Section Two: Reading Read the text and answer the questions below. [1] There have been some inventions in history that have completely changed the way we live. There was photography, the camera and the mobile phone. Take a second and think what the world would be like without these inventions. Among the newest inventions related to photography is the image processing program known as Photoshop. What would the world be like if we didn't have programs to alter images? These days, many people find themselves questioning what is fake and what is real when they look at photographs. Not only that, but they also find themselves questioning their appearance in the photograph. [2] Photo manipulation is the ability to edit an image to either change small details or to completely change the overall aspect of the image. What some people do not realize, is that photo manipulation was possible before computers. Actually, photo manipulation goes back as far as 1860. The iconic photo of Abraham Lincoln was the first manipulated photograph ever created. The photograph was actually a combination of a photograph of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and the photograph of another politician, John Calhoun. a) "After retouching" b) "Before retouching" [3] One kind of photography software used for the purpose of photo manipulation is Photoshop. Photoshop was invented and created by two brothers, Thomas and John Knoll. Their father was among the first people to buy an Apple II computer. Thanks to him, they both developed interests in computers and photography. Inspired by their studies and work in image processing, they had the idea of creating a code to display an image on a monitor. Thomas began coding for a new program they first called "Display". They worked on the idea for a while, and eventually changed the name from "Display" to "ImagePro". They tried to sell their program but at first they did not have much luck. All the companies turned them down. When that did not work out, John went to Adobe to generate more interest in ImagePro. Eventually in 1990, Adobe changed the name of the program to "Photoshop" and launched the first version in the market. That was nearly twenty-nine years ago, and over those years Photoshop has released fifteen versions. Each updated version allowed editors to manipulate their photographs more quickly than the previous version and in an easy manner. Photoshop has changed the photography and advertisement industry forever. [4] Photo manipulation can be performed using two main techniques, which are also available in Photoshop. The first technique is technical retouching, which is done to restore or enhance photos, and adjust colours, contrast, sharpness, and white balance. Technical retouching focuses on the background of images and the overall look of an image. The second technique is creative retouching. Creative retouching is considered an art form and it is used in fashion and beauty advertisements. Creative retouching makes changes to the objects and bodies in photographs. [5] Like anything else, there are pros and cons to photo manipulation. Some of the advantages of photo manipulation are as follow. Software such as Photoshop enables changing colour mode to black and white, removing red eye, and enhancing the overall quality of a photo. It can allow those who don't like having their picture taken to feel more comfortable because it can fix what they do not like. However, being able to drastically change appearance of body parts, has led to a whole list of psychological health issues. The misconception, created by manipulating photographs, has caused some people to develop eating disorders. It has led others to become depressed or extremely anxious. It has also caused a number of people to have low self-esteem and search for surgical treatments for a more permanent change. In the article, Recognizing and Combating the Negative Effects of Photo Manipulation, Dr. Erick Fisher says, "When photos in print media are manipulated to look better, they project an unrealistic image that many attempt to achieve and ultimately harm themselves". Continually seeing thin, fit, perfectly structured faces, plastered all over on magazines or on television, eventually make people think that this is the norm. When it simply is not the case. [6] Photo manipulation has had negative responses from both viewers and celebrities. The American Medical Association has started a campaign to stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software. This has led to many celebrities refusing to have their photos retouched. These celebrities include Keira Knightley, Brad Pitt, Andy Roddick, Jessica Simpson, Lady Gaga and Zendaya. The more celebrities and others who get involved in promoting the awareness of the problems caused by photo manipulation, the more likely the advertising industry will be forced to change the way they edit photos and change how they promote products, fashion, and beauty.