Photoshop: In the Name of the Law

For years there have been debates about truth in advertising and whether or not images that have been digitally altered should be labeled as such. Proponents say that digitally altered images used in beauty ads are harmful to consumers, that these ads are misleading, manipulative, and contribute to negative body images. The documentary “Killing Us Softly” by Jean Kilbourne reveals the misogynistic fantasy world of the undernourished, oversexed, and objectified women. Kilbourne makes an excellent case for how difficult it is to be healthy in a toxic cultural environment when the ideal is impossible to achieve.Opponents of labeling claim that this would require warnings on a multitude of advertising materials. For example, the roads used in car advertising are never as serene as they appear. If labeling is required for all digitally altered images, it would extend across a wide range of graphic imagery and require costly and time-consuming measures to enforce it.A recent New York Times article about an altered image used for a lineup highlights the argument taking place in another arena—not just the world of advertising, but in our justice system. Court records and interviews with police departments across the nation show that this has become a regular practice. Some criminal justice experts say that the practice can actually make lineups fairer by adding features to make it harder to distinguish the perpetrator from other suspects.Mat dos Santos, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, thinks otherwise and states, “If you can’t do a good photo lineup, the answer is not to change the photos; the answer is a photo lineup just shouldn’t be done.”What do you think, have we reached a tipping point? Do we need laws in place when law enforcement is using Photoshop to alter evidence?Sources:https://www.pixelz.com/blog/photoshop-models-laws/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/24/us/police-photoshop-tattoos.html?smid=nytcore-ios-sharehttps://uclawreview.org/2017/06/21/truth-in-advertising-should-america-ban-photoshop/

Consumed by Consumerism

Most graphic designers associate Photoshop wizardry with making visual magic to engage consumers. One of my favorite digital artists, Erik Almas, is a master at this. His campaigns for Absolut and other products are amazing and award-winning, and his work epitomizes the power of digital imaging tools to make people and places flawless, and products larger than life.It’s a much rarer occasion when we see these tools being used for anti-consumerism, which is exactly the point with the image “Decorum,” by visual artist Margeaux Walter. A visually stunning image, at first glance “Decorum” wows the viewer with the sheer abundance of luxurious leopard fur. Yet upon further inspection, we realize the irony of the photo as the leopard gazes back out on a of scene conspicuous consumption and total suffocation.Walter says about her work, “I'm interested in how ads, technology, and consumerism are changing our lives. We are becoming products of our products, being suffocated by our materials.”Resources:http://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/on-the-cover/Content?oid=2322822http://www.erikalmas.com/#campaigns

The Power of Photoshop Users

Much has been written about the atrocities of Photoshop. It has been used for all kinds of photo manipulation—some is considered racist, like the OJ Simpson image that graced Time magazine's cover; some is considered dangerous and ridiculous, like the Iran missile image explosions; and some is considered anti-feminist and irresponsible as shown in this video "Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women" with Jean Kilbourne.Is it true that the best Photoshop work goes unnoticed? Richard Fisher states just that in a post entitled, "Photoshop – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly." The post goes on to say, "when used correctly, it enhances a photo and can be used to remove flaws. Clearly its good practice to check and improve any photo you use even if it is just making sure the contrast is ok. Untidy or low quality images look unprofessional and can reflect badly on your brand. But it’s about being subtle, about having the skill to change and adjust the image so that it is improved without revealing the process of improvement." (1)A recent presentation on TED Talks by photo retoucher Becci Mason focuses on how Photoshop was used to bring joy and memories back to those affected by the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan. Mason had traveled to the scene as part of a relief effort, All Hands, and while there discovered the damage done to photos, albums, cameras, and memory cards. Using social media to gather over 1,100 volunteers, she created Photo Rescue Japan to spearhead the effort to restore the images. Over 135,000 photographs were cleaned, and hundreds were retouched and returned to their owners.Mason's efforts aimed to restore the images to their original state, not to obviously look photoshopped. But what about the obvious uses of photoshop? There are occasions when obvious manipulation can be used for good. Chaz Maviyane Davies is a graphic designer who uses Photoshop to create images for social activism. His website, maviyane.com, aptly named "Creative Defiance," shows powerful examples of how manipulated images don't only have to be used for advertising and consumerism. Davies also lent his creative efforts to helping Tsunami victims by creating a powerful image that was commissioned to raise funds to aid victims.Photoshop itself is merely tool in the hands of its users, without an end user it is nothing—they are the ones with the power. What have you seen that appalls you? Inspires you?Notes:(1) http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/photoshop-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/Sources:http://www.fourandsix.com/photo-tampering-history/tag/race-and-genderhttp://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/photoshop-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/http://www.petapixel.com/2012/08/04/retouching-lives-through-photos-and-using-photoshop-for-good/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/photoshop-frenzy-on-iran-missile-tests/http://youtu.be/9JKy6ZfmBn0  

