IT’S FAIR TO SAY that the camera has
changed the world we live in. With the
World Wide Web going live in August
of 199 1, digital photography and image
manipulation boomed alongside the
growth of the internet. The introduction
of Photoshop made manipulation both
more accessible and more convincing
too. Everything we take for granted
today, including brightening, sharpening,
contrast, hue, and saturation levels,
we owe to the advancements of digital
photography and Photoshop.
In the early 2 000s, Sharp introduced
the camera phone. By today’s standards,
they were shocking images, but the idea of
being able to carry around a 2-in- 1 camera
and phone device was a winner. However,
due to the poor quality of the camera
phone, people still continued to carry a
separate digital camera with them. But as
time progressed, so did the quality of all
the components of image manipulation.
Digital cameras received sensors with
larger megapixel capabilities. Better
quality images allowed more impressive
photo manipulation. Image editing
software also vastly improved through the
199 0s and the early 20 00s, with Photoshop
paving the way for graphic designers.
Since its release, Photoshop has
been the industry standard. It made its
way through all types of media, from
magazines to album art, posters to website
designs. Other image editing programs
sprung up, including Microsoft’s Photo
Editor which then became Microsoft
Office Picture Manager. These programs,
however, didn’t have the same scope as
Photoshop and were for more generic
image editing. Most cameras came with
accompanying software that also allowed
for tuning too. Technology was evolving atMODERN
EDITING
such a rate that everything kept improving
in tangent with each other. Throughout
the 199 0s and 2 000s to a point where
digital photography and manipulation
is the norm. You could now practically
design and depict whatever you wanted
in this modern digital age. No longer did
you need a ‘retoucher’, everybody could
attempt image manipulation of their own.THE PROS AND CONS
Towards the end of the 2 000s, phone
cameras improved at a rapid pace. The
iPhone played a huge role in boosting
the popularity of the smartphone and
one thing that constantly evolved was
their cameras. People were starting to
take high-quality images straight from
their phones, uploading them to their
computers and editing them.
However, with the rise of the front-
facing camera and the growth of social
media sites such as Facebook and
Instagram, we started to see an uglier side
of photo manipulation in the past decade.
Of course, the technique of airbrushing
has been used for years, where models
have been edited to appear slimmer and
more aesthetically pleasing for magazinecovers. The beauty standards created
by such unrealistic images is just one
issue with image manipulation, creating
unhealthy expectations that have a
huge effect on younger generations.
With everyone able to take pictures
and airbrush themselves in a matter of
minutes, image manipulation on social
media is an ongoing problem.
The ease by which photos can
be manipulated today has caused a
proliferation of fake news, misleading
advertisements, and even fraud. There’s
a fine line between manipulating images
for artistic license and for the purpose of
deceiving people, whether for financial or
political gain, but where do you draw the
line? You might not think that cropping an
image is deceitful, but what information
has been left out? If one side of an
argument or fight has been cropped, for
example, are you getting the whole story?
When photo manipulation is carried out
by media organizations with the power to
influence millions of people, we’re delving
into the unethical side of image editing.
Image manipulation isn’t all bad
though. Who knew how much fun you
could have by turning yourself into a dog
on Snapchat, for example? It can also
be used to let your imagination flow by
creating amazing pictures, great pieces of
art, or hilarious memes.
Technology is moving at a ridiculous
pace and we no longer keep physical
snaps, we either digitally store them in the
cloud or share them online for the world to
see. With over 1 .8 billion photos uploaded
every day on the internet, it’s almost
impossible to tell what’s real and what’s
not. In just 30 years, image manipulation
and digital photography have certainly
changed the world. The question is,
though, is it for better or for worse?Phones have quickly taken over as the most popular form of camera.As smartphones evolved,
so did their cameras.image manipulation