FAQ

I posted a comment. Why didn’t it show up?

If you are new to this site your first comment will be held until it is approved by a site administrator. (Don’t take it personally – this is done to thwart spammers.) Once you have had your first comment approved all your other comments will go through automatically. (Please note: If you use excessive foul language, make threats against other users of this site or act like a complete troll I will ban you from commenting altogether.)

Also know that your first comment might not get approved right away. I work on this site in my spare time, so there may be a delay in the approval of your first comment. Rest assured though, I will get to it as soon as I can!

What does “Shopped” mean?

For this site, the definition is…

Shopped
Idiom

1. The past tense of manipulating an image by means of Photoshop (or another image editor).

This looks Shopped. I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few Shops in my time.

2. A photo that was faked by other means prior to Photoshop. (see: double exposure “ghosts”)

3. A hoax photo. (see: Loch Ness Monster)

How do you spot a Shop?

There are many ways to spot a Shop (lighting, shadows, etc.) and there are a couple great articles online about detecting Shops. Please see this post for more information and once you’ve read a bit about digital forensics, take the Real or Fake? quiz!

Where do you stand ethically on Shops?

Granted, a great shop leaves me in awe and a bad Shop leaves me in stitches, but as an Art Director I draw a very hard line when Shops are published by news organizations or passed off as “evidence” of some sort. I don’t agree with or encourage that by any means, and in this day and age I think news organizations especially should be more cautious of photos that are submitted to them. I also think it is kind of irresponsible how glossy entertainment magazines Shop people to the point where even Faith Hill does not look like Faith Hill anymore. I know that is standard for the industry, but just because something is “standard” doesn’t mean it’s right or that it should just be accepted at (heavily airbrushed) face value.

The main purpose of this site is to inform and educate people about Shops so that hopefully they will be a little more skeptical of the imagery they are bombarded with on a daily basis. Photos were manipulated long before Photoshop was invented – it is just a lot easier and more widely seen now.

How did you learn Photoshop? How can I learn it?

I have never taken a class or went to school to learn Photoshop. (When I was studying graphics we still did paste up by hand on boards and if any photo adjustments needed to be made it was done in a darkroom. Gawd, I feel old!) All I did was buy Photoshop and start using it. It really was as simple as that.

Of course, Photoshop is a lot more involved now than it was back then, and I have had the benefit of learning over many years. However, I still believe the best way to learn is to dive right in and start using the program. Don’t be intimidated by it – you aren’t going to burn your house down if you try out a Photoshop filter – it is only a software program. For those of you looking for more concrete information on where and how to learn Photoshop, I wrote a post where I list the guides, tutorials and websites I recommend most.

Photoshop is expensive – is there a cheaper alternative?

Yes! There is image editing software that ranges in price from hundreds of dollars to free! I wrote an extensive post about the various options, so you can find the best software in your price range.

I have a Shop I’d like to submit. How do I go about that?

I’d love to see any and all Shops! Please see the contact page for info on how to send them in!