A real adobe photo shop. 
via BoingBoing
There probably isn’t a group of people around that loves Photoshop as much as we digi scrappers do. Programs such as Photoshop are the main tools of our trade and they help us edit photos, create layouts, and add beauty to our everyday lives.
Like any powerful tool, it can be overused, or misused. Unfortunately, this sends unrealistic messages out to the viewer that people (especially women) must be photoshopped to be beautiful.
Even Demi Moore is not “perfect” enough for a magazine ad. via CBS Business Network
An already very thin Faith Hill seems to require a great deal of Photoshopping to be a cover girl. Look at her arm! via Scott Kelby
Of course we have come to expect glamour from magazines, movies, and television, so not all the blame falls on those who create the images.
via Gear Fuse. Do we want to see ads with an un-retouched Madonna? Or do we prefer her with her Photoshop “day cream” on?
Then there are those who just cross the line into complete absurdity. There are certainly extremes and mistakes made with Photoshop.
Would you believe that some kids (and their parents) even want their school photos retouched? This Newsweek article Say Cheese! Now Say Airbrush! (via Nancy Nally) will give you some real food for thought.
So how much is too much? Where do we draw the line? What does this teach our children? Are you discussing what’s real in the media with your children? Have you thought about what messages you are sending with your own photo editing?
All interesting topics to think about!
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I LOVE that “photoshop cream” hahahaha! I must admit, since I’ve had Photoshop, none of us have those wrinkly lines under our eyes anymore! In the pix. Sometimes when looking at people in real life, I want to reach over to them and Photoshop them out haha! I also get rid of temporary blemishes (but my oldest daughter gets mad when I Photoshop out her actual mole on her forehead – NOT a blemish haha!). But for the everyday stuff, other than that eye thing which I think may now be a ridiculous fetish with me (my descendants will wonder why their eyes all look so droopy haha!) I try not to Photoshop the realistic out. Backgrounds – gone or blurred. Blemish – zap! Body size – stays the same – even ME which is really really tempting to thin me up like 50 lbs! But I’m going to show this post to my daughter who has a realistically-non-anorexic body (beautiful beautiful girl!) so I want to show her what models REALLY look like. Find me a Lady Gaga with fat hanging off her arms, would somebody? Hehe, or maybe I’ll Photshop some flab ONTO her for my daughter to see!
I don’t have very many pregnancy photos of myself, but the one I have when I was pregnant with my son is terrible. I had a bit flat spot right at the very front and it lasted until he was born. I admit it, I photoshopped the flat spot into a nice pregnancy curve. I hate to say it, but I quite like the photo now.
Lately I have been scrapping everyday photos, as is. Well, the subjects are as is, I should say. If the white balance makes my 15YO son look pink, I change it. LOL And if a photo is too dark I will lighten it, but otherwise, I am going with “what God gave us”, so to speak.
I’m not completely opposed to retouching, I will occasionally remove spots and pimples from a family portrait, for example. I just find that I’m more comfortable with what is, and get more scrapped if I’m not so focused on the “imperfect” details. None of us is perfect, why try to look like we are?
Just my thoughts.
Jammie
I saw a video somewhere on the web about a “Photoshop photo shoot” and some from Dove and their campaign for real beauty. So eye opening. It really made me think about what I do to my pictures.
Funny thing is a few weeks ago, I took a load of my kids’ clothes out of the wash and there was still a stain on a shirt. My first thought was “I can photoshop that out.”
The extent of my photoshopping pictures is pw boost and pw black and white beauty. Oh and I auto enhance some pictures…that’s it.
No need for anything else.
Yep this is a real and scary reality..I am a Mom to 4 grown children, 3 of them girls and 1 later in life child, also a girl, just 14.. I remember talking with my older girls about the glam girls and celbs not being realistic females to measure the real females look by..That was back when it was mostly make up, creative lighting, positioning tricks of the trade and some minor photo touch up.. Doing it all again with our 14 year old.. One nice thing, She completely understand what can and is done by photoshop as she has seen what her Mom can do with it and gets that I am a mere amateur..LOL.. What I do is usually for fun, you know overly done stretching or squishing and am comfortable with removing a sore or blemish that may be distracting.. But if it’s an everyday part of who I or my family are then I believe it’s part of the real story and should be left alone..Wish we could make the rest of world see the beauty of letting the real story show..
HA! LOVE the ‘real adobe photoshop’. That’s awesome!
As for retouching … personally, less is more. I will always remove things that are not a natural everyday part of a person (ie icky zits – who needs those? they’re not permanent, hence they’re gone ha!)and I will soften wrinkles but never remove them totally.
Basically, I strive for the most flattering portrayal, but staying true to the subject. If that makes sense.
Sort of like how a lot of us women try to avoid fluorescent lighting. LOL!