Photoshop

Before & After photoshop image (Click to enlarge)

Recently in class we discussed the program Photoshop and how it is often used to retouch photos for magazines and other publications(http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/03/09/opinion/1194838469575/sex-lies-and-photoshop.html). We also discussed how due to this, the photos are often retouched to such an extent that it changes the way a person looks completly. With the retouched photos being printed in magazines, a new beauty standard has been formed, that is unatainable. Due to this, self esteem among many people has dropped, and a large sum of people now have a negative thought of their body and image.

While photoshop is used in that context, it is also a good program for photographers, since it allows them to change the lighting, desaturate, and do many other things to their photos which would take hours of work if it was film. Photoshop is a great resource becasue of this.

So, while photoshop is used to distort orignal pictures into unatainable standards of beauty, it is also used for many other projects, and becasue of that is an outstanding resource.