'Photoshop' music video

[dmeadows]

French-Hungarian singer with really good song plus anti-industry message that I'm not quite sure how to feel about

http://danielmeadows.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/boggie-photoshop-music-video-nouveau-parfum/

From a retoucher's standpoint it's pretty interesting, and I really wish Photoshop actually created automatic masks that are that good!

[shift studio]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

good post - thanks for sharing!

[dmeadows]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

It's interesting how opinion is shifting in some quarters, I think it could possibly be a good thing. The majority of 'over-photoshopped' work has just been hit with filters and one-click solutions, going forward the industry might be more on the side of subtlety, and I don't really mind that at all

[Repairman]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

I can't actually see anything groundbreaking in the video as all the effects are standard in video terms. Interesting to me is the universal use of the word 'photoshopping' as a verb in the way hoovering is synonymous with vacuum cleaning. What counts, as always, is the idea behind the technique and there will always be a market for good ideas. Techniques come and go.

[mistermonday]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

French-Hungarian singer with really good song plus anti-industry message that I'm not quite sure how to feel about

http://danielmeadows.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/boggie-photoshop-music-video-nouveau-parfum/

From a retoucher's standpoint it's pretty interesting, and I really wish Photoshop actually created automatic masks that are that good!

Thanks for sharing the link. There are a number of similar short videos showing the complete makeover of a model. The graphics tools shown are usually not real programs because they are not relevant to the message. The edits that are illustrated are also not magic but reflect the kinds of things that are standard to do when executing a similar retouch. The message is the "Before vs the After" image and that the pretty face we see on a billboard or magazine or product advertisement has been "photoshopped". These models do not exist as they are shown, they aren't real people.
There are some negative effects these "perfect" faces and "perfect" shaped figures have on society, particularly young women.
I don't think the criticism is aimed at the graphics tools or the retouchers but at the many industries that define how these images will look and present them as reality in order to sell products.
As a retoucher I can't refuse to push the pixels in the directions customers want. But I have an awareness that we live in a world where almost everything we see is "photoshopped". I don't hesitate to share that with people with whom I interact on a daily basis.
Cheers, Murray

[insmac]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

Yes, the effect on even most beatiful women who are not in any way familiar with how the industry works is a profound disbelief in her own beauty, I've seen it a lot. There is this "natural look" thing used by higher end skincare companies which ads I personally hate most as they tell girls you're seeing a shining healthy spotless skin on these posters which is as all we know the most careful d&b combined with a seamless grading.

I believe it's a brain thing, as 'common' people link retouching together with a higher contrast, vibrant pallette and so on (I've tried this on a lot of people - pick the photo you think is retouched more thoroughly). They're fooled with deeper skin tones, lower saturation and a few more things to the point my wife thought (before getting into the industry) these vichy models are straight out of the camera

[dmeadows]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

I often think 'over-photoshopped' generally refers to rushed post-production hit with filter-hammers and sent on its way.

It's often the shots that have had a careful hour or two spent on them that the general untrained viewer wouldn't spot.

[insmac]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

Yeah the one thing that an average viewer can get is a sense of everything being sort of "in right place", nothing really stands out meaning the line of sight is guided exactly where it has to be, no visible flaws and so on.

As someone once said the goal is to make sure no one knows (refering to an untrained eye) we were here cleaning up.

[klev]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

I can't actually see anything groundbreaking in the video as all the effects are standard in video terms. Interesting to me is the universal use of the word 'photoshopping' as a verb in the way hoovering is synonymous with vacuum cleaning. What counts, as always, is the idea behind the technique and there will always be a market for good ideas. Techniques come and go.

It's not just that they're not groundbreaking. These comparisons always compare a raw image, which is often flatter than snapshots by many people, then compare that to an overly high contrast result to exaggerate their message. They also ignore the purpose of much of this. The colors are exaggerated so as to be striking when viewed on printed media with a limited range of contrast. The lack of density range favors juxtaposed colors to draw the attention of the viewer. It's also quite possible to do a lot of retouching on video. It's simply tedious, but people do it all the time. Otherwise you would see a lot of wires and rigs in movies.

[dmeadows]

Re: 'Photoshop' music video

...As someone once said the goal is to make sure no one knows (refering to an untrained eye) we were here cleaning up.

I agree with that someone I think with any luck that's the way the industry is going, I'd honestly rather work with something 'real' than the overly flawless. There's a beauty to freckles, marks and lines, to a point, that's washed away by overprocessing.