and the rise of the graphic artist.
we all question it when we look at a magazine cover or a slick billboard print ad. is it real? how is it possible that she looks that perfect? is it too good to be true? the answers: probably not, i'll tell you, and yes, it is too good to be true.
this is not mind blowing news. graphic design software has existed for many years that allow you to alter an image in many different ways from color, texture, lighting, etc. and in fact, people lean on programs like photoshop to alter an image in the hopes of getting that amusing or cleaner image quicker. want to swap your friends face onto a victoria's secret model? select, cut, paste. want to remove that hideous adolescent-looking stress pimple from the bottom of your chin? airbrush it out or clone and stamp it.
but it seemed that really detailed or complicated alterations were reserved for the professionals. watch a studio at work and you might come across someone at a computer extending the photographed legs of a model, perhaps eyes normally considered too close together are given a more pleasant spacing with a couple of click and drags. it is enough to shake your head and really change the way you look at photographs, especially those high quality studio shots with beautiful models. but that was the pros.
enter adobe CS5 and their new puppet warp tool. again, this isn't new stuff...but the way adobe has implemented such an easy to use alteration tool with this kind of sophistication is scary. hobbyists and pros alike are now given the same resources to not just modify images, but fundamentally change an image where the reality of what was photographed is not what you see - but the suspension of reality still exists. watch either (or both) links and we'll chat afterwards...
Puppet Warp Demo 1
Puppet Warp Demo 2
now imagine what is possible. with this kind of accessibility and ease of use, even the casual photos of your friends on facebook or someone's eharmony profile pic could be a complete misrepresentation. surely this could do more harm than good when it comes to perception of self image, but that isn't the point of this conversation. though this appears to be an excellent application for an already sophisticated program, it surely marks the decline of the photographer and the rise of the graphic artist.
in the past, it was argued that you still need to be able to compose and expose a photograph well to get a great image. that was the job of the photographer. but between the tools you and i have used in the past and the tools that are now and in the future, how important is it to get a really good image straight out of the camera (SOC) nowadays? it appears that someone with a reasonable working knowledge of photoshop could create fantastic images given some time to work with it. and often times, a well photoshopped image tends to enhance/improve an image...placing more importance on post processing than SOC images. photographers: better get on board. graphic artists will be the new breed of "photographer" if you don't keep up.
what you see isn't real. it's an altered reality that implies perfection.
de jesus out.