Un-hate, or unethical?

Benetton's recent release of the "Unhate" ad campaign has caused a firestorm of controversy. The goal of their campaign is a worthy one—to contribute to a new culture of tolerance and to combat hatred. The UNHATE Campaign is the first in a series of initiatives involving community. In addition to the UNHATE Campaign, the UNHATE Foundation, founded by the Benetton Group, is planning a Global "UNHATE Day" with events scheduled for 50 different cities around the world, including Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Other initiatives include "Art for Tolerance," which will support the talent and work of young people living in areas where hatred has generated social injustice and conflicts.Unfortunately, one of the first efforts of their campaign has already been recalled. The photoshopped image of the Pope and Al-Azhar Mosque locked in a kiss caused the Vatican to respond with furious protests. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi stated, "This is a grave lack of respect for the Pope. We cannot help but express a resolute protest at the entirely unacceptable use of a manipulated image of the Holy Father, used as part of a publicity campaign which has commercial ends.” The Vatican demanded that the image be removed from the campaign and is taking legal action to ensure the doctored image isn't distributed.The White House also released a statement that they have a long-standing policy disapproving of the use of the president's name and likeness for commercial purposes. Despite this, Benetton ads showing President Obama kissing Hugo Chavez are expected to appear in upcoming issues of "Newsweek," "New York Magazine," and the "Economist." Sources say that Benetton did run it by their legal department, getting informed about the consequences they could expect to face when receiving complaints.Benetton has a long history of using advertising to promote social messages. In the 1990s Tibor Kalman created "The United Colors of Benetton," a product-based series of multicultural kids promoting ethnic and racial harmony. Next came the creation of Colors, a magazine produced by Benetton for which Kalman became editor-in-chief. The goal for Benetton was to suggest they had a social conscience. The goal for Kalman was to create a platform for socio-economic issues.What do you think about the UNHATE campaign? Did they intentionally proceed with what many view as unethical behavior through photo manipulation, ignoring image usage rights to promote tolerance and influence culture, or is it merely a means to a commercial end—and bad use of photoshop as many contend?Sources:http://unhate.benetton.com/foundation/http://unhate.benetton.com/http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/benetton-yanks-smooching-pope-ad-unhate-campaign-vatican-threatened-legal-action-article-1.979430?localLinksEnabled=falsehttp://www.missfashionnews.com/2011/11/16/unhate-benetton/http://www.aiga.org/medalist-tiborkalman/

Adobe Photoshop and the age of photo manipulation

In today's digitally sophisticated world the word Photoshop is used and understood readily as a verb. It's not unusual to have clients say just "photoshop" the missing team member into a group photo. There was a time not that long ago when Photoshop was seen as a magical and mystical tool.Watch this interview with the founders of Adobe Photoshop and see how things came together to create this cultural paridgm shift: http://tv.adobe.com/go/photoshop-20th-anniversaryDo you remember the days when Photoshop was a new and novel concept?