Celebrity Retouching: 10 Reasons to Revise Your Reality

Even the guys aren't immune to the photo touch ups! Actor Jerry O'Connel mentioned in Oprah that his pics get manipulated to make him look better.Reply

Its really quite sick. In some cases the retouching was minor - removing a shadow but in some cases the retouching made the girl look completely different.

I can only imagine, how I would feel if I saw a photo of myself that had been "touched up" in a national magazine or whatever, knowing that I didn't really look like that. That would make me feel like I should be ashamed of the way I looked, like the way I looked wasn't good enough. That's an eating obsession and aging obsession that is waiting to happen !

Even though, pretty pictures may sell, the media has an obligation to the public to note that this photo has been digitally altered and to impress upon their audience that normal healthy people don't need to look like this to be valued, and liked within the community.Reply

Perfection is unattainable, yet these magazine companies make it seem easy with all this touch-up crap. No wonder so many women have self image issues! Get back to the basics, people!Reply

I bet even the celebrities who are retouched get down that they aren't considered perfect enough just to go in as they are - it's really sad!Reply

Yeah, those poor celebrities and models. I bet they cry into their millionairs of dollars every night.Reply

Ummm...hmm. I have a slightly different reaction to the retouching...yes, I know it's been used widely in magazines etc...and that models don't really look just that way. I guess being so into body shape and size (former eating disorder) I figured that their bodies would look different "before." But if you ask me they all look pretty darn good before too. It's not like they're just starting from scratch (yes, I realize how horrible that sounds). It just doesn't make me feel that much better. I knew they weren't perfect...I guess I just hoped they were a little *less* perfect.
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If we look at these pictures for what they are, art, then we're ok. We only run into problems when we start thinking these are supposed to be snapshots.Reply

Too much makeup and retouching actually makes a women look unnatural and ugly. Most supermodels aren't nearly as attractive as some 'average hot' girls from down the street. Perfection in looks doesn't make women more attractive. Pamela Anderson would make a good example. How this plastic look actually became a standard is beyond me.Reply

I wish they would stop retouching woman and show them as they are, which would probably make them feel better and it would be a better role model for kids growing up today. I think it would help everyone's self esteem. Perfect is can not be obtained even for models. they should show this information to young girls growing up. It might stop some of the horrible conditions they succumb to.Reply

Well, I see that my website has been "featured" in the list of retouching sites. I have been working in the design industry for over six years now and I do freelance retouching. The comment under my site is "pore-less wonders" - I find that a strange statement to make as one of the things I work on is keeping the pores and texture of the skin. Remember I have been given a specific brief by a photographer on what to remove and what "look" is to be achieved. Fashion photography is not realistic. Retouching is nothing new just because of the digital age. People where retouching with real airbrushes before Photoshop came along. The comment "Even a 12 year old boy can download a copy of Photoshop, grab a retouching tutorial, and create whatever they want." LOL - sure lets see you try!Reply

"The comment "Even a 12 year old boy can download a copy of Photoshop, grab a retouching tutorial, and create whatever they want." LOL - sure lets see you try!"

Um - are you saying us nonprofessionals are unable to retouch a photo? You don't have to have a portfolio of expertise to remove wrinkles, pores, make someone thinner add make-up, etc.

It's not that hard.

Get off your "LOL" high horse.

I know 12 year old boys who could probably do work as well, if not better than you. I don't know which site is yours, but the ones up there right now - some of them are really lame, to be honest. Reply

I have to agree with Lilly. I'm an artist who likes to keep an eye out for whats going on in the "visual world"

Photoshop is available to download from a lot of places on the web, and furthermore, I've seen what some of those kids can do with it. It's really quite extraordinary actually. Regardless of the abilities Chanelle has to have in her line of work; you have to remember that most of these magazines are sold to the population with the most interest and disposible income...the kids. It's scary, because that's who we are selling to. Reply

hmm.. i agreeReply

My husband, a keen photographer, was looking at one of those portfolio sites linked to a PhotoShop forum a while back. The featured image showed before and after pix of a (heavily retouched) curvy woman in a bikini. I was interested to see that ALL of the men on the forum preferred the original image where the model looked a lot more fleshy - and real.Reply

