Before the age of Photoshop and other forms of digital image editing, photographs were much harder to manipulate.
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| Die Falscher Alien from Forgetomori |
The tools that photo retouchers used in the pre-digital age were basic, such as scissors, knife, gelatin, opaque watercolors, and airbrush. Retouchers basically painted right on the surface of the black and white print, which was then put back under a copy camera and rephotographed.
An effective retoucher had to be good at disguising any evidence of the brush or the hand. Straight lines had to be absolutely straight and gradations absolutely smooth. The stencil brush with stiff bristles (center, above) created an array of stippled dots.
The bulk of photo retouching work was motivated by the desire to eliminate clutter, to make old people look younger, and to make blurry photos clearer.
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Previously on GurneyJourney: Composographs
Read more in PetaPixel: How Photographers ‘Photoshopped’ Their Pictures Back in 1946
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| "Shortcuts to Photo Retouching For Commercial Use" by Raymond Wardell, 1946 |
Having premixed values of gray was a timesaver and ensured predictable, consistent tones to match the grays of the photo.
A lot of people were employed in photo retouching, but most of the work didn't involve outright deception or fantastic claims of aliens, flying saucers, or dinosaurs.
The bulk of photo retouching work was motivated by the desire to eliminate clutter, to make old people look younger, and to make blurry photos clearer.
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Previously on GurneyJourney: Composographs
Read more in PetaPixel: How Photographers ‘Photoshopped’ Their Pictures Back in 1946
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