Is photoshop art?

[Wicky_42]

I'm of the opinion that Photo-shop itself is simply a medium in which one can create art. It is the same as pens, paper, paints, etc. I judge art based on each individual piece, not how it was created.

I consider writing art.

I consider dancing art.

Art (to me) is a form of expression, and it doesn't always have to be something visual.

A child finger paints, drawing a mess of lines on a piece of computer paper and holds it up to his mother to put on the fridge. Is it art? Some say yes, some say no.

Art is as subjective as the adjective "beautiful". One person can say that the stars are beautiful, but another person might think that they are simply dots on a paper, and he (or she) prefers to gaze at a garden of flowers.

Are both things beautiful? Yes, because someone thinks it is.

I know that I am horrible at Photo-shop, and drawing. I have a vivid imagination though, and I admire any artist who puts themself into any of their pieces. I don't care about the medium, it's the content that you should be focusing on to decide whether or not something is art.

That's how I view it at least. :3

~WR

^Nailed it. Art doesn't depend on the medium, it is the idea, the exploration of expression, the interpretation or reinterpretation of a wide variety of issues, events, scenes etc.

Sure, it's subjective, and sometimes it might be so hard to follow the artist's ideas that you don't 'get' it, like what's-his-name putting a urinal on display. I don't understand why he did it, I don't know the processes and ideas behind it, so to me it has no relevance as 'art'. But who am I to say that it isn't, and that with a little research I couldn't come to appreciate it as a work of art? A lack of education is no reason to bash things you don't understand.

 

[orangebandguy]

Any old crap can be classified as art these days, any object now matter ho randomly used will be liked by someone.

 

[Matronadena]

I use it for digital painting and use a tablet, it's used to ad digital screentone on the 2039 hani series rather than taking longer to use traditional screen tone....so yes, I think it's a legit art tool.. there will be always those who want to undermine any thing " newer" as to if it's art or not....It's similar to the group that thinks photography can never be art ( note this is largely out of the traditional painters.. and there not too fond of illustration much at times as well"

 

[xxDarlenexx]

I would have to say yes, it is. You can create original works in photoshop using gradients, and shapes, and whatnot. But even without that I still think photomanipulation is an art form, just in a digital medium.

 

[mark_n_b]

By definition: Yes
Personal Opinion: No

When it comes to art the only one i think of as real art is paintings and illustrations done by hand, cause it's the only one that takes actual talent to make something good, photography anyone can do well, same with photoshop, all you need is a quick tutorial and some time and you can create really stunning pictures using photoshop, but it never takes any talent, same with photos, of the friends i speak with on a daily basis about 5 of them are self-proclaimed photographists, and sure, they take a couple of nice photos using filters and different angles and stuff, but anyone can do that with the right equipment.

Hand-drawing on the other hand is something not everyone can do well, i know myself after trying really hard to become good at it, i failed miserably, much like just about all my mates did, so drawing by hand takes talent.

What about writing? Sculpture? Music? Film? How about drawings created from scratch in photoshop (i.e. drawn with photoshop) and if those are "art" what if the person uses tools like vectors and shapes to construct the image? What if they use a tablet instead of a mouse? a mouse instead of a tablet? And if anyone can do that then why don't they?

I'll be frank, thinking anyone can use photoshop or take photographs tells me that you don't know much about artistry. Sit down and compare good photography to bad photography, review the techniques involved, the equipment used, the judgment, philosophy, effort, and experience required to take a good picture more than once and you will change your mind.

According to you, anyone who takes a drafting class is an artist. Or does it not count when the person uses a ruler? See the problems with those assumptions.

It is more complex than that.

On the thread's topic, close mindedness aside, art is an undefined and undefinable (in my opinion) term. I have had the discussion "is design art?" This is why it is an issue, Andy Warhol brought these kinds of discussions into the forefront of the art community in the sixties and seventies. Is a soup can art? Is a selection of slightly altered images? This is even more relevant with tools like photoshop, when does the art of it stop.

Even assuming that there is photoshop art and not it is not a clear and fine line.

 

[oktalist]

Art is whatever you want to be. Anyone saying it requires talent, skill, thought or a paintbrush ain't got a leg to stand on. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's not art.

 

[Sacman]

personally I consider alot of stuff art I mean as long as it's visually appealing and are original, besides stuff made on photoshop are considered a digital illustration so it depends on what u do.

 

[AkJay]

yes, it's just digital art, but it still require skill and precision to make it turn out perfectly, not to mention the visionary talent

 

[Fanboy]

Photoshop is not art; Photoshop is a tool which can be used by artists to create works of art.

Art is art, no matter what the tools used to create it are. I've seen pictures done in MS paint that I would call art.

 

[Sacman]

By definition: Yes
Personal Opinion: No

When it comes to art the only one i think of as real art is paintings and illustrations done by hand, cause it's the only one that takes actual talent to make something good, photography anyone can do well, same with photoshop, all you need is a quick tutorial and some time and you can create really stunning pictures using photoshop, but it never takes any talent, same with photos, of the friends i speak with on a daily basis about 5 of them are self-proclaimed photographists, and sure, they take a couple of nice photos using filters and different angles and stuff, but anyone can do that with the right equipment.

Hand-drawing on the other hand is something not everyone can do well, i know myself after trying really hard to become good at it, i failed miserably, much like just about all my mates did, so drawing by hand takes talent.

well drawing and painting anyone can do too it's just a matter if it's art or a sketch or a doodle or a snap shot for photography. what I'm saying is theres noone to dictate what is art it's just personal opinion but to say that photography or digital illustration isn't art is really close minded it's like saying abstract paintings arn't art because it makes u think about what the subject is. besides true art through photography is achieved through the use of light to capture a specific moment in time so essentially a photo is more of a dynamic view or a new way to look at things if u ask me but still art because it's visually appealing and takes skill to master.

 

[brtshstel]

I just got a lot of high marks for my college class, and I was commended by professionals for my good manipulation and photo editing for my digital photography project. I have been an art student for four years now.

In order to be good at Photoshop, you have to understand the principles of color and color theory, white space, perspective, tonal value etc etc etc. It's not some magic program which any bloke can pick up and create another Pulitzer Prize winner.

It's a tool, not a "magic art machine." It's a means which to digitally enhance and modify art. You use it to beef up (saturate) or dial back (desaturate) colors, remove imperfections (tears, rips, creases, stray marks etc), and can be used to do the minimal (clean up) or totally above and beyond (change the picture altogether) as well as all stops in between.

The way Photoshop is art: If you are cleaning up and adding final touches to present a piece you have done yourself (like photos or drawings), then yes. You are simply glossing up and/or formatting your own raw work so it presents well either in print or on a monitor.

The way Photoshop is not art: If you're simply taking pictures off Google Image Search and doing stupid shit with it, that's not art. You just know how to do a few things on Photoshop and make it look semi-believable. Pasting a joint in Barack Obama's hand or Sara Palin's head onto a bikini-model and using the blend tool and adjusting the saturation levels to make it look realistic is not art. That's just a lack of a better thing to do.