March 16, 2019

Photoshop Can Make Even an Oil Rig Beautiful

A couple of days ago I needed a picture of an offshore oil rig to illustrate a post. I remembered that I had taken one recently, so I figured I’d just use my own photo. Here’s the original:

But then I decided to dick around a bit in Photoshop. Nothing fancy, just a few minutes of playing with various settings. Here’s the photoshopped version:

Amazing, isn’t it? I should note that I took this picture early in the morning, so the golden glow is legit. It just wasn’t very visible in the original, hazy shot.

Anyway, I guess this is why movie stars look so great on magazine covers. If an amateur like me can make an oil rig look good in three or four minutes, just imagine what a pro can do in several hours.

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In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

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