Photoshop Use: How Much Is Too Much?

You may do it without thinking. You select a warm filter from Instagram for that photo of you and your friends, or you hit the "retouch" button in iPhoto before uploading your headshot to your OkCupid profile. Glamour's independent survey of 1,000 U.S. women found that almost 60 percent of women think it's okay to alter personal photos -- and 41 percent of women ages 18-24 do it (the number dips slighty for women between 25-29; only 23 percent of women in this age group fessed up to retouching photos).

Glamour's Shaun Dreisbach partly attributes the findings to how accessible personal photos are now, thanks to digital photosharing platforms: "Think about it: Photos no longer live in a dusty box on a shelf; they live online, for the public to judge," writes Glamour's Shaun Dreisbach. And judge they do; the comments on Jezebel's "Photoshop of Horrors" section are filled with critiques of publications who retouch women -- women whose looks, un-Photoshopped, are the envy of many other women. But if the Glamour survey results are accurate and so many women do retouch their own photos, is it fair to criticize magazines for doing the same?

Tell us about your retouching habits:

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Do you ever retouch photos of yourself?

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Comments

[Catbus]

11:43 AM on 02/23/2012

Here's one trick I do use: I have a digital camera with a sepia-tone "filter" setting (like black-and-white, but with a warm tone). Using this filter, I shoot a self-portrait of myself wearing a black shirt against a plain background. I open the resulting picture in Photoshop and apply the Auto Color Correction feature. That's it. No blurring or shrinking or growing of features. The results are neat-looking and very flattering. Try it!

[MartinGillespie]

04:23 PM on 02/22/2012

I usually put a pair of breasts where my head would normally be.

[Brianna Cole]

08:39 AM on 02/13/2012

I have never once photoshopped a picture of myself. I wouldn't even know how.... Before reading this article, I was unaware that there were websites that do it too! Wow, I am behind the times. Meh, I look crappy in photos. If a guy sees my photo and likes it, he always tells me I look incredible in person. If he sees it, and won't meet with me because I'm not "pretty enough" for him... Well, his loss. I'm not going to mess around with photos. It seems, wierd...

[qsfoxx]

06:08 AM on 02/13/2012

Many digital cameras are very harsh and unflattering adding years to a person's appearance. Whenever I shoot at a wedding (non-professionally,) I always erase out the zits on the bride's face and the wrinkles from the in-laws and outlaws. lol They all seem to like it better that way.

[freedomfighter30]

05:55 AM on 02/13/2012

Think documents aren't photoshoped?

[wakohnen]

05:17 AM on 02/13/2012

I figure that if folks cannot stand to look at a photo of me as I am in real life, they certainly will not be able to handle looking at me in person. Excessive photo touch ups only sets you (and your friends) up for disappointment when meeting face to face.

[rredtag]

03:54 AM on 02/13/2012

No need. LOL

[ablacks657]

02:27 AM on 02/13/2012

Models, photographers, egomaniacs, presidents - they all do it well.

[jking41198]

01:06 AM on 02/13/2012

Why alter photos? If you are on a dating site and your photo is different than your appearance in real life, you may get to meet someone but they will have second thoughts. Be honest, show your real self.
I see nothing wrong with correcting exposure but it should go beyond that. I have seen hair color altered and worse.

[lobstur]

08:03 PM on 02/12/2012

Disgusting tactic. Deceitful. Women.

[rezzup]

07:50 PM on 02/12/2012

Yes, I do, but usually just to improve lighting, or to correct over/under exposure, or contrast. Things like that.

[edolczyk]

07:06 PM on 02/12/2012

I use Photoshop to add contrast or enhance the background in nature scenes that I photograph, but I don't retouch any photos of myself. I just try and smile pleasingly. I used to have acne when I was a teen, but that's been long gone so I don't have to worry about that. BTW, I like the left side version of that gal more than the right side. The right side would be more for modeling, and the left side for everyday things like social networking IMO.

[MizzJan]

07:05 PM on 02/12/2012

I'm "old school". I still print them out at Meijer store and put them in photo albums! I still like "real" pictures that can be handed to someone without the use of a computer. They're mostly of my grand-daughter, and she doesn't need re-touched. ha!

[spkninglsh]

06:20 PM on 02/11/2012

I just use pics of George Clooney or Ryan Gosling.

[ljconner]

11:19 PM on 02/12/2012

Your post is too funny....made me smile :)

[Bianca S]

04:47 PM on 02/11/2012

I retouch the photo to take out the red eye and crop out people and so on, but I don't photoshop myself to erase a blemish or what not. I have friends who photoshop themselves to the point they're unreconizable and it makes me laugh; the person who meets them in person is going to be mighy disappointed lol. I think it's for the same reason why I refuse to buy into the spanx phenomenom, buy larger sizes, or wear sweatpants when I eat-it makes me too comfortable (turns into laziness) and I think I'd use it as a crutch to look give me a false sense of looking better than I do rather than doing the things (workout, eat a healthy diet) to ensure I don't need to use photoshop in the first place.