"Airbrushed"

[druid]

Time and again I encounter artistic photography which includes some lovely ladies with or without clothes. Sometimes people voice their dislike on the images because they have been 'airbrushed'.

Can someone actually explain what has been airbrushed and where? Owning an airbrush myself I can't see the point here, it's not the best tool for image manipulation. Yes I know you probably mean digital airbrushing (I own one of those too) but that doesn't really change the matter because I believe the argument is older than Photoshop (the magazine I'm about to mention certainly is).

If the misleading term refers to the overall smoothness and tones, well that can be achieved with photography. As a matter of fact, skintones have always been important to Hef. :cool: It's a skill the amateurs fail in completely; there's only so many variations of the livingroom photoshoot with the camera's built-in flash.

The airbrushing theme seems to arise especially with Playboy and usually without any further explanation. The general attitude seems to be "It's Playboy so it must be fake". As reader of said magazine I'd like some clarification.

I put this in Photography because I do believe you can do amazing things with a camera even if you do touch up the images afterwards.

Discuss.

[Hippy Vindalou]

Once upon a time you could buy an airbrush specifically for doing photos, it used special inks, could go down to an incredibly small fan size (smaller than your average airbrush) and actually had a small fan in the aircap which helped to disperse the ink more evenly. I had a photo of one in a book but cant find it right now.
It was used to cover blemishes on the photo as much as blemishes on the models skin. This was all pre digital of course.

[druid]

What is an average airbrush though? Mine is about mid-range and it does a sub-millimeter line. The concept sounds interesting especially if those inks can create a photorealistic result. I think you'd have to use several tones of the same colour and paint in successive layers. Sounds tedious.

As for the blemishes, a lot can be done with proper lighting and filters.

[Hippy Vindalou]

I found the one, but I cant scan it, if you google for Paasche turbo you will see what I mean. It has a way smaller nozzle and aircap than normal and a small turbine to disperse the dye.
I have a paasche VLS I think (its a double action anyway). They are labeled differently to when I bought it (must be about 12 years ago) It came with 3 different needle sizes and has lasted superbly.
I loved useing it but havent had time in years to do anything worthwhile.

[MisterBishi]

I think that in the brave new world that is the digital age, the term airbrushing isnt to be taken literally and just means edited/manipulated.

[druid]

I thought that might be the case. Another thing that came into mind was applying makeup with an airbrush before the photoshoot. Either way comments like that without further proof set me up the http://www.bannedwagon.net/forums/html/emoticons/nono.gif. No photograph is ever exactly like the real thing. It's always the photographer's rendering of the subject unless they are in the aerial reconnaissance business and are required to record the subject as accurately as possible.


Hippy, that's a fairly impressive airbrush. Do you know if it works well with most paint types or only inks?

[MisterBishi]

ARTISTIC LICENSE on the internet?

[druid]

ARTISTIC LICENSE on the internet?

NEVER! Anything but pure amateur is always a fake! :swear:

[beowulf437]

Quite a few years ago a friend of mine did photography for Penthouse and Oui (he passed away 13 years ago) basically he said most of the girls, though pretty were not gorgeous. After the girls were made up (full body makeup) and with the right lighting and camera angles he would make these girls look like goddesses. Seldom did he have to do any manipulation to to the finished photographs, occasionally he would do chroma correction or play with the contrast during developing.

[druid]

Interesting. That sort of thing proves (at least to me) that photography is a rather multifaceted art. It's a shame to see so many works stamped with the "bah, airbrushed" stamp just because the viewer doesn't know better.

What about extensive post processing? Forget the pretty ladies and expand the horizon: Are digitally manipulated images somehow less worthy?

[beowulf437]

Most amature pornographers make a lot of mistakes in their pictures with bad lighting, using too bright or too close of a flash, poor camera angles, and wrong lens type or wrong settings on their camera. Professional photographers seldom use a direct flash and often will take dozens of photos to use only five or six.

Full body makeup not only hides small blemishes and helps even out skin tone, but can also highlight attractive features and reduce shine on the subject.

[cyberwired]

Since I've done it myself, fixing up blemishes on photos of girls etc (did some work for a modeling agency)
Never used the airbrush, using a blur tool you could make it look smooth without bringing in a different colour onto the skin
Or using the clone tool etc just taking a patch of skin close by and putting over the top of a freckle or something
You can get a lovely photo but see light hair's on girls skin and with bluring it etc it makes it look smooth

Its best if makeup is done properly in the first instance but otherwise lil photoshop works.

When you take out a few little bits it can still look fine but when you have a model with skin a smooth as anything and totally blurred skin that it looks smooth, half the time its for that effect and the other half is just been carried away or something.
Models don't look as hot in real life as they do in photos a lot of the time, esp when their potty mouths open up and start bitching

[brotherkrusty]

Take the issue away from pr0n and into the world of those studio shoots you can buy for your wife/GF. If for $100 buck or what ever you could get a shot of what your better half looked like before she goes ugly, wouldn't an extra bit of touch up be good?

Once she turns into a dragon your mates will always be able to say - atleast she looked good when you married her.

On more serious note. What some of these photoshop wizzards should be recognised for what they do, these guys are artists too remember. Perpetuating the myth of complete female perfection aside, these guys do a job that requires skill and a full understanding of form, tone and light just like a photographer. They deserve a better rap.

BTW when you blow is your O less because of the touch up.

Kind of like Banky in Chasing Amy.

"I'm the inker"
"you just colour between the lines"

[Hippy Vindalou]

It can only really use liquid dyes and artists watercolours, things with a low solids content, anything else and it would clog the nozzle as soon as the air was released.
Because they give such pinpoint acuracy they were good for getting rid of scratches and whatnot from photos.
Apparently they were also used in Playboy and suchlike to make small sections look out of focus. Ie if the photo may have a little to much "gash" for the censors they would blur that section a bit. I have seen this done in Playboy as a kid and was not impressed. :)
It doesnt look like Paasche even make them anymore. Another fine skill gone the way of the dodo. Or more like its just evolved I guess. Digital manipulation requires just as much patience and skill, just a different medium to control. (though its easier to fix your fuckups with an undo button)

[druid]

Full body makeup not only hides small blemishes and helps even out skin tone, but can also highlight attractive features and reduce shine on the subject.

That's why I want to get in the makeup business with my airbrush. :D I don't oppose body painting either.

Interesting opinions all over. I for one agree that whatever digital you do it requires skill. A lot of skill if you can think outside the standard filters and fly with it.

[Movius]

I believe airbrushes were used in ye olden times to hide and/or mask alterations to photographs, rather than directly alter the photograph as such.