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Photography - The Advantages and Disadvantages of Retouching.

Photoshop has become the go-to piece of software in the photography & design industry. Having this technology means that photographers & creatives can now push the boundaries to make sure their images look the best they can. But how far should these enhancements go? At what point do they distort the viewers perception as to what is reality?

Retouching has been around almost as long as photography has been in existence, but these days it is far easier to use photo manipulation and enhancement software than it has ever been. Retouching is the process whereby an image is transformed into something that is even more creative and expressive by conveying what the artist wants, rather than settling on the original image.  (For more information on Retouching click here)

There are two areas of retouching, one being Photo Enhancement and the other being Photo Manipulation.

Photo Enhancement is where minimal changes are made to the image. Examples of this are skin blemishes, removing red eye, removal of unwanted reflections and removing objects that were not intended to be included in the shot.

Photo Manipulation falls into two areas: Firstly, historical photo manipulation where old images can be brought back to life, or digitally repaired to remove any damage to the original photograph, or secondly Predictive Photo Manipulation, where several images are combined to produce a totally new shot that doesn't actually exist in reality.

Numerous techniques can be applied to retouching to make sure the focus of that particular image is at its very best. Colour, lighting, texture can all be adjusted to bring life to an otherwise uninteresting image. The skill of the graphic designer or artist is in trying to make these improvements appear as natural as possible and ultimately render the desired message to the target audience.

These are all positive applications of retouching, but there are also several disadvantages of using photo editing software to enhance images. Firstly, it can distort the audience's perception as to what is acceptable. Currently there is much debate in the area of fashion & beauty as to how far retouching can go, as it distorts people's perception of what is "beautiful". Secondly, photo editing can be deceptive. Intensive retouching creates images that are fake and not true to reality. Consumers buying into these images may be disappointed when they see the actual product, leaving them with a negative opinion of your business.

Therefore, Photo Enhancement and Manipulation are cost effective techniques which can be applied to original images to make them stand out. Equally so, over use of this software can result in production of unreliable false images, which ultimately will have a negative impact on your company or business.

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