Can we recognize a retouched photo? Are we aware of the extent to which photos are retouched in the media? Does viewing seemingly perfect photos evoke negative feelings? Photo retouching is not only present in the advertising and fashion industry. Smartphones made it accessible to all users, and social media enabled posting and sharing such photos online. Retouched photos generally contribute to setting unrealistic beauty standards in today’s society, but people do not know that these photos are retouched, which negatively affects their mental health.
With the help of a survey and photographs, this diploma thesis determines whether people can recognize a retouched photograph if it is not specially marked. Hypotheses stipulate that most respondents will not correctly identify whether or not the photographs in the survey are retouched and that female respondents will be more successful in assessing retouched parts of photographs than male respondents.
The theoretical part presents Adobe Photoshop as well as current beauty standards and the psychological impact of retouched photographs on the individual. The experimental part describes the process of making photographs and surveys. The photos, which are retouched according to current beauty standards, utilize different types of retouches of different qualities.
The diploma thesis urges consumers and social media users to question the authenticity of the photos they see in the media. Although the results of the survey were better than expected, one should keep in mind that respondents were able to assume that a certain number of photos in the survey were retouched, given that this was the topic of the survey. However, in most cases in advertising and on social media, it is not indicated that the photo has been retouched, which can be misleading.
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