I think that everyone should do what they like about editing photos they post here.
I haven't posted pictures or changed my avatar in a few years.
Since then, I have become a photography enthusiast and now use Lightroom5 and Photoshop Elements11 to edit the photos I take with my DSLR.
If I start posting photos here again and go very much beyond color balance/crop/straighten I will include a line in the post that I did so and might include before and after versions.
Candice's youtube videos prove her figure is real, can photoshop a video.
Just cropped, though I usually take a large batch of pics and choose the nicest one.....
U feel cheated, Zylia? When and how? Did u meet the person in the pic and they looked; much older, homelier, fatter? Well, that happens to me ALL THE TIME! As I'm dating GG women I meet on line. Can't tell u the last time one of them looked just like her photos. But, I don't feel cheated. Most r simply trying to present their best image possible. And, the same is tru for most of the girls here!
Look, if u want to make snarky remarks, check out Sherry's pics and fire away. She's used to it! As for disclaimers, I wear masks to look better. But, just for your info. While I DO edit most of my pics and use every physical trick I can think of, I don't own Photoshop or similar soft ware.Originally Posted by Zylia
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
Picasa is free, and easy to use, and three things that are really easy to do are:
lighten a dark picture
rotate a picture 90 degrees.
crop.
Deedee
Last edited by Deedee Skyblue; 07-31-2013 at 06:15 AM.
It's not wrong... but it is forbidden!
I can see the point here, for me I accept my pictures as is if they look shit I learn to do a better job on my outfit and make up etc, all my pictures are 100% me with no photoshop, I can't tell either really if someone has used photoshop, whats the point its not potraying a true image. If I nail a look I get a buzz out of it after all whats the point in doing make up etc if you going to photoshop the image it is cheating a wee bit I think just my opinion
This is the digital age. Anything in a digital format may have been modified in some way. For some of us crossdressing is living a fantasy so why shouldn't the photos alter reality too. The technology gives us all the power do whatever we please with our image and only someone that knows us or the NSA will know the difference.
I took photoshop in '97 and installed it on my computer. But the upgrades have been too expensive so now I use Gimp. But I don't use it to manipulate my photos. What I do is suck my stomach in the best I can as the timed option takes the photo. I go thru about 30-40 pics to select a good one for my profile and avatar. Cropping out background, increasing exposure and contrast is done with most of my photos.
I ran into a CD online a couple of years ago that claimed she went to a specialist to get a makeover and photo shoot. I couldn't believe how fantastic her body looked as she was in my age group. I took me a while to conclude that her face was attached to women's bodies. That is deceptive, but maybe it made her happy, idk. Yes, we learned that technique in the class I took, and it's tedious work to really pull it off.
I also see the point that when people ask for an opinion on a picture if its been heavily doctored with photoshop why ask for an opinion as the image isn't a true image anyway, each to their own I guess I am still looking and can't find any in the picture forums.
All I do with my photos is crop and resize them. You get the unmodified Amy.
- Amy
Amy Gale Ruth Bowersox (nee Tapie) - "Be who you are, and be it in style!"
Member, Board of Trustees, Gender Identity Center of Colorado
aka Amelia Storm - Ms. Majestic Hearts of All Colorado 2018-2019, Miss Majestic Hearts of All Colorado 2015-2016
I recall several years ago when I was accused of photoshopping the background setting in my pictures, just cause "crossdressers don't go to those busy places in real life". The places were like festivals (Folklorama and the Fringe) and I wore clothes like jeans skirts at that time. Just because I did not become defensive, I was deemed guilty by those folks. Would be interesting to see what that group would accuse me of now LOL
I usually take 10 or so pictures and select the best of the bunch. Then I crop, and size them.
Personally, I see no difference in what I do than some one who uses Photo Shop. I am only selecting pictures that have just the right lighting, and are just the right distance to make me look good. But I know, deep in my heart, that i really look like that old haggy woman in those pictures I do not use.
I discovered this while watching myself on a video of a Miss CGS pageant.
I noticed, that most of the crossdressers, including me, really didn't move, sound, or look like actual women.
But I had a good time.
Before there was photo shop there were air brushes.
The technique may have changed, but the beat goes on.
That is a very good point. Maybe we should just be required to post all the pics, good and bad, just to make a few happy that we are not "cheating". Hell, I am cheating every time I get dressed as a woman, and I truly do love and enjoy it.
This is an interesting question. Sometimes it is fun give yourself a little "help". You do need to learn to be subtle with retouching.
Many portrait photographers do things like skin softening, blemish removal, eye and teeth whitening, etc. They are trying to sell there work and these things help. If you know how to do this, why shouldn't you do this for your efforts to present as female?
I used to use Portrait Professional in the female mode, but the results could be a little strange at times. The other techniques I mentioned work better and are more natural.
Also, learning to use lighting is a huge help. I use 2 studio lights with softboxes. The softer shadows really enhance your looks. Because of this I seldom do much to the pics posted here.
And girls, PLEASE think about what is in the frame when you take photos. Seeing all kinds of junk around you in a pic does nothing to enhance your femininity.
