This is a photoshop - signed, a graphic artist. (with pics)

TiaFerrera

I slum around Pintrest ALOT and "thinspiration" is in no short demand there. Whenever I see an over the top photoshop I try to point out how beautiful women's real bodies are and that we have it hard enough comparing ourselves to models, let alone models on photoshop steroids.

The worst of course are fitness magazine covers though.

(not her body, he's only got viens where you want them, not in the neck, which has been stretched pretty bad. These photos were not taken together, but were pieced together after, cleavage was amplified... and it goes on and on... )

As a graphic designer, I've had a lot of experience air brushing, cutting fat rolls, tucking chins, whitening teeth, brightening eyes. But, on a local level, I like to think I'm helping people bring out their inner beauty, I'm certainly not trimming the thighs of Penelope Cruz' already perfect body! I don't shop for commercial use that is.


I wanted to share a fun game I play with, especially little girls in the grocery line, to teach them how to spot fake from real. And always end with how real bodies are beautiful too.

I'm going to keep posting some other shops on this thread to point out common, easy ways to spot photoshop, both for yourself, and any little girl in listening range ok?


The goal of this isn't to say "don't look for inspiration" the goal is to teach women not to compare themselves to this. The industry takes nearly perfect women and then cut impossible forms out of them. We could work out and loose every pound of fat we have and the fact is we will probably live with some loose skin, our necks won't grow longer, and our calfs wont develop that perfect plastic shine. Reality is beautiful, and pretend is fun. But selling this false reality, for profit, is a crime.

TiaFerrera

#1 No one has perfectly shiny, plastic legs and skin. You can see where they removed part of her shoulder, her waist below her hair was brought in considerably, as well as the line along the right side is sheered off. Notice the fabric of her bikini bottom neither sticks up off her skin, nor digs in. Also, the tassels on the left is the same tassel pasted twice. Her belly button is way off track. Generally they airbrush the type of stomach they want and add the button back in. Put your finger over the belly button and imagine where it should be. Yeah, way off. They also darkened in area just below the crotch to make he legs look more toned and to fake a "gap between the thighs" look which beyonce's amazing REAL legs don't witness.

TiaFerrera

#2 Amazing detail on eyes and lips, but no pores? This GA was good because they knew to leave some detail on the skin in, that is the small hairs in the shadow, but around the nose and cheek area she is missing all of her pores - the poor girl.
Also, the girl does have amazing blue eyes, but those were not only "popped" they were shopped to look even deeper. Google her real eyes for a comparison.

Tuesday20

Love this... I know images are photoshopped but can never figure out which parts! Could you post images that are more natural too? (It's nice to have something to compare to.. if there are any 'natural', lesser tweaked images)

FeelingLessChubby

I work with Photoshop too, but more for fun, and a little bit for work. This is really interesting, more please )

oX_Vanessa_Xo

MOAR!

oX_Vanessa_Xo

MOAR!

TiaFerrera

Sure thing!

This is a real woman, amazingly fit, her torso does seem a little wide for her body doesn't it? That's just how some women look.
This also leads to my...

#3 Real woman have knees. Knees are a funny one to watch for, they tend to cut photos just above the knee, but when they do show them... they photoshop those suckers smooth as a babys head.


Hayden looks georgous regardless, and granted her knees are bent (i just didn't want to spend an hour finding a commercial photo that actually had knees in it) But no one's knees are that smooth. Also: highlights, and stretches were added to make the right breast bigger, and the left was pulled bigger also. her stomach was trimmed under the rib cage on the left side, and her back and butt were trimmed on the right... just imagine her standing up if that were her shape... very odd.

Timshel_

There are TONS of Pshop illustrator touch-up videos on YouTube that show full blown examples of this. Been accepted in the industry to too many years to count.

TiaFerrera

#4 looking at the woman above please note the following: Real women's heads are NEVER bigger than their waist.

