There is no question that Photoshop is an amazing tool. It allows one to correct flaws in images, or to create artificial realities; in short if you can imagine it, you can create it. I use Photoshop all the time, and have done so right back from version three, which was supplied in a great pile of floppy disks!
I have no problem with fixing minor flaws when finishing images of models, either for clothing designers or for their own portfolios.
But this is a tool that should be used with integrity. Recently my wife received a catalogue from a make-up company. Every image in the catalogue had been retouched, not just to correct flaws, but to create a whole new reality – smooth flawless skin with not a hint of wrinkle. The text clearly suggested that users of such make-up products could expect their skin to appear the same as in the illustrations…a claim that I consider highly misleading. Within a day or so, another household named brand catalogue arrived with make-up products illustrated in exactly the same manner. Then today a leaflet popped through the door for a local company offering ‘permanent make-up’ and laser treatments to beautify skin. To my eyes the illustrations were horrendous – the skin was smoothed so much that it looked like wax – devoid of any pore structure! Eyes were painted to remove any trace of the normal capillaries – they looked like artificial eyes!
Photoshop – reality or deceit?
A young lady friend of my wife is not a Photoshop user – and is unaware of how the image has gone from being optimized into the realms of fantasy. These representations are images for her to strive to achieve…and strive she has. She has invested huge sums with plastic surgeons attempting to emulate these fantasy images. Unsurprisingly, aside from some of the awful things that have gone wrong and had to be corrected, this unfortunate lady is still nowhere near her impossible ideal…and of course she never will be.
When dealing with selling facial treatments and make-up, just what has happened to morality?
i still shoot film and do so with pride. yes i have a digital and use it. my film images get converted to a jpeg so i can work on them on a pc. i find the film images require less work than a digital one. i refuse to take out skin blemishes to make people look younger or more vibrant. i see it as a modern day dark room. if you cant do it in a dark room don’t do it in photoshop. keep the photography real. i once had a conversation with someone who put an extra tree onto a picture as an even number of trees sells better than an odd number. sorry to me that’s also wrong. i agree with you in the context that things should be left to a certain reality. we are all different in the way we look, and each blemish is a part of us and what made us what we are. stick to the truth, its better than selling lies…….