing cyan, magenta and yellow is difficult. As CYMK relates more to inks, its often used as the standard colour mode for print.

It could be argued that setting the document in CYMK mode will help maintain accuracy when printing the final product, which is potentially true. I feel that developing it in RGB mode however will make it much easier to work on the cover, as it relates more to what I'm immediately working in (pixels). It's possible that some of the colours I use might not be compatible with the CYMK mode thus might come out slightly different, but it's also possible to just check that the colours I'm using are compatible or colours that are near the colour I'm choosing still represent the cover in the way that I want.

The bit value next to the colour mode represents how many bits are available to store colours. The more bits available the more colours that be stored and can represented in the image. I feel 8-bit is enough as its generally hard to tell the difference. I will be working with photograph like images but a lot of the colour will be adjusted via adjustment layers that a huge range of colours wont be needed.

Guides

Photoshop has a useful ability to draw guides onto the workspace to help position and area's on the screen.

This is how I've laid out the final document. I have accounted for the bleed, trim and another area expressed in Abel and Maddens(2011) blog 'the safety'.The safety area indicates where important information should go, to ensure that its not accidentally cropped come trim time. Its quite obvious looking at that picture, that the bleed area is too small. If I were to put anything on that trim-line, its quite possible for it to be accidentally cut off. To compensate for my mistake in judgement with the bleed dimensions, I have decided to make the safety area smaller. This in a way extends our bleed area at the expense of having less room to place important information. There still is a huge amount of space, so I don’t think this will end up being a real issue. Its possible to alter the dimensions now, but I think I will proceed on and remember to be more accurate when it comes to making the label for the disk.

Amaray, 2008, Product Specification Supporting Documentation for use with Amaray Cases [Online PDF], Amaray, Avalible at:<http://home.amaray.com/pdfs/Inlay%20&%20Booklet%20Specs%20complete.pdf> [Accessed 12/02/2014].

Amaray, n.d. About US [Online]. Amaray, Avalible at <http://home.amaray.com/about-us/>[Accessed 09/03/2014].

Abel, J and Madden M., 2011. Quickguides: Bleeds. Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, [blog] Nov 11 . Available at: <http://dw-wp.com/resources/cartooning-quickguides/layout-quickguides/quickguides-bleeds/> [Accessed 12/02/2014].

Jacci Howard Bear, (n.d). Picas and Points for Page Layout. [Online] About.Com. Available at: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/intermediate/a/picaspoints.htm [Accessed 12/02/2014].

Obermeier and Padova, (n.d). Choosing a Resolution for Print or Screen In Photoshop Elements 9. [Online]   Available at:   http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/choosing-an-image-resolution-for-print-or-screen-i.navId-323802.html?print=true [Accessed 12/02/2014].

Charles Poynton, 2003. Digital, Video and HDTV. [e-book]San Francisco: Morgan Kaufman Publishers. Available through: Google Books <http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ra1lcAwgvq4C&pg=RA1-PA234&dq=wavelength+beams+additive&hl=en#v=onepage&q=wavelength%20beams%20additive&f=false> [Accessed 12/02/2014]. 

Galer and Horvat, 2003. Digital Imaging. [e-book] Oxford: Focal Press. Available through: Google Books <http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AF3eAEVtZekC&pg=PA74&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false > [Accessed 12/02/2014].