Composite Image Making

Composite image making is how an image is made using several other images which have been manipulated to form the image. I think composite image making is right for magazines in some circumstances because the editor of the magazine has to make the cover look approachable so people will buy it. However, if it is being used to change how someone looks completely to show how people are supposed to look I think this is wrong as it gives false hope to people who are viewing this image. It shouldn't be used if it is set up to lie to someone, for example if it is used on the news this isn't right because people want to see the real things that are happening rather than a made up image that may extend the truth of what is actually happening.

We use photoshop to manipulate the captured image to an extent determined by the artist/retoucher. In some senses photoshop is used in a reasonable way to colour balance, contrast, cropping. In other senses such as retouching and airbrushing to an extent is okay but if is completely changing the look of someone then it is wrong. It is completely wrong to composition a person because it is changing the person completely to look like a different person.

In this case I think composite imaging is wrong as they have changes the appearance of his skin which can be seen as controversial as they are playing with his race. By making him darker they are saying that he looks more guilty. This can be seen as racist as they are showing that people with darker skin look more guilty. It would be the same if they had made his skin lighter and said he looks more approachable just because he has lighter skin. Composite imaging should absolutely not be used in this way at all. 

In this case I think composite imaging is acceptable because it has just been used to create a nice image. There is nothing controversial about this image, it doesn't offend anyone in anyway. This picture may just be being used for an advert in a magazine which we all know composite imaging is used to make the adept look more inciting so we take a second look. If composite imaging was used in this case it is acceptable because nobody takes office to it.

This is a composite image I made using Photoshop. To create this image I used two images, on of the River Thames and a rubber duck. It shows three ducks on the Thames to appear as if they are actually floating which we obviously know isn't real. In this case we can see that composite imaging has been used so we learn to accept it. If this was being used to convince someone that this had really happened it would be wrong because it is a lie.