Photoshoping pictures OK?

[mvehrs]

Is touching up your pictures in Photoshop or other imaging editing programs OK? If you think it is OK, then when does it become too much and turn more into a graphic design then a photograph? Is even simply tweaking the contrast, color, or levels ethical?

I personally never enhance my photographs (except for lens dust which tends to happen a lot with me). If I do something in Photoshop, it is VERY obvious, like coloring a black and white photo, and making panoramic or HDR photographs.

For what, and how much, do you "enhance" or edit your photos in Photoshop?

 

[LaFoto]

This_thread on the self-same topic (and there are many more around this!) might give you the first "answers".

And also this_one might offer you some interesting food for thought on your own.

 

[LiveWave]

IMHO, for Photojournalism work altering the content of a photograph is completely off grounds, if you adjust contrast and levels as long as it does not change the content I think its fine, but that does not mean go ahead and adjust the contrast all you like, if you adjust it so much it destroys something in the photograph then I believe that has crossed the line.

 

[Arch]

yea see Lafoto's post.... this has come up so many times i don't see a need to keep this one going. Thanks.