A lot of you may have seen this one, yes she is from the side, but at the size that this waist was shopped, the measurment around the crown of her head would be wider than the waist. Not even anorexics can do this.

Timshel_

Liquify, FTW!

http://youtu.be/YP31r70_QNM

TiaFerrera

#5 If they are that thin, they have ribs.


This particular shoot to printed image circulated a lot so forgive me if you've seen it. But the bottom line is, if they are that thin, they do have ribs and bones that will poke out. It's just a matter of fact.
Where is this ones ribs (below)

TiaFerrera

Here are a few more before and afters - you can find these googling "photoshop below and after" I'll get back to specific things to look for on the next post.

TiaFerrera

#6 Look for the "mysterious floating head"



Your world is filled with them and you never noticed. They do this to bring out the face, but also make the neck look longer. By adding more hair (or intentionally shooting to have hair there) and heavy shadow they can also easily move the head to another body.

TiaFerrera

#7 the compilation photo.


Look for heavily shopped images that look normal enough, but you don't know why it seems "off" You'll notice here, a mysterious floating head, also her wrist seems a little odd doesn't it?
The second image is from the same photo shoot. They first turned her white shirt lavender, and the babies shirt white. Now you can see it don't you?
The magazine cover is actually, from what I can tell at least 4 different photos compiled together. Notice her hands are the exact same, but the baby is different (and his head is floating). Her head from a different photo than the body. Not to mention the heavy work done on her "drop that baby weight" body. I think it's just terrible the pressure they put on new moms just to sell magazines.

I'm going to take off for the night, but I can keep finding them if it looks like the conversation shows enough interest, i don't want to bug the MFP world lol

FaerieCae

Definite bump! Always interested in photo anything

slw0107

Really interesting - thank you!!!

msleanlegs

Thanks for pointing all this stuff out. Interesting to see what changes magazines make.

AuroraBear84

These are fantastic! Things I would NEVER have noticed! It is also really..motivating? quite a relief?...to know celebs are airbrushed THAT MUCH! I knew they were "fixed" but not necessarily morphed into an unrealistic, unattainable entity.

caligulala

Thank you! So interesting!

mkakids

Thanks! I always love to see these kind of compairisons.

DalekBrittany

I demand moar! lol

mlogantra76

Wow, this was interesting! thanks

pobalita

Amazing thread. Thanks so much for posting this. For some reason, the comparison of the girl in the shower really struck me -it made me see how normal I am.

michellechawner

thanks for pointing everything out - i knew they were photoshopped, but couldn't say specifically why.

It's no wonder girls have eating disorders... they look up to these "models" and figureheads and expect to look just like them, it's impossible. I think that's where my first eating issues came in, trying to be more like them, then i realized it was impossible and life went on and I gained over 50 pounds...

I think it's a relief to know they aren't as perfect as they are pictured... imagined if we were all photoshopped in some way! We could be just like them

MorgueBabe

I love photoshop.

Portrait Professional is a free program you can get if you want to play with it on your own you can remove your pores, make your eyes pop, even change their color.

This is a GREAT thread. I try to pay no attention to images only to think of them as art since they aren't real.

http://jezebel.com/5951863/when-perfect-isnt-enough-the-unretouched-images-victorias-secret-doesnt-want-you-to-see/
this is a good link.

It's also been going for ages - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/12/gil-elvgrens-1950s-pin-up-girls-were-photoshopped-too-pictures_n_1877167.html

katnord

These are great! It's important for people to know how to spot this kind of stuff! Thanks!

margieo1983

Very interesting.

ApocalypticFae

Hah! Good topic! I remember a Fitness Rx magazine with a photo of Tracy Anderson on the cover and one inside as well. Both pictures were EXACTLY the same except for one small detail... her bikini! I guess they decided to just photoshop in a new swimsuit for the photo featured inside the mag.

ktrn0312

bump

dorianaldyn

Love this thread! Thank you.