Before and after pictures are used to sell a lot of products online from weight loss products to acne medication to various forms of male enhancement like the Bathmate or Penomet. These images can be a powerful influence on consumers, firing the imagination and raising hopes; however, in most cases, the pictures are far from genuine, substantially altered through computer know-how and software like Photoshop.

What is Photoshop?
Photoshop is an image editing software that allows advanced users to make alterations to pictures that appear genuine to most people. It is used to create many of the perfect images that consumers see on magazine covers, for example, removing blemishes and imperfections, sculpting body and facial features, and adding color and dimension that are not naturally present. Photoshop is widely used for both print and online images, including before and after pics.

Is this Legal?
While some controversy exists surrounding the practice, using Photoshop and other software for image manipulation or creative retouching is legal and so widely used as to be ubiquitous. Some efforts are underway in the US to control its use in cosmetic advertising; however, these efforts have largely been ineffective and geared toward print media more so than online where legalities of many types are often ignored. Many years of concentration on this issue may be required for headway to be made in terms of curtailing misrepresentation in online images.

Is it Possible to Spot Images Altered by Photoshop?
In general, only the most skeptical or savvy consumers will even ask the question: Has this pic been Photoshopped? While it is possible to determine that many images have been manipulated, for the most part, the only ones that draw attention to the fact are the ones done without professional expertise. In advertising, including before and after images for male enhancement products, the level of skill applied is often high enough not to bring any attention to the changes made to the image.

Male Enhancement Before and After Pics
Photoshop can be used in a variety of ways to create the misleading impression that a particular product, medication, or device has worked to increase length, girth, or overall virility in men. Depending on how much change is required, these retouches can be done quite simply and realistically, especially when combined with good photography technique. What the consumer sees may not be what he gets from using the advertised product. Plus, in hands of an advanced user, the software can even reduce or eliminate evidence that a product has caused vascular damage or discomfort, including broken blood vessels, bruises, swelling or edema, and more.

Overall, the widespread use of Photoshop means that male enhancement before and after shots should not be trusted because they have almost certainly been manipulated and altered to show the product in the best possible light, without regard to truth in advertising.