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August 09, 2006

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Now this graphic enhancement may be slightly over-kill, and I smoothed out the wrinkles a bit too much and to the point where the skin almost looks fake. But this sample does display the ability to totally alter an image, so much, that a person's age or physical characteristics can be altered quite dramatically. These techniques are not uncommon to make a model even more beautiful than life. Many advertisements we see in magazines have been altered in ways like these.

What I used for this image was a simple "cloning" or "rubber stamp" tool to copy some of the smooth areas of the skin over the more wrinkled areas. This really helps in keeping the real texture of the skin. However, it can sometimes be quite tricky in maintaining various lighting and shading. Then I used a "blending" tool to go further in taking out slight blemishes that the skin can acquire over time. This is actually where I went too far in this sample as it took away a lot of that natural texture and made the skin seem more artificial and somewhat plastic.
 But this was just an experiment to see how many years I could attempt to take back from a subject. 

So, the next time you pick up a magazine, don't feel bad that you can't seem to look quite as good as the model on the cover.
Because, chances are, she most likely doesn't really look all that great either.

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