Photoshopped Images Could Carry Warnings in France
September 28, 2009 by Lin Edwards
Image: by casillar, photobucket.
(PhysOrg.com) -- A law has been proposed in France that would see digitally enhanced images carry a warning to viewers that the image has been retouched to change the physical appearance of a person. The proposed statement may eventually apply to political campaigns, billboards, photos on packaging, art photos, and press photographs as well as advertisements in magazines and newspapers.
The law has been proposed by Valerie Boyer, a member of parliament in France, because of concerns that airbrushed or "photoshopped" images can distort how people, especially young people, see themselves. Boyer is an advocate for awareness of body image problems such as obesity and anorexia, and worries that the preponderance of enhanced images in magazines encourages people to believe in a non-existent reality.
Boyer believes the disclaimers could help young people realize that touched-up images distort reality. She said that many adolescents, especially young girls, have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not, and they can develop body image problems and unrealistic expectations, that can sometimes lead to anorexia and other serious health problems.
Boyer, a member of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, is backed by fifty other politicians, who are also concerned about protecting consumers, especially young people. Boyer said the group wants to fight the stereotype of women all being young and slim. The move follows a charter agreed to voluntarily by the fashion industry in France to avoid promoting extreme thinness.
If the proposal becomes law French advertisers could be fined up to half the cost of their advertising campaign, or over $54,000 (US), if they do not include the statement. The law is currently being debated in the French parliament.
© 2009 PhysOrg.com
Aug 14, 2007 |
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For that matter, if I was intent on deception, I could use the camera itself to change coloring; then practically any simple image processing program could make the modification shown in the example photo above.
This controversy has been around a long, long time. It's impossible for professionals to do their work, and not make some value judgments. How dark should I print a photo? Depends on where it will be seen. Photos must be adjusted to look acceptable to viewers.
As docknowledge so aptly explained, photography is also an art form.
Better they should look at the education curriculum in France. It would seem that the kids there could improve on their ability to make value judgments about reality and to brush up on their art appreciation.
The amount of photoshopping done on any printed image is staggering.
I, for one, welcome this. When you look at what is done to an image to make a billboard you'll be amazed at how non-human it is. things like making the eyes bigger and further apart. Removing the slightest blemish, reshaping all of the facial lines... this isn't natural and is a long way from changing the color or file format.
Dove did a nice commercial where they take an ordianry girl, show her getting a thousand pictures done, and then show the photoshopping done to make it a billboard. rediculous. The end product didn't look anything like the original. I don't know why they start with a real photo if they are just going to redraw the entire image....
They could tax advertisers a very small amount and use the income for education videos on how deceptive advertising can be and how to avoid deceptive products.
Also don't focus just on the beauty industry either, the majority of corporations use these types of tactics.
Cameras do not record "the truth", they attempt to record light that is sent to their film or sensor. That film or sensor does NOT record every frequency equally. Every film, every sensor is different. Very few people have the understanding, ability or interest to compensate in any scientific way. So, as every photographer does, people invest a minimum amount of time to achieve an acceptable result. There isn't any other possible way to do it.
If flash makes a person look bad -- say because they have oily skin -- well that's the flash, not the "truth". They don't really have a bright shiny spot on their nose. And "redeye"? No one in the world has bright red pupils ... if the photo is NOT retouched it's telling a lie. Not the other way around.
http://www.youtub...yAJOSW8U
I'm not looking at the makeup or hairdo, just the photoshopping. Once again, there is a HUGE differece between fixing read-eye or a bright shiney spot on the forehead and what these people do.
A good photopragher can easily use lighting solutions that combat both of those. That's not the issue. It's the disfiguring of the photograph that is the issue. Please... look at the video and see the differnece.
But there's no way to make a law to enforce that. For thousands of years, women, and sometimes men, put on makeup to improve their appearance. Eye liner to make eyes appear larger, powder to hide skin imperfections. If there's going to be a law about this, then make it a law that nobody may post a photo of themselves online, wearing makeup. Right?
The law should only apply to commercials and only those featuring human body though. Modifications which alter the whole of the body depicted the same way should be allowed, but not those which distort just some parts of it.
Obviously, this law doesn't concern landscapes edits or color adjusting, this is about photoshoping people to distort the way they look which causes a false projection of reality onto the viewers .
Are you stupid or do you like to post negative comments just for the sake of it? Damn trolls..
Then, when the legislation is settled in place, corruption can take its course and things will slowly return to normal for the bigger companies. But just a news headline about this law should help with raising awareness of the issue.
What the law should be instead, is the images of people should have a warning that the model on the photo has not been altered to make here look more skinny than she is, or something along that line. This way, if a photo does not have this warning, don't trust it. If it does have the warning and it's fake, we can sue or even shutdown the business for falsification.
Your incredible talent takes gorgeous women and somehow makes them gorgeouser!
Thanks to you we can enjoy real beauty the way me like it... completely fake!