Post 6 –
Points to Consider: DVD Printing Areas and Ethics in Photoshop
When
planning to make my DVD cover I need to consider the bleed and safety areas of
my work area. I will add 3mm to the edge of the top, bottom and both sides of
my work area for the bleed zone. This is an area which will be cut away when my
design is printed. We use a bleed zone to protect our work when it is printed
and cut. The background of our cover design will run into the bleed area, which
will then give us a better finish around the edges when trimmed because the
image runs beyond the edges of the final piece. Of course we must ensure
nothing important is within this area as it will be cut away and not be
displayed when the DVD cover goes to the consumer.
The safety
area is the 3mm area inside the bleed area. The areas are split by the trim
line, where the final piece is cut. The reason for the safety area is so that
none of the important information on our DVD cover runs to close to any of the
edges. If the important information such as titles, certain images or logos run
into the safety area they risk being trimmed away when we lose the bleed area,
they may become illegible, or they may bound round to the spine of the DVD if
the inner safety areas are not carefully observed.
The ethics
of using a program like Photoshop are things we regularly hear about in the
newspapers or on our televisions. We see it on the covers of so many magazines,
especially those that relate to fashion, health, beauty, fitness and celebrity.
It is widely known that people use Photoshop to alter images of people in the
media spotlight, but why do they do this? Many of the companies criticised for
doing this rely heavily on a good image to enhance their sales, but where do
you draw the line? In the fashion industry for example, you open up a catalogue
and the latest clothing is always modelled by these young, attractive people
with the desired look and envy of so many regular people. If these people
didn’t look so ‘perfect’, it would doubtless have an effect on the company’s
sales. On this basis we can understand why some companies may use Photoshop,
giving people something to idolize and aspire to, and planting a seed into
their heads that this line of clothing will make you look like the models in
the catalogue too.
The other
side to this argument though is the suggestion that these images, all over
catalogues, magazines, billboards and our television are causing us to become
obsessed with this perfect, desired image, with people going to great length to
try to obtain a similar body image, even though they are merely creations on a
computer program rather than the real thing. I think it is important that
people know when an image has been airbrushed, because it will help to protect
people to realise how very often it happens, and that so many of the images we
see do not show how that person actually looks. I think it could help many
impressionable teenagers and young adults to realise they do not have to strive
to look like this through dangerous diets, but actually lead healthy lifestyle
and be proud and happy with the way they look.
The link
provided shows you at the very extreme how it is so easy for Photoshop experts
to make you believe something to be something it really is not.
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