(Originally posted as: So, What’s a Virtual MakeOver Anyway? by Jennifer Barlow 9/29/2009)
I love makeup and I love makeovers. My best friend and I used to do makeovers all the time when we were teens. I even did my sister’s makeup for her wedding. I think that’s why I created the virtual makeover photo editing series at Digital Scrapbooks and More called the Digi MakeOver Madness Series.
The new-age, modern approach to applying makeup is even more exciting to me. As a girl who has suffered through ridiculously bad acne. I really knew first-hand that makeup can only go so far. If you have a massive zit on your face, you can load on the concealer, foundation, and powder, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to see it anymore.
And have you tried those over the counter whitening strips yet (the kind you can buy from the grocery store)? The first time I used them they hurt my teeth so bad I actually had to take them off my teeth after one minute! My teeth didn’t hurt the second time, but the strips felt nasty in my mouth and were not always terribly convenient to use. At the end of the day, I spent $30 on these stupid strips that I never use, and to me, that isn’t cheap.
My makeup isn’t any better either. I try to be as all-natural as I can when it comes to food and even makeup, so I bought a healthier “mercury-free” mascara the other day. It’s actually gluten-free too, which is especially important because I have Celiac Disease (can’t eat wheat, flour…essentially can’t eat gluten) and the Pros? I really like this new mascara and it doesn’t irritate my eyes. But the Cons? It was $24! I bought a gluten-free lipstick too for $20 and almost went bankrupt. It was insane.
Why does it have to cost so much to look good? I don’t think it should. By looking beyond conventional, traditional makeup and beauty products, you can save a lot of money and achieve the same (though usually better) results! How you ask? With virtual makeup! By giving yourself a virtual makeover, you can save some serious money, but still look great in your photos. You can make professional photos for work, like resumes or company parties, edit them, and look fabulous. Or pictures for your personal website, Myspace, or Facebook profile? Edit them and look fabulous. Got pics that you want to put in frames, digital scrapbooking albums, or send as holiday cards to friends and family? You know what I am going to say: Edit them and look fabulous.
I mean it! A professional magazine never lets their celebrities or models go without retouching the photos. The models are gorgeous, but even then, if it’s going to be on the cover of a magazine, I’ve never seen a model with a huge, honker of a zit on the front page (unless it’s The National Enquirer or People Magazine or something…). They will edit them, retouch, and airbrush the photos, but yes, sometimes they go a little too far.
I don’t think there is any reason to “photoshop” people to the point that they don’t look like themselves anymore, but I do think that you have every right to remove a zit from a photo if you don’t want it there. Again, I think it’s the same concept as makeup. If you have blemish on your face, you may decide to put makeup on it. Makeup might make your feel better, prettier, whatever. And virtual makeup can do the same. You can make quick, simple edits to apply natural-looking virtual makeup- as much or as little as you want.
One of my good friends even said this about editing her photos: “I took some family portraits a while ago and had them made into large, framed photos in my living room. But when I saw the final outcome of the pics, I knew I couldn’t walk by it everyday and be reminded that I was a “little larger” than I used to be. I took out some of the obvious bulky lumps on my tummy in the photo and now I love it and admire it every day. I still look like me and sometimes I even think it gives me the encouragement I need to do just a little better that day…”
I think that says it all. Photo editing can make you feel confident in your photos and not stray away from the camera. There’s nothing worse than someone you love and care about, who is absolutely beautiful, that refuses to take photographs because they don’t like the way they look in pics. A little photo editing can help anyone feel confident in their photos and smile again for the camera!
Many times, professionals retouch photos that have nothing to do with virtual makeup too. I actually had a professional photography session a while ago, and the photographer took pics of me with all kind of lighting. She kept taking photos that had shadows all over my face and body, and had to readjust the lighting several times before it reflected well onto me and into the pictures. Even after she got the lighting in the best position that she could, there still had to be a little editing just when it came to the shadows! Photo editing doesn’t always have to be for makeover purposes- it can be for lighting, removing shadows, or removing errors with the picture that sometimes have nothing to do with the virtual makeup!
Give photo editing and virtual makeovers a try with Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Digi MakeOver Madness Tutorials- photo editing training that’s inexpensive and a lot of fun! The Digi MakeOver’s start at $1.99 a tutorial, which makes them affordable for anyone- even on a budget! Give photo editing and digi makeovers a try yourself!
-Jennifer
Check out other Photo Editing Training in our Scrap Shop!
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After the photo is taken you can edit and fix it or take it an edit it for more dramatic and lovely affects! Learn more about photo editing using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements
Check out these Photo Editing Tutorials:
Airbrushing Portrait Photos in Photoshop Elements 7
Removing Shadows and Lightening Photos in Photoshop Elements
Convert Photos to Black and White in Photoshop Elements
Removing Demon-Looking Red-Eye in Photoshop
Removing Demon-Looking Red-Eye in Photoshop Elements
Getting Rid of Wrinkles, Zits, or Moles in Photoshop Elements
Whitening Teeth within Photoshop Elements
Adjusting Skin Tones and Digi Tanning in Photoshop Elements
Removing Wrinkles, Lines, and Bags in Photoshop Elements
Also see these baby editing tutorials:
Happy Scrapping and Photo Editing!
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