My 2 cents,
Betty
Hi Everybody.
I would say mine is very altered. Let's see, I'm wearing a wig, make up, jewelry, my nails are long, I have a girls top on and I think I was wearing a skirt and some flats at the time. And I have a Glass of Iced Coffee(Leona)
What? That's not really the way some members look? WoW! I've been trying for weeks to loos 20 pounds and now I learn that all I have to do is morph myself with a young beautiful woman.
Just to let you know retouching a face for a cosmetic ad takes about 8 hours. If you aren't an accomplished Photoshop diva you can get them retouched for $8 to less than $50. You will be amazed at what they can do. Many photographers including several famous ones I know outsource their images.
Last edited by lingerieLiz; 07-30-2013 at 10:52 PM.
Cropping is the extent of my photo altering abilities. The other poor man's/woman's editing consist of being seated to disguise or diminish male size, and avoiding shots that show my side profile which again emphasizes too much of male features. Never going to use anyone else's body or that of GG with my face posted on it. I've worked to hard for my body to do otherwise.
[SIZE="3"]MUSCULAR GIRLS ARE PRETTY!!![/SIZE]
Current Inspirational Song-"Running Free"- Kissin Dynamite
M-E-A-T, M-A-C-H-I-N-E, MEAT MACHINE!, MEAT MACHINE!!!
The Governor for President 2016!!
All I want for Christmas is an Anita Model Synth
Here are the things I may or may not do to My pictures:
Crop: to take out ANYTHING that may identify Me, or my house
Resize: because they are bigger than this forum allows (and sometimes resizing them alters their look)
Lighten: because I get so many different pictures due to the natural light dimming or brightening
Sharpen: After I lighten them they may need to be sharpened a bit
Fixes: remove a string I didn't know was hanging from the top or skirt, or to remove a "fuzz ball of light" or dust, or to cover something because the skirt rode up lol
For the most part though, my pictures are mainly unaltered other than the crop.
I have played and played with the settings on my camera since I got this new one and sometimes I get unwanted effects. Like something will be smoother than it should or it is really fuzzy, If it's a nice picture to begin with (because I can take 100 and get about 2 that please me) then I will do whatever to make it presentable, not to "cheat" anyone.
Since most of what is seen HERE on the forum is from my neck down, hardly anything past crop is preformed on them. My legs are my legs and so on. I have a few very close friends that have seen full pics and believe me, I wish I had altered them sometimes lol
Flip Flops were made for Beaches & Bath Houses, We have neither in 2017. Lose the flip flops!
This IS the Internet. And the type of Forum makes no difference. I think it's prudent to never trust ANY image as "accurate" or authentic unless and until you meet someone face to face. Besides, it does not really matter here does it, unless one is looking for a date here?
As an aside, anyone can have "better" pics w/o any fancy editing or an expensive camera with nothing more than proper LIGHTING. A couple or 3 cheap clamp lights and a little reading on LIGHTING can knock an easy five years if not 10 off of most people's appearance.
"Good/proper" lighting is THE foundation for any good photograph regardless of the subject matter.
Women hide there flaws with make up, hair dye, and control garments such as girdles, padded bras, and padded panties, so if I guy needs to use photoshop, is it really all that different. Everyone wants to be seen in the best light.
No I don't, but only because I don't know how.
Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.
And this really is the best method of all. Serves me well
As WAH said, lighting is everything. My worst crime too.
Rebecca
I cant say for everyone, but in my case, I like to see how I look with more feminine features using Photoshop but I just do it for myself. You have to accept your real look anyway.
Just another brazilian girl.
As most of my photos are usually taken with a camera phone, the lighting isn't too great, so I adjust the levels, colour balance etc in photoshop. Also cropping means more of me and less of the room. (Usually there's a pile of makeup and clothes just out of shot!)
I will take a few pictures and select the best one. Also something that I don't think has been mentioned- learning how to pose! Standing in a manly way with legs apart won't do you too many favours, legs together, slight tilt of the hips makes a difference. And choice of clothes.. Argh there's so much to consider! But I love it.
I was a professional photographer for a good portion of my life, and now am retired to the semi-pro (amateur) status. I have never taken a good self shot, Maybe just more critical than on my commissioned work, but I sue photoshop a lot. Doing all the regular stuff plus I will always remove a lot of the roadmap on my face and neck. Outside of the vanity factor, it is a better photo, almost wdorthy of public viewing.
Bobbi
Well, how this usually works is you look at a picture and something seems off, and then you start to pay attention to details and you may notice physical improbabilities, or simply just artifacts of the editing process like blurred pixels/edges, cloned areas, etc. To use a suitable metaphor: not unlike a CD that's trying to 'pass' on the streets but gets read because one detail isn't exactly right and subsequently the whole illusion falls apart. You don't necessarily have to know how the CD looks 'undressed' to read her.
What people generally do is taking dozens of pictures and picking the one in which they look the most favorable. Somehow that doesn't really seem to be the same thing as a person altering his or her own appearance in a picture to look better, but your mileage may vary. A line seems to be crossed, but I'm not sure where to draw it.
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