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3 Subtle Ways Influencers Edit Their Photos & How to Spot Them

The photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is used by nearly every professional photographer across the globe. Professional retouchers are able to use this type of software to subtly edit away imperfections until a photograph looks perfect. Most people on social media are not willing to pay a professional to edit their selfies. Instead, they've taken things into their own hands with easier-to-use apps such as Facetune. Here are some telltale signs that the photo you are seeing on your Instagram feed was altered:


1. Warped Background


Kylie Jenner photoshop fail - caught facetuning her waist on social media

The most well-known sign of photo altercation, that got a lot of celebrities busted especially in the early 2010s. A professional retoucher might be able to use Liquify (a Photoshop tool) to alter the appearance of your body while keeping the background intact. The same cannot be said for the Reshape tool on Facetune which is most often used to push your waist in or your hips out. The only problem is this editing trick will also push your background in or out alongside your body. Suddenly, your doorframe will have a curve to it as well as your waist.


2. Skin Is Too Perfect



While a professional retoucher may have the skill to remove all blemishes, freckles, and unwanted imperfections while still keeping it natural, your easy-to-use apps don't. The two most commonly used tools on Facetune are blur and patch. The simplicity of these tools can start making your skin look almost painted on and definitely extremely unrealistic. It is perfectly normal for your skin to have texture & pores. No makeup can completely blur your face, so if it looks too good to be true - it probably is.


3. Check Shadows & Reflections



If a photo just doesn't look right but you can't put your finger on it, you can always look to the shadows or reflections if there are any. While this may be considered a "rookie mistake" by some, editing shadows & reflections on a simple software such as Facetune is surprisingly difficult. Many people are often so focused on editing themselves that they forget to edit anything else.


As technology develops, it becomes more easily accessible by the masses. The sad thing is this technology does not stop at photos. It wasn't until recently that most people began finding out that many of these effects can be applied to live video as well. We don't recommend that you go hunting through the feed of any celebrity or influencer to find where they might have edited their photos. However, we give you these tips in hopes that you can remind yourself that not everything you see on social media is the way that it seems. Each adjustment made to these photos may be small and usually unnoticeable to the untrained eye, however, when all the adjustments are put together it is night and day between Instagram and Reality.




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