Bringing Sexy Back? How About Just Reality?

She looks better in Ashton Kutcher's Twitpic photo than in perfume ad

(NEWSER) - Demi Moore is entangled in another Photoshop controversy, but at least this time she didn’t lose any body parts. Her recently released perfume ad is obviously retouched—and it’s especially striking when compared to a similar picture husband Ashton Kutcher posted on Twitter . “The main thing this behind-the-scenes snapshot proves is that Demi Moore is a fucking gorgeous woman,” writes former model Jenna Sauers on Jezebel . But “to the contemporary beauty industry, being gorgeous is not enough.” More»

Readers demand more realistic photos

(NEWSER) - After years of digital enhancements that make today’s celebrities look more alien than human, a movement is under way to make fashion photography more realistic, the New York Times reports. Leading by example is photographer Peter Lindbergh, responsible for a series of un-retouched celebs on the cover of French Elle. He doubts it’s a permanent shift, but People and Life & Style have followed suit stateside. More»

From popular to niche, selected for being fun and instructive

(NEWSER) - From US Weekly to a quarterly for Godzilla enthusiasts, the Chicago Tribune's list of 50 favorite magazines both entertain and take readers to new places. The list includes:

• NME: A rock and roll crystal ball, this UK music mag forecasts tomorrow’s megastars
• Seed: Science never looked so glossy or sounded so thought-provoking

Digital Barbie-fication of women called unhealthy trend

(NEWSER) - Shutterbugs have long altered pics, but now critics are cringing over the effects of airbrushing on young girls. French lawmakers have even approved a law against inciting "excessive thinness." But would such a move work in America? Maybe not, "but there are a whole lot of impressionable young kids" who are tortured by images of slimmed-down and retouched women, Jessica Bennett writes in Newsweek. More»

Adobe releases free, web-based image editor

(NEWSER) - Adobe’s Photoshop has long been the standard for high-end image editing, but for Joe Q. Digital Camera, it’s too imposing, too complicated, and much too expensive. Today, Adobe hopes to fix all that, rolling out Photoshop Express, its free, web-based photo editor. The flash-based editor gives point-and-clickers a quick, easy way to eliminate red eye, smooth over blemishes, and otherwise mess around, CNet reports. More»