[literallysame]

Music Video Shows Singer’s Crazy Retouching Transformation

[froggieslightroom]

If anybody is curious how this is done, it isn’t actually retouching. More of a simulation. They took four videos. The first was underexposed and under-saturated. The singer was wearing no makeup. The subsequent videos were shot with different levels of makeup added on. They would add more flattering lighting and use different practical effects to give her a more glamorous look. Then in After Effects they synced up all the videos and used tracking to line her up perfectly. The no-makeup video was the top layer. Then they would erase bits of the top layer to show the video underneath. And then they did some digital coloring effects to the final version. The truth is, actual retouching can go much, much farther and is quite a bit scarier. It is just not possible to represent that in a video, so I think they did an incredible job simulating it. 

I often think about the power of retouching in my photos. I have over a decade of experience in photoshop and if I wanted to, I could create those pore-less “perfect” images you might see on the cover of Vogue. I certainly think removing blemishes and a few distracting bits is okay. You want to present the best version of the person while still being realistic. But when you alter a person’s appearance to the point where they are no longer themselves, I think that is much too far.

Some say they want photos not to be retouched at all, and I think that is a mistake. Modern digital cameras can capture so much detail that they can show things even the human eye could not detect. Sometimes you have to dial back that detail to keep things authentic.

Knowing where the line is… knowing when you have gone too far… that can be tricky. I think as photographers and digital artists we need to be very conscious of this power we can wield. It’s okay to not look perfect. Honestly I think perfection is boring. Everyone ends up looking the same. I think it is our imperfections that make us unique. They make us beautiful. Distorting that beauty and calling it perfection is a problem. It is a practice that needs to stop. So like I said, present the best version of your subject, but don’t turn them into someone else to fit some twisted ideal.