Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Picture Perfect
So I was looking at the picture of Katie Couric on the image website, and it made me think about the capabilities of our photo-editing software and the goods and ills that come with it. In this particular case, I was drawn to the image of the popular starlet because of the incredible effect the seemingly light touches had on the overall effectiveness of the picture without subsequently changing its meaning. The picture, a photo of Couric originally released in May by CBS, is manipulated to make Couric appear thinner and less, well, orange than the original capture. THe colors are lightened, and the picture cropped so that the colors are less abrasive to the eye, an effect that helps Couric seem more vibrant and lively. She is also slimmed in the picture so that she does not appear overweight. Although these changes are certainly noticeable from one frame to the next, I would certainly not label them harmful by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to discuss this particular picture was because of the drastically altered visual efectiveness based on comparitively little change.
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4 comments:
I agree. This picture is not harmful and most would not even know it was altered had they not seen the original.
Hi Steven, I agree that this kind of photoshopping doesn't pose any ethical problem. I find it odd though that if I didn't see both pictures side by side I probably wouldn't see much wrong with the first one...with the exception of her orange skin tone.
Hmm... but does Katie Couric feel badly that she doesn't look good enough? I think it depends on the woman. Personally, I don't mind a bit of photo editing, but some women might be offended.
That's ridiculous. Just because looking at a woman who is less orange and a little thinner is more pleasing to your male gaze does not imply that the alteration of katie couric is in any way excusable. Your opinion is superfluous, and it would be more relevent if you had noted what sort of effect the changes would have. Also, any sort of change to an image is a change that changes meaning. The image has a meaning, and when you change it that meaning is changed. The meaning. Is. Changed.
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