# Photoshop and ethics...



## pixichik77 (Oct 5, 2007)

I would love all of your input, opinions and advice.  The ethics of photoshopping has been on my mind since Makeup Artist Magazine had their cover story about Photoshop and artists.  Often i see threads regarding what you can and cannot do and what Photoshop can and cannot do in your photos.

I guess what I am getting at is where are the lines? where should Photoshop go and where should it stay away? Do you Photoshop your own work? Do you have someone who does it for you? Does your photog do it for you? Etc, ETc, and give any input you have, please...


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## aziajs (Oct 5, 2007)

Interesting topic.  I am curious about the responses you will get.


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## MisStarrlight (Oct 5, 2007)

I photoshop some of my pics.  I do it more out of necessity than to change the look of my makeup.  

For example...I had a model once with  giant cold sore or burn or something on her lip.  I did the best I could with makeup, but it obviously wasn't going anywhere-so I photoshopped it away.

I've also gotten rid of facial hair, bra lines & random stray hairs in wind-blown shoots...and every once in a while I will need to adjust the overall color, but other than that, I won't touch the actual makeup application.  Your book is a big art in getting you jobs so you don't want it to look sloppy, but you also don't want it to bluff on your skills either-otherwise you won't get return clients or references.  Word of mouth is how almost all my jobs come about.  I hate applying for jobs & interviewing, so this is ultra imortant to me.

And I do all of my own photoshopping so I have more control than if I let someone else do it.  If a photog plans on editing images for me, I will of course let him-her, but I insist on the raw files as well so I can make my own decisions.


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## NaturalSister19 (Oct 5, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MisStarrlight* 

 
_I photoshop some of my pics.  I do it more out of necessity than to change the look of my makeup.  

For example...I had a model once with  giant cold sore or burn or something on her lip.  I did the best I could with makeup, but it obviously wasn't going anywhere-so I photoshopped it away.

I've also gotten rid of facial hair, bra lines & random stray hairs in wind-blown shoots...and every once in a while I will need to adjust the overall color, but other than that, I won't touch the actual makeup application.  Your book is a big art in getting you jobs so you don't want it to look sloppy, but you also don't want it to bluff on your skills either-otherwise you won't get return clients or references.  Word of mouth is how almost all my jobs come about.  I hate applying for jobs & interviewing, so this is ultra imortant to me.

And I do all of my own photoshopping so I have more control than if I let someone else do it.  If a photog plans on editing images for me, I will of course let him-her, but I insist on the raw files as well so I can make my own decisions._

 
This sums up my approach to PhotoShop as well.


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## j_absinthe (Oct 5, 2007)

It all depends. I mean, if I'm being paid by a photographer who wants to photoshop his model til she looks doll-like, then that's his/her perogative.

However, if I'm going TFP/testing or whatever, and I'm not being paid, I lay it down for the photog: Look, I'm not being paid, so whatever you shoot needs to maintain the integrity of my work. I'm not going to get work if I have nothing but textureless faces in my book and I step onto a set and a client sees that the model doesn't look like a mannequin-though I can try and get her there as close as possible.

In my own photography, it's all a matter of what effect I want to achieve. If it's just pics of me and my people out and about, I may change some lighting, get rid of a few blemishes and stuff. Either way though, I've found PS to be a great asset in correcting things I may've missed or that couldn't be corrected by makeup.


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## redambition (Oct 6, 2007)

i'd say it depends on what the photo is being used for.

if it's for a shot that you want to put in a portfolio - then you'd want to avoid over-shopping it. you'd lose the signs that show how well the makeup has been applied. slight colour correction and removal of stray hairs or things that could not be corrected by makeup would seem reasonable.

if it's for a final shot for use on a business card, flyer, ad or whatever, then you can get away with shopping it up a bit more to get that "perfection" look, which these days looks professional. (im not a fan of how much pictures in ads and magazines are PSed to the point of  sometimes being unrecognisable, but that's where we are. if you leave yours looking a lot more natural, depending on the market you may not get the results you want... and that is purely because over-PSed pics are now the standard).

if it's for personal use or happy snaps, i shop them a bit just to clean them up, remove red eye, remove dodgy shadows and blemishes and maybe brighten them up. it makes them look better without changing looks too much.


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## pixichik77 (Oct 6, 2007)

Thank you all; and please, keep it coming.


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## lara (Oct 7, 2007)

I photoshop images to tidy up things that are beyond my control as an MA. If the model has a whopping big hairy mole or bad facial hair, I'm not going to break my back doing complete correction for a studio shot when I know that it's going to be edited out with two clicks of a mouse button. If it were a live event, then yes, I'd spackle and shave that girl silly. For something that's going to be processed anyway, there's no real need to stress about it.
I also find myself doing a lot of lighting and position correction, because most photographers can't light or pose their subjects to save themselves.

I should point out that I was a digital retoucher before I was an MA though, so I take a bit more of a holistic approach to retouching. As long as you understand that retouching is merely a helpful tool and not a short-cut to laziness on behalf of the MA (so yes, you really _should _spend the time getting the lipstick even and the eyeliner straight), then I see no issue with using what tools you have access to to your advantage.


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## Wenzdai (Oct 7, 2007)

im not a make-up artist but i have one at hand when i do photo shoots.. and usually its all TFCD for everyone.. so i rarely ever mess around with correcting the make-up.. if the model has a giant wonkin blesh.. i take it out.. otherwise its all kept the same


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## j_absinthe (Oct 7, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *lara* 

 
_I should point out that I was a digital retoucher before I was an MA though, so I take a bit more of a holistic approach to retouching. As long as you understand that retouching is merely a helpful tool and not a short-cut to laziness on behalf of the MA (so yes, you really should spend the time getting the lipstick even and the eyeliner straight), then I see no issue with using what tools you have access to to your advantage._

 
I second this.


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