Photoshop Edits..

I am going to be using photoshop as the medium for editing the final images for 'advertising'. To be able to be confident with these I will have to practice / learn the techniques. Here are a few I've been working on:

1. Hand colouring on photoshop.

Using a greyscale image, converting it to RGB, applying filters and adjusting the colours.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Note: This image was grayscale BEFORE. I coloured it in myself.


2. A basic room, with a wooden textured dining table. Also, five chairs around the room. In gradual stages of development. ..This is the scene I hope to use for the final image, although it is obviously still being developed and modified. All items made from scratch in Adobe Photoshop, with the exception of the wood textures.

I will continue my developing and photoshop manipulation.

Disney Edit / Manipulations :D

I'm basing my research now on REAL people posed into Disney situations..

Alternative Advertising for movies and billboards. Making people question things...

Here are some links for my research:

1.Disney / Marvel Hybrid Photoshopped Pics

2. Mermaid Photo Manipulation Inspiration

3. Mashup Disney Images / Advertising

4. Santa Comes To Town

5. Childrens drawings into photoshopped images

6. Fallen Princesses

7. Abandoned Theaters

8. Superheroes in a nursing home

..Need to find a theme!

Skeleton...

I played slightly with the placing something in Barbie idea... (as just a test of course, I'd use a 'real' person for the final images) and chose to do a skeleton..

It looks pretty weird, I'm sure with more practice, thinner 'peels' and more gaps in between peels that it would look more effective..

Above: Click image for larger picture

I do, however want to capture some organs, with fat dripping down the inside of the models leg, perhaps accumulating on the floor. With a caption somewhere along the lines of 'Its not the beauty on the outside that matters'.

Here is the advanced peeling technique in photoshop:

Above: Click for larger image

And this is the original:

Effective or not? I dont know if I can use this in the project some way?

Amy had some fun!

I've learnt two new photoshop tricks / tools, one being size distortion using photoshop, and the other.. Peeling skin, I'm learning another, more advanced peeling tutorial now...

But here are the examples I've played with so far!

I started off trying to think of how I could show body image in an advertising format.. And something that hasn't already been done...

I thought about healthy foods, and apples popped into my head, the bite mark someone leaves in an apple was the perfect shape for the above picture, where i have been 'eaten away' via eating disorders.. 

Obviously this is only a test piece and the image isn't perfect, captions would be added etc.

I then moved onto body size, and how I could incorporate body dismorphia / body shapes (apple, pear, column, hourglass etc) into an image without the generic woman staring into a mirror... Blahblah.. 

So, as you can see I experimented with different sizes in photoshop using a tool that every image editor will use on women before putting them into the medias spotlight. I took a picture of me, and changed my body shape to extremities, and it's really shocking how things can look so different!! I want to use this in some way - it was fun too!!!

Moving on, I was looking for more 'apple bites' and stumbled across this beauty. The skin has been peeled back in one go (VERY HARD TO DO! lol) revealing an inside layer to the apple. I investigated this 'peeling' technique and found a few tutorials on it, the first being for a lightbulb and second for a hand - but I only tried the lightbulb..

The effects are pretty coool if i do say so myself! Shockingly executed, but then again, it was only my first attempt. Feeling pretty confident with myself I attempted one of my own, so I dug out the Barbie, took pictures of her again and started photoshopping away..

Here are my results!

Above:

First image: Original picture, second image: Partially edited picture, third image: Apple inside the layers to show what I'm attempting to do next.

The next stages:

- I'm hoping to somehow include a slightly shocking / disturbing / thought provoking element within the inside of the barbie. I'm going to try a skeleton and other stuff.. See what I like best!

- Attempt another, more advanced peeling tutorial and more improvisations of its use.

- Try a 'breaking away' effect on a human body, possibly with the aid of some tutorials first, with insides visible maybe?

- Attempt some more images of different sizing..

- Ask Robin tomorrow about modelling silicone head 'mask' to place over a mannequin head (easily acquirable), then I'll peel back the skin (silicone) to reveal something not so nice underneath? A bit like this image, but... not. If you get my drift!

Summary of workings currently:

I think I've found what I'm going to potentially show at the end of the year, and I'm really quite excited about it. I've got the UMPH back in the project again, finally!

Heart Attack Grill

God knows how this place is allowed to survive..

But, I do like the frank-ness of the Heart Attack Grill owner. Follow the link to their website and you can see you can order 'Quadruple Bypass Burgers', 'Flatliner Fries' and other disgustingly fattening foods. The Quadruple Bypass Burger contains 8000 calories and the muffin is soaked in Lard.

Here is a little video on the Grill presented by Bill Geist:


If you want to go and eat in the restaurant and are over 350lbs (25 stone) then you can eat as much as you like for free. This surely cannot be allowed? Also they have a second Grill opeining in Orlando, Florida near the Disney theme park where I will be spending summer 2010 - I need to check this place out!! (Though, I won't be eating anything... ewwww).

As if those girls ever eat any of that. 

It all comes down to body image again, sex sells. The guys who go there wouldn't want to be served by a 25st woman, so why reward a 25st man who walks in with all of the free Fat and death he wants?

Another battle of the sexes and body image fueld lifestyle....

Body Image: Issues / Reasons / Fears

I have finally narrowed down what I want to focus on in this project (D2.3) and that is the issue of Body Image. All my research has been pointing this way and I know from personal experience first hand what it's like to have an eating disorder, to want to be size 0, to be size 0, to not be able to keep down food through fear of becoming fat; and doing everything possible to try and combat this fear.

The trouble is with disorders like this, is that you never really recover fully. I battle every day with my fear, I'm obsessive at making sure all the fat is off of my food and will stop eating when I feel too stressed.. Through this project I want to address the issue of body image, fear, possibly dieting and other surrounding issues. Those aren't particularly clear yet.

Today I have been trawling Youtube for videos on body image and how the media affects the way we think, clothes we buy, personalities, moods and compulsivity. I have found a few interesting and at times disturbing videos:

1. 12 year old Natasha - weighing 4st.


2. Dove - Beauty Pressure

I love this advertisement, especially the part with the woman on the scales, and the shooting through hundreds of existing advertisements around cities. This advert is trying to show real women for what they are, and that being - beautiful.

3.Dont Die For A Diet

The sad thing with this video, is that it seems to be 'known' information to everyone going through this. I myself confess to all of those things; it wasn't a good time.

Your stomach shrinks and cannot hold vast amounts of food. Hair, nails and skin show signs of malnutrition, so even though you're achieving your thin goal - you still hate your appearance. Its a terrible catch 22. You feel pushed to exercise because it's 'healthy' and pass out randomly almost everyday. There are many many more things, although you get the picture.

Silhouette Playing

I had a go at a reallllly basic flash movie of silhouette images on a screen, but i really would like to tween an image where the images of the people changed shape into the following image.. I'm going to have a play with this tomorrow.

But for now here is the first attempt of the flash movie:


Something has happened to the video quality when it was embedded to the blog, although I'll change and update this properly tomorrow!
I think I could quite easily develop this a lot more with a little more practice and more images of females.