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Photographer Shares 30 Edited Images To Show How Much They Are Being Photoshopped To Entice People

Taking a good picture isn't easy, though.

Photographer Shares 30 Edited Images To Show How Much They Are Being Photoshopped To Entice People

Some photographers don’t just take pictures, they take control of what you see. A traveler named Stewart posted 30 edited images, and the before-and-after comparisons are so intense they feel like a magic trick with a warning label.

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He shoots street scenes with a small Ricoh GR for the quick, lightweight moments, and he brings heavier DSLR gear like the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200 f/4 when he expects a more planned setup, usually with a tripod. Then comes the complicated part, he shows how the “finished” look is built using Adobe Camera RAW tweaks, Photoshop sunrays and glow effects, Nik Color Efex Pro color enhancements, even manual sky composites and HDR blending.

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1. Which do you prefer?

1. Which do you prefer?petestew
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2. "Color temperature adjustment using Adobe Camera RAW."

2. "Color temperature adjustment using Adobe Camera RAW."petestew
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3. Before and after Photoshop

3. Before and after Photoshoppetestew

4. "Gradual orange sky gradient and color adjustments were performed in Adobe Camera RAW. Sunrays were created in Photoshop, with an added glow."

4. "Gradual orange sky gradient and color adjustments were performed in Adobe Camera RAW. Sunrays were created in Photoshop, with an added glow."petestew

5. The difference is clear

5. The difference is clearpetestew

6. "Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production color enhancements."

6. "Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production color enhancements."petestew

7. A bit of shine here and there

7. A bit of shine here and therepetestew

Stewart starts with the color temperature adjustments in Adobe Camera RAW, and suddenly the sky looks like it got a whole personality upgrade.

The small and portable Ricoh GR fulfills the photographer's passion for street photography to the fullest. He reserves his larger, more complicated DSLR equipment for situations where he typically uses a tripod and has a prearranged setup in mind.

As a full-time traveler, Stewart places a high value on lightweight lenses because every piece of gear he brings affects its weight. To cover a wide to telephoto focal range, he typically uses the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 and Nikon 70-200 f/4 zooms as his main optics.

8. That pop of light

8. That pop of lightpetestew

9. That's definitely not the same

9. That's definitely not the samepetestew

10. The before is preferable

10. The before is preferablepetestew

11. What an edit

11. What an editpetestew

12. And here we go

12. And here we gopetestew

It’s a lot like the friend who shared her sacred family recipe online, forcing a tough decision.

13. "Overexposed image with detail brought back using Camera RAW. Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production color."

13. "Overexposed image with detail brought back using Camera RAW. Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production color."petestew

14. The difference is clear

14. The difference is clearpetestew

15. "Tonal adjustments were made using Nik Color Efex Pro. Composite sky blended into the frame manually."

15. "Tonal adjustments were made using Nik Color Efex Pro. Composite sky blended into the frame manually."petestew

16. Different sunlight

16. Different sunlightpetestew

17. Brighten the rays

17. Brighten the rayspetestew

18. "Perspective re-correction and power line removal in Photoshop. Color enhancements using Color Efex Pro."

18. "Perspective re-correction and power line removal in Photoshop. Color enhancements using Color Efex Pro."petestew

19. More depiction

19. More depictionpetestew

20. The brightening effect

20. The brightening effectpetestew

21. More painting

21. More paintingpetestew

22. "HDR bracketing manually blended in Photoshop. Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production."

22. "HDR bracketing manually blended in Photoshop. Nik Color Efex Pro used for post-production."petestew

23. "Various sky adjustments were performed in Photoshop. Nik Color Efex Pro was used for post-production color enhancements."

23. "Various sky adjustments were performed in Photoshop. Nik Color Efex Pro was used for post-production color enhancements."petestew

24. More greenery

24. More greenerypetestew

25. Riding along

25. Riding alongpetestew

26. Oh my

Two edited outdoor riding photos, one darker, one brighter, with greenery.petestew

27. More lighting

27. More lightingpetestew

28. One's darker than the other

28. One's darker than the otherpetestew

29. "Multiple exposure blended file."

29. "Multiple exposure blended file."petestew

30. Better view

30. Better viewpetestew

Then Photoshop joins the party, adding orange gradients, sunrays, and that “That’s definitely not the same” glow that changes the entire mood.

The edits get even wilder when he brings back detail from overexposure, brightens rays, and manually blends a composite sky into the frame.

By the time he shows HDR bracketing blends, multiple exposure merges, and power line removal, you’re basically watching reality get repainted for “more greenery” and “more lighting.”

There's no end to the things that Photoshop can do, and people are making great use of it. It can be quite disappointing to visit a spot and find out that it's nothing like the photoshopped version.

This is what this photographer is bringing to our attention, and it's quite eye-opening. Leave your comments below, and don't forget to share this post as well.

Stewart’s photos look stunning, but the real question is whether the street was ever that bright to begin with.

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