'Photoshopped': Just another word for phony

[Jim Bryant]

People who work with photographs (not only photographers) have been manipulating photos for as long as the ability to print images on paper has existed. When it's done for fun, I suppose it's a case of no harm, no foul. But it's a different picture altogether when editing produces a deliberately falsified image for editorial uses. This site shows selected examples for the past year, maybe the worst being a gawdawful alteration of a Demi Moore magazine cover shot.

The Year in Badly Photoshopped Images - Lemondrop.com



The Year in Badly Photoshopped Images - Lemondrop.com

[elvenprincessjo]

Nice. And these are the so-called Pros that make the big bucks in some cases!

[douglas]

Agree, when PP is done to perhaps a photo in ones eyes...O.K.. But when it's done to sell a product, it's deceit, and despicable

I think Oil of Olay just got sued for this in England. They photoshopped some 60 year old woman to have no wrinkles, then slapped her photo in a "age redction cream" ad. Big no no.

[Dodge]

I guess a picture of a perfect Demi is indirectly geared at selling the beauty and anti aging products inside, thus appeasing advertisers as much as it is at selling magazines. A sad reflection really on our western society, where the bottom line is that money is more important than truth.

I remember in the 80's the late Bill Hicks proclaimed advertising and marketing executives to be evil incarnate. It was a pretty strong routine by him at the time, suggesting that there were no depths to which they would not stoop to manipulate and make money.

I think wether you liked the guys aggressive style or not, most level headed people who saw his comedy routines would have to agree that his observations were pretty spot on. 20 years on and it gets even worse, with adverts inadvertantly suggesting the like, that if you don't buy their cleaning products, your kids could contract MRSA, use their beauty products or become a wrinkly old hag, eat our low fat spread or die of cholesterol etc. It seems more commonplace that this modern generations advertisers, governments and media now target our paranoia rather than our aspirations.

Of course nowadays we also have easy image manipulation, making it even easier for the media to lie to us, wether for control or profit. Alas, for many people, seeing is believing, most readers that these magazines are aimed at wouldn't give it a second thought. The big downside to this is the pressure that this puts on to the people of today to attain the unattainable 'perfection' of their celebrity peers. Good news of course for the magazines big buck advertisers who will inevitably sell more face cream etc....

Hmm, I kicked off a bit there didn't I? Sorry guys, bit of a pet hate , blame Jim, his thread set me off . Still, better to get it out of my system before singing Auld Lang Syne

[Saralonde]

And we don't even have to mention the impact seeing these images has on young girls and their self perceptions...

[Jim Bryant]

Dodge.....good to see that I still have that effect on folks What got me was when the graphic artists put Oprah Winfrey's head on Ann Margaret's body...WTH!!!!!!

[TDrag27]

Here's another photoshop example of Faith Hill in her Redbook cover...It's always good to see that these women, are in fact, NORMAL looking in real life.

[beatles2]

Allow me to be the devils' advocate for a moment. Your hired by Redbook to shoot the cover, you're done the shoot and looking over the shots with the chief editor( the person who is signing the cheque) and She or He says I love that shot. Now I need you to change that,that that and that. So what do you do?????

I myself dont get upset I just have to chuckle that at that level it is done so bad. More time than not its done and you never you would never know. I do it all the time,be it skin smoothing or removing a blemish on the face. The last wedding I did the bride asked me to do just that.

But when it comes to landscape, news or sports photography I agree it should be left alone.

[BEGM83]

Dove has taken this whole photoshop thing and run with it for their ad campaigns.



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