FREE PHOTOSHOPING ((PICS))

[G!OMP]

The DISCUSSION: the moral issues of photoshopping

If you add to the discussion and provide a good/interesting picture, I might photoshop it, as an exercise.

MIGHT MIGHT MIGHT

I personally am not ashamed to photoshop. I do it as to improve the quality of my pictures, since I'm not that great a photographer, and I do not feel as if I am being dishonest, anymore than taking a picture in a certain lighting, pose, or background is dishonest.

SO ANSWER:
Do you photoshop? if so, can you post before and after pictures?
Any techniques or hints?
Have any pet peeve involving other people photoshopping?
Why do you photoshop? Art? Photo manips? Want to make your sig look better?

At what point is photoshopping your own picture dishonest? What of these processes: Fixing the lighting? Editing the background? Smoothing up skin? Filters vs. paint brush? Changing eye color? Changing the contour of face/body? Making one look skinnier? Plastering it with text until you can barely see the face?

My only real photoshopping pet peeve is when people blame their tools, when really they just need some practice taking/editing photos. I keep hearing people whine "I wish I had photoshop so I could make better pictures." There are plenty of easy to use, free, downloadable software out on the web. Even the cruddy software will not hinder a good artist. I use the word photoshop lightly of course, because I do a lot of editing with programs other than CS3 or 4, such as GIMP or SUMOPAINT. Honestly the people who whine about not have the advance expensive software aren't skilled enough to use it's extra functions.

EXAMPLE:
original picture taken this morning. Hair wet from shower. No makeup. Taken with webcam


photo edited with free software, sumopaint. Using mostly layers, filters, and contrast/brightness adjustments. Paint tool used to edit the background. A real quickie done in about 10 minutes. I rarely do this much editing on my own pictures unless for artistic reasons. But meh, who cares, I'm showing the original anyways.

feel free to bash away

[EDIT]
some older work of what I usually do:

Original

[Hairball Essences]

I do use photoshop but not
to completely alter my appearance,
I will alter the colour balance, brightness and contrast,
but I don't like making my photographs extreme.

[Repeaterbeater]

Hairball Essences

I do use photoshop but not
to completely alter my appearance,
I will alter the colour balance, brightness and contrast,
but I don't like making my photographs extreme.

I love your big eyes. D:

[ViciousPeanut]

please donate?

photoshop my blemishes out on my sig pic

[Hairball Essences]

Panku Nekochu

Hairball Essences

I do use photoshop but not
to completely alter my appearance,
I will alter the colour balance, brightness and contrast,
but I don't like making my photographs extreme.

I love your big eyes. D:

OH YA
THOSE USED TO BE SMALL
BEFORE I 'SHOPPED THEM

nonotrly
thank you
4laugh

[G!OMP]

paperdouchebag-

PHOTOSHOP BLOWS.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST BE PRETTY
OR LEARN TO TAKE A GOOD PICTURE

valid point. However I use photoshop mainly on pictures of people other than myself. Also I do digital painting, working from scratch to produce something.

[The USSA]

I don't use photoshop because I don't understand it.
Yes, I'm an idiot and I know this. cry

[0Duke0]

eh, i prefer to just take pics with good light, plus im broke and cant afford photo shop emo

[deadly_lifeform]

Removing the odd blemish is fine, and altering levels. But when people contrast the hell out of their picture, or actually change the structure of the picture, you can rarely see what they really look like anymore.

[KIRBYRAEG TROLL]

[Danichuu]

I tend to photoshop my photos too, but mostly just to decorate them and pretty 'em up to make up for my lack of prettiness.

The only thing other than that that I did in my sig pic is just blur some black heads on my nose since just...well, it kinda ruined the pic a bit xD

[G!OMP]

Hairball Essences

I do use photoshop but not
to completely alter my appearance,
I will alter the colour balance, brightness and contrast,
but I don't like making my photographs extreme.

I think that's what most people do. Most of my photoshopping is to fix lighting, so curves and color balance are my best friends. I only use filters and more involved things when A) photo manipulation or C) I'm trying to make a point that expensive software is not necessary to edit pictures (which is this thread)

[Bioluminous]

i only use it to make graphics