147 - None Of What You See Is Real

What this episode covers

With Photoshop, and CGI, none of what you see is real anymore. I explain why. Subscribe: ITUNES | ANDROID | STITCHER | RSS FEED Music and links from this episode Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie Nothing Like Captain Crunch by Broke For Free The Wrong Way by Jazzer Line-by-line notes I recently watched a YouTube video about David Fincher If you dont know him, he's a film director  He's a pretty big deal  He's directed things like Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network, and he was very influential in the making of Netflixs House of Cards As I said, he's a big deal The video I watched was about Fincher use of CGI in films for things that seemed, well, pointless He'd use CGI for putting stuff on Cork boards in detective's rooms And CGI for most of the blood spatters He does it so he has absolute control over how the blood spatter looks He doesn't have to rely on anything as boring as gravity and physics to ruin his shot It got me thinking of the comparison in design Or at least, Photoshopping things And how nearly any photo you see these days Just isn't real This is AADA, and I'm Craig Burgess  MUSIC Let me ask you a question  When you see a photo in a magazine or on a billboard, do you think it's real?  It's a question you probably haven't considered much What is real anyway?  You'll see it, and see its a real human, so yeah, you probably think it's real Or it's a real country side, so yeah, it's real After all, why would anybody bother to fake it rather than just take a photo?  It's sound logic Surely it's easier to send a photographer to a location and take the photo?  Because I'm a designer, I see these things differently.  I know how hard it can be to get a perfect photo I know how much some photos are altered, and sometimes completely changed It isn't often you see a side by side comparison  Between an original photo and the retouched one Just like David Fincher using CGI for surprisingly small things, you'd be surprised how often photos are retouched or photoshopped as most people say I've seen everything from composite photos made Which is where an entirely new image is made from several other images This is usually done for things like movie posters and car advertisements  And everything down to using it for things swapping out skies Or making the sun brighter, or darker  Photoshop is a stupidly powerful tool And it isn't always used for innocent purposee I can't do an episode about photoshop without talking about models Most models are photoshopped in every photo Everything from simple things like removing pores from skin so skin looks smoother, to brightening eyes, removing wrinkles,  And the most despicable of all Changing a models shape Making a model thinner Taller More muscly or more curvy, depending on the model and the purpose needed These photos aren't anything like just taking a photo These kind of photo shoots with models and I say that with lots of inverted commas Are a two part process Photos are taken with the model looking their best The after that, the photos are given to photo retouchers to make them look extra specisl Or to make the model look like they always do in magazines or movies Photoshop has become such a powerful tool at retouching photos Just as CGI is in movies now That you just can't trust a single thing you see anymore  And I'm saying that from somebody in the know.  MUSIC This was AADA, and I’m Craig Burgess Music featured in this episode was: Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie Nothing Like Captain Crunch by Broke For Free The Wrong Way by Jazzer For a line by line rundown go over to https://www.askadesigneranything.com/ep147 Find me on Twitter at @craigburgess I’m back tomorrow Support Ask a Designer Anything Ask a Designer Anything Website Twitter (@craigburgess) Ask a Designer Anything on Facebook Leave me a review on iTunes