Photo retouching involves editing or altering a photograph.
A photographic retouch is the process and result of modifying the characteristics of an image through some type of digital tool ( software ). This is a common practice in photographs of celebrities, but also of products such as household appliances or technological devices, to make their appearance more impressive.
It should be noted that retouching is a term with several uses. In this case we are interested in highlighting its meaning as the action that is carried out to hide imperfections or eliminate errors in a work. Photographic , for its part, is that linked to photography (the technique that allows images to be captured).
Objective of photo retouching
The basic objective of photo retouching is to improve the quality of the image . In this way, if a photograph came out very dark because it was taken with poor lighting conditions, it can be retouched to provide clarity and make it possible to appreciate its details more easily.
Likewise, photo retouching even allows you to combine elements of several images in different ways. Suppose that a photo shows three people hugging: through retouching, it is possible to eliminate one of them and replace it with another, or with any object, without the observer being able to notice the change. In a case like this, no one is harmed, but rather an artist uses his tools to correct or alter an image that would otherwise be of no use to him.
One of the most used procedures is changing the scene . To do this, it is recommended to start with a photograph in which the objects are on a plain colored background that contrasts strongly with those of the first ones; However, given the power of today's computer tools, experts are able to replace almost any background with ease.
It is common for magazines to resort to photo retouching to eliminate the aesthetic imperfections of celebrities.
The deception
The controversy aroused by the various photographic retouching techniques arises when the modifications have the intention of deceiving the observer, either to encourage them to buy a product that is not as attractive in real life as in the promotional images, or to show to a person with an appearance that is very far from reality. Each of these two cases results in a different situation: the first affects the consumer's pocketbook, while the second can contribute to psychological disorders in people who suffer from their own image.
Although machismo often inclines people to say (or even believe) that photo retouching is only used to alter or "improve" the appearance of famous women, it is enough to look at photos of men to see that the brush does not Pay attention to the sex of the subject . Although each person has the right to show themselves however they want, stars tend to strongly influence their fans, especially children and adolescents, and presenting physical perfection to them as a possible goal to achieve and, even worse, necessary, does nothing other than subjecting them to pressure that is difficult to face at that age.
Photo retouching in magazines
Nowadays, most magazines use photo retouching to erase the aesthetic imperfections of famous people . Using tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint , among other computer programs, it is possible to remove wrinkles from the skin, eliminate details such as scars or spots, reduce the abdomen and add bust.
These options, which are only the basic ones, can be attractive but, in general, photo retouching becomes an addiction that ends up completely changing the physical appearance of a person, to the point of making them unrecognizable: much younger, thinner , muscular and even with characteristics inappropriate for our species, such as the absence of pores in the skin .