Society Fooled By Adobe's Photoshop

Society stresses the over-use of Photoshop, a photo-editing program by Adobe, on public figures, claiming the program blurs the line of what is real and what is fake.

Photos streaming the Internet community make headlines every time a celebrity’s unedited photos get leaked. Companies release campaigns that get bashed by the public for being ‘too Photoshopped’. The truly blurred lines between Photoshop and reality debuts from misguided truths of what is actually touched-up and what is not.

Photoshop is a post-production tool used to correct minor flaws and not for sole creation alone. Advertisements displayed across the inner beginning pages of Vogue Magazine are seen as flawless, making the viewer questions its authenticity. In March of 2013, L’Oreal “permanently discontinued” a set of mascara campaign advertisements due to claims of excessive Photoshop. But what goes into that L’Oreal headshot alone?

To start an advertising campaign, the company selects a model or celebrity to represent the brand or product. Usually the model already has close to flawless skin. Liquid makeup is placed on the models skin for an overall smooth base of foundation. Then a professional makeup artist applies high-quality makeup exclusive to specialists in the industry. After all of this is said and done, the photo shoot takes place and the photographer will then retouch the images to remove flyaway strands of hair, control light (if need be), and other small errors that would take the reader’s eye away from the brand or product.

The public is overly misled by how Photoshop works, what its purpose is, and who uses Photoshop. When it is even being used the statement, “it’s too Photoshopped,” has become a regularly occurrence. The photo shoot was probably a full-day production, with numerous salaries at work and endless light changes.

This year marks Photoshop’s 25^th birthday with the Alex Amado, Adobe’s senior director of creative and media, claiming “a huge milestone” for the photo-editing software program.

"It's the tool we put out into the world that's had the broadest impact," Amado said. "It's used in the design process of pretty much everything we see and touch these days—every ad you've reviewed, all the photography in every publication, everything from logos on T-shirts to billboards, industrial design and the movies."

So before making the claim “it’s too Photoshopped”, think about all the professionals involved in one single shot.

3 Social Media Tactics Everyone Should Know

Not to give away all of our tips and tricks, but there are tactics to gain followers quickly. There is only so much we can do to gain a following online. From timing to quality content, everything you do is judged by your viewers, resulting in opinions about you or the company you represent.

Let’s start with the fact that timing is everything. Why do you think there are certain times that work best for posting? This is because there are people on one network over another at different points during the day. Take for instance, Pinterest is more popular on the weekends because people have the time to sit on a photo site all day; same goes with Tumblr’s popularity increase later in the evenings.

Quality always matters, always! Don’t post a photo of Kim Kardashian in a political section, as your viewers will categorize you into the ever-lurking SPAM folder. If your viewers think you are posting for the sake of posting instead of for the general amusement of sharing, you will be banned and your reputation will flounder.

Be consistent. Post during hot times every day or every other day. People will start to see your profile photo and remember your look and name. Eventually, it will become habitual to look for your posts if he or she deems your posting worthy of a reshare or knowledge intake.

Be relevant, be you, and have a voice. Have fun with social media! Inside tip: when your personality shows through your social outlets, people feel connected. Make your viewers want to follow you! Now get online and post, post, post!