What you see is not necessarily what it was.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you are probably familiar with Photoshop. Even if you have not used it, you have seen photos that have been Photoshopped, which has become a feature of many websites in recent years. The basic idea of Photoshop is that it can be used to enhance or add to a photograph. What you see is not necessarily what it was.

For example, if a picture has been taken which, on closer inspection, carries traces of something that the viewer “should not see” - such as blotches on the face of someone in the photo, or a stain on the carpet – the use of Photoshop can remove that undesired intruder. Similarly, Photoshop can be used to add things such as color or light.

A more esoteric use of Photoshop can be seen on countless sites around the Internet where photographs are deliberately and obviously manipulated for (usually) comedic effect. Whether it is putting someone else’s head on the body of an animal (or another person), placing a person against a background with comic potential or creating the impression that someone is a hundred feet tall, this is a popular pastime. Sometimes, too much is simply too much

Although Photoshop is not the only post-production software, it is perhaps the most well known. Every amateur or professional photographer will use these programs to enhance their pictures in their own way to their own liking. Photo manipulation has been around since the mid-1800s.