Thoughts on the Car and Driver's Editor Letter May 2010

Personal File: Car and Driver Magazine: May 2010 — so I was reading through my May edition of Car and Driver this week and stumbled upon an editor's letter regarding a hotly contested 'photoshopped' image used in a BMW X6 M article.

The core issue involved was not the liberal use of photoshopping but the fact that the images were not clearly labeled as having been altered.

This issue hits pretty close to home for me as I render altered images all the time. As software and related techniques improve (look at what is possible now with Adobe Photoshop CS5's content aware fill), it will be harder and harder for the reader to make clear distinctions between what is 'real' and what has been 'shopped'.

Eddie Alterman writes in the article:

"[Photoshop] is a tool like any other, and, as with a scalpel, its utility is directly proportional to how carefully and in what situations it's wielded."

Well said Eddie, I hope C&D takes that message to heart. It is critical the "truth", as Eddie points out, is made clear for journalistic credibility.

Read more about the issue over at Autoblog or pick up this month's Car and Driver on newsstands.

All source photos copyright original owners