To Photoshop Or Not To Photoshop?
I was recently interviewed by the German newspaper Tagesspiegel regarding the post-processing of images. The article was motivated by the french lawmaker Valerie Boyer‘s recent law proposal to clearly mark all photoshopped images, arguing viewers should be well informed and not tricked into a non-existent perfect world.
After the article appeared I had some fun conversations with friends about this. I realize it’s a pretty hot topic and people get quite passionate debating it.
You can probably imagine that I am no big fan of such a law and spoke against it in the interview. What’s with food photoshopping? Clothes photoshopping? Oh, and what’s with Britney Spears, Madonna and the likes? Photoshop didn’t seem to be enough… should people who go under the knife also be marked?
What’s your take? How much Photoshop do you use on your images? How much photoshop can you tolerate in the media?
Here is some further reading:
– Nude Model Goes Un-Airbrushed On Marie Claire Cover
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Wow
I don’t speak German and the article cannot be translated in Google Translate. Anyway:
It would be interesting to know how a word on paper can define “existence” and “perfect”. But the main question is – how would anyone benefit from such a law? I think Picaso once said:
“Everything you can imagine is real”
It would be very funny to see his paintings marked as “imperfectly inexistent”.
I do Photoshop my images. How much – it depends on the desired effect. If I need to show the difference – I make before/after version but not because of arguing viewers
I think the greatest concern about Photoshopped images lies particularly with those of humans. There seems to be much evidence that the body images of young women especially (but probably more young men than we realise or acknowledge) is affected by advertising imagery. Photoshop allows to appear to be smoother, thinner, more naked, more bronzed, more … etc than they really are and than can be achieved with makeup.
At the same time, Photoshop can greatly improve a shot, with judicious use of levels, curves, layer manipulations and so on.
Where do we draw the line between improvement and art, and tinkering for the sake of profit, gained by instilling in consumers a perpetual sense of dissatisfaction with their real bodies/possessions/homes et al, measured against Photoshopped unrealities?
Wish I had the answer for us all. LOL
Yes,
I think there should be a better education in school for these kids. A work on emotional intelligence in teenagers. Photoshop is not the cause, might it be an effect…