To that naturally will always be better, a human eye is felt by deception subconsciously, but a retouch is needed for clean shallow shortages but without fanaticism...Reply

Models shouldn't have to be retouched- that is why they are models.Reply

Rachel, but even models are no longer "perfect enough"... see how crazy our standards have become? We have "women" who are 15 years old and genetic anomalies by being so tall and thin with such prominent cheekbones, but we are saying "no, sorry sweetie, just being that young, tall, thin, and beautiful is not enough... your entire skin has to look the exact same color, and there are a few hairs out of place, and sorry but your 23 inch waist is simply too fat so we have to shave off a few inches, and the blue color of your eyes is not sparkly enough, and your 60" long legs are not long enough so we are adding a couple inches there, and yuck, is that a visible vein? We have to erase that."Reply

I would rather see the real thing. Flaws give character.

Can't remember the exact words, but something like this:
"I like you for your excellences, but love you for your imperfections."Reply

Very entertaining issue. I haven't heard of this one. It will be necessary to visit you on a thicket!Reply

i think these pics dont really matter because its not how you look its who you are inside and if peole want to make them selves feel better by using make up then its their choice personaly i think if a women or a guy is worried how you look then their not worth it.Reply

I have been a high end retoucher for the past 15 years and it ceases to amaze me that most people (women) are unaware of the amount of work that is done to an image when I explain the whole retouching "thing". No wonder so many people have eating disorders and whatnot. I'm sick.Reply

Check this link out...on it there is a dove comercial that shows the process from makeup to photoshop to a billboard. You just have to scroll down some.
http://www.niquehappy.com/uglycelebpics.htm
I think that people constantly need to be reminded just how fake those magazine photos really are, but that being said, it is art...and art usually exagerates what the artist sees, or wants to convey. I am a photoshop artist myself and it is really an insult to say that just anyone can do some of the stuff we do, but at the same time, I am also a young women who wants to be beautiful too, and I do realize such photos can distort people's views on beauty. It is good to be constanly reminded about this, or else we start to think photoshop art is real.
I have photoshopped my own pictures to look "flawless" and it was fun, and made me feel beautiful becuase I saw that practically any regular, decent looking person can be made out to look like the amazingly surreal beautiful women in the magazines.

I even had some before/ after pics of myself on my myspace page (took them down now) but I thoguht it was important to let others know (for awhile...lol) Keep getting the message accross...I think we still need more reminding.Reply

Check this link out...on it there is a Dove comercial that shows the process from makeup to Photoshop to a billboard. You just have to scroll down some.
http://www.niquehappy.com/uglycelebpics.htm
I think that people constantly need to be reminded just how fake those magazine photos really are, but that being said, it is art...and art usually exaggerates what the artist sees, or wants to convey. I am a photoshop artist myself and it is really an insult to say that just anyone can do some of the stuff we do, because it does require an artistic eye, not to mention, Photoshop can get complex deeper on. At the same time, I am also a young women who wants to be beautiful too, and I do realize such photos can distort people's views on beauty. It is good to be constantly reminded about this, or else we start to think Photoshop art is real.
I have photoshopped my own pictures to look "flawless" and it was fun, and made me feel beautiful becuase I saw that practicaly any regular, decent looking person can be made out to look like the amazingly surreal beautiful women in the magazines.

