Posts Marked photoshop

  • The Best of March & April 2010

    May 1st, 2010

    Here are a few of my favorite posts over the last two months.

    March

    No matter who your hero is, you will love this video because you can customize it.
    It takes awhile to load, but it is worth it!

    Martin’s winning Fan Friday artwork won him a special edition latex CD case.
    Here’s how made the winning entry.

    Early March I put out a poll to see if there was interest in a new Catwoman project.  There was.

    A huge highlight for me was Tim Hayes’
    “10 Things I Learnt Watching the 2010 Oscars While Medicated.”

    Here’s a double whammy: the news that Dirty Step Upstage was accepted into the World Music and Independent Film Festival in Washington, D.C. & the online premiere of the beginning of the film.

    March 27th I updated my Flickr account with live Girl In The Red Dress performance photos.
    And here’s a video of those photos, set to “Dirty Step Upstage”.

    April

    When I got the news that Dirty Step Upstage was accepted into the Cannes Independent Film Festival, I broke down how sales agents work.

    In April 1st we put together a fun video for you. I dare you not to laugh.

    This post features four character teasers from Dirty Step Upstage.

    This side-by-side comparison of “Vogue” from Sue Salvester (from hit show Glee) and Madonna.
    A highlight for Madonna fans.

    Finally, a three part piece on Photoshop in the media.

    May 1st,2010 Best of the Month, Uncategorized | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • ALMT-WW: Photoshopped Evolution PART 3

    April 14th, 2010

    On ALMT-Women’s Wednesday I talk about women in media.

    For the last two weeks I’ve been talking about Photoshop and how it’s possibly distorting body image.

    Part 1 was about the scrutiny that celebs are faced with some before-and-after Photoshopped pics. Part 2 was about the Ralph Lauren controversies with his over-Photoshopped campaigns. The third and final part (for now), is about the interesting way that the UK and France and have been dealing with the much debated Photoshop-demon.

    Since September the British members of Parliament have been trying to ban Photoshopped ads aimed at children, after Oil of Olay campaigned with a “disturbingly wrinkle-free Twiggy.” (Doesn’t it seem odd that they would think wrinkle ads are aimed at children?) Their goal is for all Photoshopping aimed at those 16 and under will be banned entirely and other ads would carry a disclaimer. The Twiggy ad was eventually banned in the UK.

    Over in France a similar thing is happening. VALÉRIE BOYER, who NY Times describes as “tall, fashionable and, dare we say it, slim,” proposed a draft law that will requires all digitally retouched images to be labeled so. If the law passes, advertisers that don’t include the appropriate warning could incite a fine of over $50,000 or up to 50% of the cost of their campaign.

    Most of these proposals are to combat the subsequent low self-esteem that women feel upon viewing perfection. But, does it change the situation when Photoshop is used to fill out the model in question, as many of the articles I have read claim.  For example, a famously retouched Chanel ad featuring Keira Knightly supposedly filled in the thigh, rather than her breasts, as was accused. But the ad doesn’t really feature her thigh.  And look at on-set photograph.  She doesn’t appear as busty. Do I smell B.S?

    And then there are others that thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, citing artistic freedom.  Since when is photography supposed to represent reality? asks Dominique Issermann, a French fashion photographer. She says “There is this illusion that photography is ‘true,’” adding that photographs are “a piece of reality, but the reality of the world is different.”

    As I’m writing this, I just received an email from Designfruit for a Photoshop brush set called Mellow Mess, which I subsequently downloaded.  It goes without saying that I shall keep on keepin’ on with Photoshop. I adore the facilities it offers to easily create posters and change an image for the required mood. Heck, I created all the artwork for the Girl In The Red Dress EP within Photoshop.

    But I also feel a responsibility to the ongoing issue.  In no way do I wish to contribute to low self-esteem or perpetuate eating disorders, as is claimed Photoshop may assist.

    What do you think? Do the children of tomorrow need warnings on perfume ads just like cigarettes? Or is Photoshop just the scapegoat for lighting, soft lenses, Vaseline, and other photography tricks?

    And for better or worse… without photoshop, we would never have pictures like this:

    April 14th,2010 Blogging, Girl In The Red Dress, Women's Wednesdays | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

  • ALMT-WW: Photoshopped Evolution PART 2

    April 7th, 2010

    ALMT-Wordplay Wednesday is now ALMT-Women’s Wednesday!

