What caught my eye about my friend's picture is the way her face looked. Lovely. Line-free. Luminous. Now I know she's in great shape, but really? She's the exact same age as me. I've seen her in person (recently) many times. I decided her picture had to have been photoshopped, airbrushed, and/or tweaked in some way.
The idea put me on a quest to find my own photographic fountain of youth. I finally settled on one and experimented. Because if anyone needs to be "youthened" it's me.
My before picture, complete with bags, lines, and wrinkles:
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After some minor photo fooling around:
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H'mmm. Almost like a mini face-lift without the cutting, stitching, or pain.
From what I've observed, in the competitive world of author pictures on book covers, actors playing roles, or a head shot on the cover of a magazine, appearance counts. But will there be a disconnect when the inevitable meeting occurs and the face doesn't match the photo? Or maybe people have come to expect that few things are what they appear to be, particularly on-line dating sites where I wonder if photo-enhancing may result in some major disappointments.
I have to admit, I'm vain enough to prefer my "improved" version. Primarily because that's how my brain still thinks I look. Needless to say, it's always a shock when the mirror tells me something different.
So what do you think? Is photo enhancing a blessing or a curse? Would you do it if it might help your career or are you a this-is-me-take-it-or-leave-it kind of person?
If you're interested in the app I used, it's called Perfect365. This app was free to download to my iPhone. And if you want to do crazy things to your photo (weird makeup, wigs, etc), Perfect365 can do that, too. (Note: I am not being compensated for this post. I stumbled across the app and thought it would be fun to share)
I'm curious. If you've found a cool photo app (preferably free), please let me know. I may have become addicted.
By the way, just for fun I tried to de-age and beautify Indy. The app scanned his picture and told me "face not recognized".
Okay, so maybe I need a shave.
10 comments:
Fun App.Lots of available features
It's also for Android, encase you don't have a iphone.
xo Cinnamon
I like your touched up photo, but then in my book, your original looked good anyway. I guess I wouldn't do it because I've already met some of my online friends at various meet ups. Sooner or later, they are apt to see the real me. I think it's especially wrong to do it for job interviews - what happens when they meet you in person. Now in your case, there is just a subtle difference, not even worth mentioning. As I said, both of your photos looked good to me.
LOL at face not recognised. Not an app for us as we are not into selfies. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
The problem is our pictures go out there for anyone to see so I think we are more wary of how we look when we know it's not going to be just stuck in a box or family album. I actually like the before picture better - your eyes sparkle in it.
Ann
Pat--I've seen you in person (recently) and the first photo doesn't do you justice. You're far lovelier than that picture's image. Honestly.
I guess I am more a "this is who I am" type of person, so I don't think I would ever pass around air-brushed and doctored-up photos. Part of it is I wouldn't want to see people's mouth gape open in horror when they try to figure out what is amiss...
Poor Indy. He is so cute, he doesn't need to have his image improved.
Indy is pretty perfect as he is, no tinkering required. :)
Nice work on your photo, although I actually preferred the un-tweaked version. You're so pretty!
My daughter is in school and plans to be a professional photographer, so she can work all kinds of unicorn-sparkly Photoshop magic. When she took my author photo for my blog & books, I expected to be wrinkle-free and 10 years younger. Nope. She removed some spider veins from my leg (ugh) and brightened the whites of my eyes so they'd show up better (she took the photo on our front porch, so natural light) but that was it. She said too much Photoshopping looks just like what it is---fake. Her goal is to keep photos, especially portraits (her specialty) as real as possible, using natural light to minimize lines and wrinkles etc. When I begged her to get rid of my crow's feet with Photoshop she said, "Mama, why do you want to look plastic? Wouldn't you rather look like a real person?" I agreed that I would, and since then I've paid attention to headshots and stuff. I agree with my girl. I like the real deal. More character! :)
You look lovely in both photos!
I love to do this for my friends...it's fun! I've been known to touch up my own shots as well, but mostly I stay in back of the camera! LOL!
Both you and Indie are adorable without the photoshopping! I like my old camera precisely because it takes fuzzy pictures that look photoshopped without all the guilt. ;) By the way, from what friends tell me of online dating sites, the use of very old and enhanced photos does indeed create a lot of disappointment!
Poor Indy! I thinnk people should worry less about how they look and just be happy!
I do like pic stitch app because you can create collages
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