I even had some before/ after pics of myself on my myspace page (took them down now) but I thought it was important to let others see (for awhile, anyway) Keep getting the message accross...I think we still need more reminding becuase they eye tends to believe what is sees, no matter how unreal.
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i hate people who get modelizedReply

i agree with the peeps here before me...they pretty much said it already and would make not to much sence to completely repeat it with rambling rants.Reply

I think it's sad that a person can't just be who they are to be pretty. My three best friends between are betwees 85-110 lbs. One has to get size 00 taken in because it falls. The other 2 spend at least 60% of the time comparing pot bellies. The biggest of these girls is a size 5 and only because she has a 8 month old. It's sick that these girls are starving themselves to be perfect. I also have a cousin who weighs 75 lbs and started doing meth to lose weight. Shes on dialisis. We live in a small pairie town in Canada, and we have these problems. I'd hate to see what it's like in NY or LAReply

Actually, it doesn't matter if someone has a retouch done with their pictures because honesty even if you didn't have make up on or a retouch by programs you still have that self-image issue no matter what everyone is going to compare them selves to somebody because they are still pretty with it or without it. It's part of life most people just take it TO FAR and they should tell them self it doesn't matter what you look like just change what you can change and don't worry about what you can't....everyone is beauifer inside and out....there is a lot of things people don't have in others...like some are born with special talents and gifts that no one else hasReply

I think the girl on the top of the page looks way better before they "touched her up".Reply

I don’t think people should be able to retouch their pictures. It is not being true to their self or the people that see it. If they are trying to sell their pictures some one might want them for their pictures but not after they see them. I think it is being untruthful and fake. It makes people who do not have the “flawless” skin or perfect body feel bad about how they actualy look, wishing that they looked like that. (and we wonder why so many people have eating disorders) People should not have to look perfect... what even is perfect? I think every one is perfect the way they are. I know if I saw my photo retouched I would be very upset. I want people to see my pictures for me, not for what other wants me to look like. No one is perfect and I don’t think they should have to fake it either. Who cares if you have a blemish here or there? Everyone gets them. I think celebrities need to get over themselves. Its sad that people just can’t be who they are. Reply

Retouching is a sequence of procedures to fix your skin. It shows you the best possibilities of enhancement that you can incorporate into your life. Today’s technology allows us to bring retouching into the world so that people like the people on the websites can look beautiful. I believe that retouching is not needed. To look your best you don’t necessarily need technology equipment. Physical exercise and healthy eating will just work the same is retouching. Retouching is not needed for physical appearances. It can be used for good crime scenes to help identify the victim’s mistakes and what other clues that can be located within the crime scene. The pictures on the net just show false views of people who don’t really need retouching. I think that if I was digitalized by retouching I would look a lot different. But I believe that I look just right. In my opinion retouching is only for people that don’t believe there self image is perfect for the whole public to notice them. In most cases retouching doesn’t even fix any skin problems, they just make them worse. So they spend all of that money for just have the reputation of getting there skin rejuvenated for people to see. In all retouching is not the only thing you can do to make you look better. Reply

Retouching may be helpful for some pictures like a landscape photo or something like that. It seem like you can get better use out of Photoshop if you were to use it for more useful stuff. I am not putting down touch ups altogether if you need to get it done but many pictures of people look good in original form like a family photo from CVS or what not. The only reason I bring up money is because in some cases you need Adobe Photoshop which costs up to and near 500.00. Retouching is a grate way to fix lighting, background imaging, and simply stuff like that but if you need to retouch a person then your should maybe either find a new location or use a little make up to brighten a face. If you stay fit and workout like 3x a week or what not you will end up looking pretty good in you photos and not have it look like garbage but if you are like these lazy celebrities then you better have the money to pay for the retouching. We all know that people want to look their best when taking photos so just eat and live healthy then you will look good in your photographs.
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retouching is a way waste of moneyReply

Retouching has always been done, although the lengths to which it's going now are ridiculous. But there is one thing I would like to make very clear-- it is NOT EASY!!! Programs like Photoshop make this level of retouching *possible* for professionals, but a random person picked off the street can NOT do this work to publication standards. I used to do it, and I know. If we're talking about the standard an art director expects to see in Cosmopolitan, it's an incredibly demanding craft. One way you can see just how extremely difficult it is to get every detail right is to look at a couple of the less professional sites listed here (the ones with "glamour shots," especially.)They make their subjects look ridiculous because they don't have a truly comprehensive grasp of the artistry. So please, y'all... don't respect the sociocultural meaning of retouching, but please respect the process. It is done by exceptionally talented craftspeople. Reply

