photoshop sucks by Cahl Schroedl

Hi Cahl
I am a writer and often art gives me inspiration that leads to a story or poetry or just a bit of a word flow of sorts.
I think this is a harsh view of those that choose to use photoshop to create their art.
It is still in my opinion art.
And to clarify here are my personal thoughts on art.
Art is art being it is in the eye of the beholder who decides, be it visual, emotional or auditory or even tactile if I moved to in any expressive way.
OK we could be ridiculous and say if I think an ashtray is a form of art then it is art…..well then my taste is a certain type of art.
Art is anything ( for me) in any media that attracts the mind to think outside the narrow corridors of living…
What is not Art for me is anything that doesn’t attract my senses to feel more alive somehow….even if I hate it that is sometimes a good expression too me thinks.

Hi Cahl

For me PS is a wonderful tool that inspires me to be creative and sometimes enhance my photography and other artwork.
I have not used stock images , simply because I have enough material, however people that do use them have created wonderful images…
My Moon Masks have all been “reworked” in Photoshop. I spent many hours, days and weeks to complete my series . Each image came alive as I worked on it…as far as I am concerned it is beautiful ART with great energy behind it…
You can view my work and give me feedback
My invitation to you would be to open yourself up to the many realms of creativity that inspire people to express themselves with the amazing tools we have available… thank you for sharing your view…
Blessings and joy
Ellanita

Have felt the same way about “art” that’s just composed of stock images digitally manipulated, as it seems more a skill than talent and IMO both are needed. But just as I’m about to confirm that I really dislike that kind of work, someone comes along who truly is original in what they DO with it and makes me reconsider.

So, I’ve decided it’s not about the medium, it’s about whether a person has moved beyond mastering a medium, and actually discovered what their concepts are…you know, that stuff inside their head, and their head alone, that makes their work unique regardless of how they create it. I also like to see evidence that the art was done by a live human, and that can get lost when using tools that give too-perfect results. I would list the airbrush among tools that can become overused and boring in the same way Photoshop and stock images can. Again, there are exceptions, but sometimes people become wowed by effects and forget all about concepts, interesting marks, randomness, and uniqueness. The overly even and perfect effects of some tools can be relied upon too heavily, though they do allow people who otherwise might not even do art, to create. Out of that group, perhaps some who are artists but might never have thought so, emerge. All tools can be used for good or bad work, even a hammer. And not every hammer swinger is a fine cabinet maker, but I would not take away anyone’s hammer.

BTW, I use Photoshop to tweak photos and scans of my own artwork to make them look as close to the original as possible. I’ve used it to recombine parts of my own drawings, paintings, and photos, to create new pieces. There are many tools in Photoshop I have no clue how to use. I’ts amazing what some people who really know how to use it, can do with it. I’m not in any way belittling digital mediums as an art form, I just wanted to emphasize that I didn’t usually care for images that were not particularly original in thought or source material.

I’ll take issue with your “photoshop sucks” assertion. It’s simply a tool that can be used well or poorly. Would you say that brushes and oil paints suck because there are people who complete a “paint by numbers” canvas and present it as art? If someone wants to assemble stock images into something and call it art, I typically have no interest in the results — but guaranteed there will be some potential buyer who will ooh and ah over the image. That doesn’t diminish what any good artist produces, which will appeal to a different kind of buyer.