Claire is currently working on some product photos for our store using photoshop (I'm a model! *preen preen*), just brightening them up and correcting any colour shifts and things. I started wondering about what could be done to my appearance using retouching.
Just in case you were wondering, I never use any sort of photo editing on my blog (well other than cropping and correcting the colour when the stupid camera decides to put a blue filter on everything) I don't even know how to use photoshop for those things.
I am not completely adverse to using photoshop, I understand why it's used on adverts and for artistic reasons. I would do it myself to get rid of small things like pimples if I could be bothered but I am far too lazy for any of that. What I don't like is when photoshop is used as a lie. By which I mean when it is used so excessively that you can't tell what is what anymore. Take the recent ban on those 2 foundation adverts in the UK, while I'm not going to underestimate the general public like the Advertising standards comittee and say that they might believe the foundation being sold could give them the flawless mannequin skin of Julia Roberts airbrushed face, but I do agree it is decieving because they are selling a product and basically faking the results. While people may not fall for it (hopefully) it's still not good business. And the same goes for Beauty blogs in my opinion. I have no problem whatsoever with people using photoshop to iron out minor flaws, or if you're trying to show off an eye or lip colour I don't see a problem working on your face. But if you're trying to review a foundation it's just not fair to airbrush your face, or to brighten a colour or anything that significantly changes the results of a product.
So I decided to get Claire to go to work on me. She probably could have changed me more but we wanted it to look realistic. Like me but better. Have a look!
I'm not sure about how I feel about them, I find it very odd! It's fun to see the 'perfected' me but I certainly wouldn't want all my photos to have this treatment done to them. I think I'd find it very depressing. I don't have very much confidence in how I look but I certainly don't think I need to change myself before sharing pictures. I'm much happier showing the real me. And at least that way I know compliments aren't stemming from a false image of me.
I like the unaltered photos more. They're more... you. Cute pictures either way, though. =]
ReplyDeleteI agree, I don't like it when beauty bloggers heavily Photoshop themselves (especially for a foundation review!). Advertisements don't bother me so much, but I guess I'm just used to them. I think they should make an effort to be more real, though. I have to say I actually prefer your non 'shopped photos more! You don't need any altering, you look perfect the way you are. :D
ReplyDeleteIt annoys me when beauty bloggers alter their images too. I very rarely do it unless it's a "photoshoot" type of thing. You are so cute by the way. I loved the none shopped ones because your natural adorableness stands out.
ReplyDeleteI think your skin is so beautiful that the photoshopped image just looks... wrong :)
ReplyDeleteI photoshop my photos some (usually just correcting colours/contrast). I do conceal my blemishes with photoshop from time to time since I have a love hate relationship (they love me, I hate them) with them since I've suffered from really bad acne. But I would never photoshop my foundation if I did review on it or same with concealers - or anything.
ReplyDeleteEach to their own, I know some make up bloggers photoshop the hell out of their photos to make the photos look more artistic/professional.
I'm not a photoshop fan at all. I actually tend to un-add blogs where everything seems too perfect all.the.time. I'm not flawless, so things that are really don't pertain to me or my interests.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I feel about photoshop (we've talked about it), I don't think this is bad or anything but I do like your original photos more! I think in a store front situation, it can look more polished but I will admit that if I can tell that something has been altered, it annoys me and puts me off from purchasing. Professional, clean photos are one thing, but I hate severe altering. I think these look nice though, and I'm so excited for your store!!
ReplyDeleteI may use photoshop... if only I could figure out how! :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks to me like the second one was only altered to adjust the lighting? Which I think is a perfectly non-body-image-related reason to use Photoshop; not everybody has fancy schmancy equipment to make lighting turn out right straight from the camera.
ReplyDeleteI love to use photoshop to make photos have a more true to life color. I actually do this less and less since I have been getting better at shooting with manual settings on my camera...
ReplyDeleteI will touch up my skin if it is looking bad, but I've always been up front about it :) I want my looks to stand out rather than my blemishes...
VijiiS:
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Lemon Bunny/Mandy:
Aww you're so sweet! I don't really care with adverts, I just assume they're all fake, but I do think it's stupid! If they showed the actual results I'd probably be a lot more impressed!
Pixie_a_la_mode:
Yeah I have no problem when people truly use it for artistic reasons, but usually it just seems to be for some odd form of vanity. And thank you, I ust say I prefer my photoshopped body :P
Rocaille:
Aww wow, thank you!
Duvessa:
see I'm absolutely fine with that. Using photoshop to make the photos look more in focus/ better lit etc is fine with me, as is using it to just 'perfect' little faults like blemishes, but I just don;t like it when it properly changes something.
Cassykins:
Me too, I have no real problem with people using it, but when I read a beauty blog I want to see products as they would appear in real life!
Cydonian:
Thank you! Those are basically my thoughts too. We're just touching up the photos for the shop becaude it does look a bit more professional (just getting rid of some spots and brightening them and things) but for my blog I want to show how I really look. And I don't really care if you can see my underbag shadows or anything :P
Ruthy:
Ha ha! :P I can use the pen tool and that's it!
Aoede:
Actually the second photo had a lot done to it, it's all just quite subtle. My face is slimmed, my whole skin has been airbrushes, my nose has been made smaller, my bottom lip was plumped, all the makeup was brightened and emphasized and my eyes were made a lot bluer.
I agree with you though, I have absolutely no problem with using it for lighting reasons or to adjust colours a bit.
Snooglerat:
Oh i'm with you! Using it to just fix colours or lighting is fine with me (I do it sometimes but use the super simple windows picture viewer :P) and I have no problem with fixxing blemishes, or even using it anyway they want if they're upfront about it. I've just seen a lot of people who either don't disclaim that they've used it or even deny it.
I agree with you about photoshop; I don't do it to myself on my blog. I like to be comfortable with my own looks and flaws and I like to show how well I'm progressing with makeup. If I just photoshopped away all my mistakes, I'd never get any better!
ReplyDelete