Be careful when editing your photos so you don’t go too far! Magazines have been going too far for ages; however, celebrities and social media influencers have recently been caught out over-editing their photos. From this arose the #nofilter campaign on Instagram. Still, there is much hullabaloo around editing photos and photo editing in general. It might be a good idea to use a good photo editor for the best quality.
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To edit or not to edit?
One camp is anti-editing. This includes professional photographers claiming that photo editing has hurt their art. However, there is also that pro-editing. Here editing implies adjusting the contrast, crop, rotating, resizing, applying some simple retouching, or even changing the saturation effect to make the image look perfect. But some use editing all out to completely change the look of a photograph. Depending on the side you take, which approach to photo editing is best?
Weigh it up
If you think about it, the best approach will depend on how the photograph will be used. Mostly raw pictures are lightly edited, which includes straightening the image or correcting the exposure and brightness. All done on the computer using tools such as Photoshop and not in a lightroom. However, these types of change are not harmful or aimed at deceiving anyone. Such changes are simply to correct any defects or to correct the inadequacies of the technologies used.
Consider ethics
Focussing on ethics can help you stay on track and prevent your image editing from going too far. Nonetheless, for photos taken to capture memories, such as wedding photos, the client will want prints that they are proud of and want to cherish. So, when the camera captures blemishes or other imperfections, and editing is not the issue, why not correct these? The scale starts to tilt when you edit an image or picture to make someone look slimmer, add more muscle bulk than in reality, or change a person’s face to one completely different.
Taking it too far
When you edit pictures, let’s ignore the small edits or artists who use photo editing as their artistic tool to make adjustments to add effects to the background, such as blurring it or focusing on images that deceive. The image of a model may be stretched over a billboard next to a busy highway. The model is edited to make her look unnaturally thin. Even though there are bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission monitoring accuracy in advertising, this practice is extremely common. Advertisers routinely lie to the consumer, presenting images or photography of what is ideal and what people aspire to. However, the image created is not authentic – it is fake. The result is that many people, both men, and women, develop the wrong impression of how they should look. This leads to a high rate of depression over a loss of self-esteem.
The editing queen
Recently, new images of Madonna appeared on social media – and people were amazed at what they saw. The problem was that she also appeared in public, and the photos taken of her without the filters and editing looked utterly different. The authentic images of Madonna do not reflect a woman with flawless skin. No, you see a face replete with fillers and legs giving away her age. In the end, you see an idol who has changed her appearance so that she does not look like herself anymore. Over-edited images using an image editor in an attempt to hide all the defects; however, if you can’t live a life free from over-editing, this screams an insecure person afraid of aging.
The pressure to correct their image
There has been an outcry from influence groups and activists to stop the over-editing of images that lead to harm for vulnerable and gullible people. Young people, especially, are susceptible to the images promoted as attainable and flaunted by others online. Marketing companies such as Ogilvy UK and large international companies like Unilever have been caught out as being unscrupulous. Thus to save face and protect their brands, such companies have taken action to alter their tactics. Much of this, however, was thanks to Dove’s clever body positivity campaign of using real women who represent open society rather than a number zero model. Companies like Unilever have released statements that they will not use social media influencers with an edited appearance in the future.
The Julia Roberts’ advertisement for Lancôme Cosmetics
Julia Roberts took part in an advertising campaign for Lancôme Cosmetics; however, the images were banned in the United Kingdom. The reason – the photos were over-edited and were labeled as misleading. More so, the cosmetic company Lancôme ultimately lost money spent on the campaign. However, Lancôme is not alone. Other companies, such as L’Oreal, Johnson and Johnson, Revlon, and others, had similarly made their products appear better than they were, thus displaying false advertising. What edit pictures, photo effects photo and enhancer apps can hurt your brand image.
The moral of the story
The simple answer is to be careful not to over- and photo edit. Yes, editing an image to look somewhat better is not wrong. However, if the image is designed to deceive, consider the negative impact these images will have on your target audience. Also, it might even repel prospective buyers! You can use a professional photo editor, such as a virtual photo editor, to correct and polish your images. However, when you give your brief, ensure that over-editing the image is not part of the protocol. Regrettably, many celebrities are unwilling to be bona fide role models. But a least there is hope for ad companies and businesses being compelled to change their ways. Will this trend continue, or will it merely fade away? This is a question worth answering.