When is too much in Photoshop? This article (translated from Danish) tells the story of a photographer who entered a competition, and was then asked to send unedited samples of his images. The article reproduces the pictures – before and after – so you can judge for yourself if there’s too much editing going on.
Those images are mostly landscapes; Photoshopping on humans is much more widely discussed (both behind the scenes, and in front of camera, as in the Dove ‘real beauty’ adverts), but Shakesville’s series, ‘Impossibly Beautiful‘ does a good job of showcasing what, post-software, is considered beautiful.
Update: Co-incidentially, this month’s French Elle is not only Photoshop free, it’s also dispensed with make-up for its female cover stars, who include Eva Herzigova, Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau, and Charlotte Rampling.
I believe in a natural approach, so nothing affecting the overall image, just bringing out what is already there
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Virtual reality is normal. We humans thrive on it. Always have. What do you think a vision quest is all about? I am a former good amateur film person. I had my own dark room and learned how to do all the stuff needed to enhance my images. Ansel Adams was my God of grey tones. I believe the natural approach working in the digital light room is boss. Cannon camera had so much respect for European Photo people that they introduced a Camera to you that I cannot buy at my local store. I had to settle for a SX 10. Instead of getting upset with being visually manipulated why not just ignore it and continue to get better at what you are doing?