Has that been ‘shopped?

I wouldn’t normally write about software, for two reasons. 1. Its fairly dull and most people don’t want to read about it. 2. It really is dull and nobody you would want to talk to would read about it.

So I’m not, not directly anyway. I was quite stunned recently when a colleague sent me a link to a preview for Photoshop 5. It seems to be able to create actions using various tools which seem beyond normal software comprehension. I mean, it is really quite amazing, it has the ability to read what the image is and what its made up of and work using that information. So its not just reading it as a series of pixels, but more of what those pixels are doing with each other and how they relate.

But then it got me thinking. How far can we push this sort of technology? Will it be a case of uploading a terrible shot of yourself into some software, directly telling it that you want yourself 5 years younger and placed in a more suitable environment? Do we need this sort of software for the ‘common man’*, sitting in his bedroom manipulating imagery to a point where it is unrecognizable as fact? Does this make the web or any part of the outside world where imagery is exposed a dangerous environment? Only a handful of people can do a decent job to an image in todays available software. But what will happen in 20 years? Do we become paranoid creatures, walking around in disbelief at anything we see which has been printed or screen ready? And what if we can then start to heavily manipulate video, using basic software? What then? And what if we could then manipulate reality!!!!! OK, too far.

So, something to think about. Is software simply going too far. Should we put a leash on it. I personally have visions of court cases where reality is so obscured by manipulation that we cant realise the truth. “Well Mr. Johnson, its fairly clear from these images that you WERE dressed in a latex nun suit and WERE found to be stealing goats from your neighbour...”

“Bah, thats been ‘shopped your honour”

*excludes all designers.