Removing Blemishes using Photoshop
Removing Blemishes using Photoshop
I really liked this technique as it made the photographs look clearer and more professional. I think it would also be useful in fashion photography as it would allow the viewer to focus on the clothing rather than the model. It was difficult to make sure the photograph stayed realistic and not like it was animated. I think the biggest difference I created was on the neck as I didn't think the lines were flattering and drew the viewers eye to the neck rather than the face, hair or clothing.
Image Manipulation in the Media:
As seen in this photograph, images are easily manipulated to an unrealistic standard. Beyonce's face has been slimmed down, her cheek bones exaggerated and her make up enhanced. This creates an unachievable ideal look for people who constantly see these images in the media. Photoshop could have been used to airbrush this image and entirely change the shape of her face. As you can see, the eyes have been whitened, the skin appears clearer and there are many more highlights and bold colours which does make the photograph more impactful and aesthetically pleasing, but also fake, which means people who don't understand how unrealistic these images are may begin to have body confidence issues. Beyonce is used on the cover of magazines and to promote brands because of her beauty, however because these images are so edited, the 'beauty' presented is not reachable for anyone, even the model who is supposed to look like this. We therefore now have an idealisation of beauty which cannot be achieved without faking it in pictures, therefore in reality people become unhappy with their appearance.
George Clooney:I think the biggest change within this image is how much younger Clooney appears. This is because his wrinkles have been removed, his hair has been darkened and his skin appears a lot smoother and more youthful. I don't think photograph shows too many changes or a massive difference, but I believe this is more dangerous than overly edited photographs. This is because it appears even more achievable and realistic, even though it still is not. I believe that when images are edited a lot, it is easier to tell yourself that it is fake and unrealistic, however when the changes are minute and not overly noticeable, we find it difficult to differentiate between reality and fiction which again creates an unrealistic idealisation of body image, meaning people are constantly unhappy with the way the appear and present themselves.
This image shows drastic changes. His skin has completely been cleared of blemishes and imperfections and as a result, looks a lot more tanned. When the two images are compared they look drastically different and the edited one looks extremely fake and cartoon-like, however if it was on it's own, it doesn't look too unrealistic which shows how used to seeing edited photos we are. I believe that if I saw the right image on social media, I wouldn't immediately think that it had been this edited as I feel we are so used to seeing photographs that had been edited, that we are imprinted with this unrealistic body image goal that, as shown above, is not at all realistic. This means people are constantly reminded that they don't have the perfect body image, even thought clearly no one has.
I think this image is important for showing image manipulation, specifically for the tattoos. I think that so many people now are getting tattoos and other body modifications as influential people, like Justin Bieber, are constantly posting pictures with them which makes them seem interesting and unique. However, these clearly are not as striking and bold as the photographs show because they are enhanced within the photographs. This means people are changing their appearance to look more like these photographs but these are unrealistic and fake yet the changes are irreversible and will be on people forever, therefore people are making life changing decisions based upon photographs which have been edited and enhance to look a lot better but are unachievable.