God bless you!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for this article! I feel so much better about myself now! I have a really bad habit of comparinf myself to girls in Self and Shape magazine. It makes me feel better to know that they may really not look like that. Thank you so much! You honestly have no idea.Reply

Retouching is more extensive than people realize.Reply

Check out the before and afters on this site:
www.digital-retouching.com
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Models are made into fake perfection for now, but down the road, very soon we will be able to do without models all together. When 3d software gets better than what it is now, models will be replaced by 3d animation, perfect skin, both eye exactly the same size. etc etc The designer will be able to put all the pieces together , choose the eye color , hair color, hair length, lenght of legs, etc etc. No need for make up artist, no need for models who are late or don't show to photoshoot, no need for model agencies, no need for photo touch up, no photography required, just figure out how much money would be saved to have 3d models instead of human models, anyone who has looked at Poser or any similar 3d software or any decent high definition games will know what I am talking about. Bye bye skinny models, hello 3d perfection so real you will have to look very closely to see if its the real thing!!!! Reply

I approve photographs that go in fashion catalogs for a living. Oddly, thin people need retouching, so veins (in arms or hands) or tendons (like the tops of feet) are not overly visible and distracting to the clothing we are trying to promote... Armpits usually need special attention, especially in very thin folks. We don't aim for a super thin model, but the clothing sample size is samll. The art director has been known to cut an item of clothing so it fits or drapes better in the photograph. I have even seen clothes pinned in the back to give a better silohette.Reply

People are taking this the wrong way. I knew they retouch photographs long ago because I use photoshop. Also I have a "higher level of consciousness" :-P. SO in movies i can make out that the actress is not that beautiful especially when she gets out of the frame or the focus of the camera. Ok coming the point.
Two points first of all after knowing this people tend to sit on their @sses and say hey no one can be perfect which is wrong!! dead wrong. I was perfect when i was in college(i used work a lot and eat good food) and i had girlfriend who had such great figures and wow skin. There were no pizza joints and fastfoods in the city and the only place for couples and college kids to hangout were fruit juice corners. Now what do celebs do they party and eat fast food drink diet cokes. They do drugs. Models are not Models(as in role models anymore) and we should not look at the final "photoshopped" product and feel this is not possible. It is! that is what our bodies were supposed to look like that is why celebs and models photoshop it to look that way. It will be only impossible if we follow their lifestyle. The media is trying to make this "imperfect" figure "ok" or "acceptable" because only if we accept then we will not try to find the ways to become perfect. Cause if we find ways to lose all that fat and get super smooth skin you will learn(many people already know) that it is toxins in fast foods, food coloring, MSG, trans fat and pesticides that is keeping us fat. Do you know that MSG messes with your hormones no wonder females are getting mustaches :-P. People are eating "dead" food. Do some research and you will know. SO this was to be discovered but the way media is reporting it is like "hey relax those celebs were not really perfect so live with fat"(which is nothing but toxins accumalated and keep eating the fast food and dont worry about trying to stop it.
The second point is that I have started to wonder what does it really take to become an actress or a model. they all have to be whores. I am sorry but that is the only conclusion. Have you noticed that you will not find photos of Julia roberts(there is only one that questions her hair color) kim basinger or Jenifor aniston in such articles. I read in an interview that Kim basinger always detoxed her body and even had wheatgerm anemas. Jenifor aniston is hot with or without makeup. She has a very good fitness regime that her fitness trainer started selling tapes of her program. It is possible to be fit but along with excercise you have to go organic and natural then only you will get the body god intended you to have(without photoshop).Reply

April--That's really interesting about the tendons and armpits needing airbrushing. I am pretty lean and I hate the way the tendons on my arms and feet show up so bad in pictures with the wrong lighting.

Oddly enough, when I had my wedding pictures done, I didn't need much retouching done at all (even though my photographer told me he could do just about anything I wanted). All that really needed to be done was to airbrush my husband's fingernail that he had bruised the week before and airbrush my veil because it was windy that day. What I should have gotten done was to add some major cleavage...that would've been kind of nice, lol.Reply