The Power of Photoshop
When I scroll through my Instagram feed, I can see images posted by a number of influencers where they have perfectly smooth skin and each photo has aesthetically white and clean crisp backgrounds. Although I know that it's not the reality and I can realize that the image has been edited I do often find myself comparing to these images. Longing for the perfect skin and mesmerising lifestyle that I am regularly exposed to; However, that just isn't the reality.
Often in these images, they will accentuate make-up that the models are wearing and will smooth out the skin so that they have no pores. Seeing comparison photos such as the one above allows you to see the impact of these changes, but this also makes me quite frustrated. Growing up around social media and how it has such a big influence on our generation and as I want to work in the industry in the future, I will become more exposed to the power this tool can have. However, I see that most of the successful accounts use this tool, it is sending false exceptions on beauty standards and can lead to some very negative effects on people's self-confidence.
Snapchat has 210 million daily active users every day. We regularly un-noticeably use a form of face tune and image manipulation. I for one love using the Snapchat filters and will use them constantly throughout the day. However, it has come to the point where I am now so used to using them and seeing that change in my appearance that I tend not to take a picture without them. Looking now I think it is crazy how much I rely on them and haven't accepted my own appearance, just this face tuned and contoured version.
Don't get me wrong though, I don't completely disagree with image manipulation and to a degree, I think it can be used to make images more interesting and visually creative. I've seen plenty of images where it has been used to enhance the photo and edited to fit a theme or desired effect. I think there is actually a real skill for creating these types of images and the effects of them are amazing, I often find myself watching videos of photographers playing around on lightroom and photoshop as I am fascinated by the complete change in image. I personally believe that as long as they are transparent about the work that has been done then I can appreciate the photos they have taken and admire the photographer's skills.
I think transparency is the only way that we can solve this problem. I understand that on social media everyone tries to sell this different version of themselves. The more glamorous, picture-perfect version, because let's be real, no one is going to want to see what I look like first thing in the morning. But the use of photoshop and filters should be kept to a minimum, or made clear that the image has been edited. And for people like me who do struggle with comparing themselves to celebrities and what our generation call "beauty" we need to start accepting what makes us, us. (it's sappy, bear with me here)
Something that I've been told in the past and has stuck with me is that when I look in the mirror, rather than thinking of all the things I dislike about my appearance, think about the things I do like. you will soon come to realize that you have more likes than dislikes or that the dislikes are so minor that no one even notices it. But remember: it's ok to have that social media detox if it's needed!
As an experiment based on this topic, I wanted to look at the changes I could make on photoshop. The image on the left is the original and on the right is my badly photoshopped creation. I cropped my image so that it had a clear focus and corrected things such as the exposure and colours. I had the ability to remove any blemishes apply filters and blur areas. I also sharpened and contoured a number of areas to give the model more defined features. Something that really surprised me though is the ability to change the size and position of every aspect of the face. I could plump the model's lips and slim the nose in just one click. This actually makes a big difference to her appearance and it was shocking to see how easy it was. This is something I think we need to bear in mind when we compare ourselves to others.
"you will never look like the girl in the magazine because the girl in the magazine doesn't even look like that"
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| Before |
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| After |
This is a topic I am very interested in and although there are many negative effects with technology, I am excited to see its progression in the future! Its also interesting to think about the changes I can make in my day to day life, step one is to cut down on the filters that's for sure. But I want to consider how the work I produce can help others and represent the real me, the 7 o'clock in the morning me!
I am very interested to hear your opinions too so feel free to comment down below what you think about photoshop and its impacts.
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