    Last week I talked about the effect Photoshop can have on body image, including a video of famous celebs “before and after.”

    Something I didn’t get to in Part 1 is the Ralph Lauren controversy.  First, the picture:

    As Photoshop Disasters famously put it:

    “Dude, her head’s bigger than her pelvis.”

    The controversy is not only because they photoshopped the already thin model (Filippa Hamilton) into a Patchwork Skeletor, but once Photoshop Disasters posted the ridiculous ad (run in a Japanese department store), Ralph Lauren’s legal team slapped them with a copyright infringement lawsuit. RL eventually claimed fault:

    “For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

    But, if they were remiss, why did they fire the size 4 model and then repeat their photoshop crime with a new supermodel, Valentina Zelyaeva?

    What is the message RL is trying to send? That these two beautiful women are somehow not enough, by being too much?

    Ms Hamilton, left, and Ms Zelyaeva, right, appear in an ad for Ralph Lauren's Blue Label

    Ralph, we hear you loud and clear: unless you’re a size two or smaller don’t bother shopping RL.  Well, thanks… we won’t!

    Photoshopped Evolution Part 3

    April 7th,2010 Blogging, Women's Wednesdays | Sections: , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • ALMT-WW: Photoshopped Evolution PART 1

    March 31st, 2010

    ALMT-Wordplay Wednesday is now ALMT-Women’s Wednesday!

    On Monday I blogged about social responsibility by those in the public eye. The post revolved around content and nudity, but it got me thinking about the physical perfection that celebrities strive for and how the topic of social responsibility might relate.

    Women (and men) look to models and movie stars to idolize. We cut our hair like them, buy their clothes, and even get augmented to look more like them. Plastic surgeons report some of the top requests:

    1. Angelina Jolie was the overwhelming choice for most requested smile and lips, followed by Julia Roberts.
    2.     Jolie’s eyes and cheeks were also the most requested.
    3. The most requested buttocks:     Jennifer Lopez
    4. The most requested breasts:     Pamela Anderson
    5. The nose everyone wants:     Nicole Kidman
    6. The most requested male abs:     Brad Pitt, followed by Matthew McConaughey
     7. Many people also requested Brad Pitt’s nose, eyes, chin, buttocks, lips, cheeks, and forehead.
    8. A significant percentage of people request NOT to look like     Pam Anderson, Dolly Parton, or Victoria Beckham.

    As a woman I have bought hundreds if not thousands of beauty magazines and inevitably compare myself to these images of perfection. I am now bombarded by gossip blogs that tear down a women if they are too fat/thin, too wrinkly/botoxed, too made up/natural.

    Nicole Ritchie

    Jessica Simpson

    So it’s not just us, but also the beautiful people feeling pressured to look like flawless images in the media. Which, even for them is close to impossible, because – in addition to aesthetic genetics and plastic surgery – chances are they were given a little help in the first place: Photoshop.

    Being a part of the industry, I also have the pressure to put my best foot forward. It’s almost a given that every image for public consumption will be photoshopped to all hell.  Here’s an example of my Catwoman photos before and after Photoshop:

    I was going for the comic-book look, but you catch my drift. The illusion of Photoshop is very powerful.

    In case you aren’t convinced that Photoshop radically distorts body image and potentially harms self-esteem, Dove released this video a few years back, which effectively displays the journey of a pretty girl into a (photoshopped) supermodel on a billboard.

    I have a lot more to say about Photoshop in the media, so I shall continue this topic next Wednesday. Until then, maybe Photoshop should only be used for comedic effect, like these Partial Face Transplant Pictures?

    Photoshopped Evolution PART 2

    March 31st,2010 Blogging, Catwoman, Video, Women's Wednesdays | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

  • GITRD-FF: Gael’s “death is dressed in red tonight”

    March 26th, 2010

    On ALMT-Fan Fridays I write about fandom.

    Here’s your new GITRD-FF, by Gael Mansard. He says “It’s basically a mix between Dirty Step Upstage and the classical “Mask of the Red Death” from Edgar Allan Poe, with Amber as the deadly role.” In return for his very creative work, he’ll receive an autographed 8×10 of Girl In The Red Dress.

    To be the next GITRD-FF contributor (and to get your own photo), everything you need is HERE.

    March 26th,2010 Blogging, Fan Fridays, Fan Fridays, Girl In The Red Dress | Sections: , , , | No Comments