Le Beck Photography wrote:
Culling may alter the appearance of a body of works, but not an individual piece.

So if I remove blemishes from a certain piece of work, is that not culling?

And aren't we all aware that some words have a practical use that deviates from it's textbook meaning? I may drink a Pepsi while calling it a "Coke" and no one cares.

Paul Byun wrote:
Many people misuse these terms and get them all mixed up. Some may argue that these two terms mean the same thing, however they are not the same thing.

The difference between these terms may be subjective or objective. I will leave that up for you to decide.

In my knowledge, editing is a process of making a selection and organizing a set of photographs. It has nothing to do with actual manipulation that happens in Photoshop. Retouching is a correct term to describe the process of enhancing an image . Anywhere from simple color adjustments to complex compositing.

What do you guys think these terms mean?

I will just say that you don't know what you're talking about!

Your limited knowledge has failed u

Sorry not trying to be mean but its a little more complicated than simple, for a reason!

Digital Soup wrote:
I will just say that you don't know what you're talking about!


Your limited knowledge has failed u

Sorry not trying to be mean but its a little more complicated than simple, for a reason!

You are just jealous cause my avator's prettier than yours

Paul Byun wrote:
Many people misuse these terms and get them all mixed up. Some may argue that these two terms mean the same thing, however they are not the same thing.

The difference between these terms may be subjective or objective. I will leave that up for you to decide.

In my knowledge, editing is a process of making a selection and organizing a set of photographs. It has nothing to do with actual manipulation that happens in Photoshop. Retouching is a correct term to describe the process of enhancing an image . Anywhere from simple color adjustments to complex compositing.

What do you guys think these terms mean?

Assuming you are correct, do you have some official guide on photography and photoshop lexicon that we can use as a reference.

BTW, the phrase is "to my knowledge" not "in my knowledge."

Natalia_Taffarel wrote:
It doesn't really matters

So True. What's in a name. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. LOL.

Natalia_Taffarel wrote:
It doesn't really matters

It matters when one party thinks they're getting something they aren't. 

Client: "Is editing included in that price?"

Photographer: "Of course." (thinking in terms of deleting blinks, flash misfires and the like).

Could easily lead to problems when the client is presented with a separate quote for "retouching" the images.

RSM-images wrote:
Don't trust the nitternet -- typically the nitternet is full of poor diction (word choice).

Absolutely. Such as creating artificial words instead of using words which actually have meaning.

RSM-images wrote:
When an editor of a magazine/newspaper edits a story/column, the irrelevant, verbose, and non-grammatical parts are deleted.

When an editor of a magazine/newspaper/book edits a story/column/novel, the contents are rearranged, grammar is corrected, and undesirable parts are deleted.

Cherry-picking works both ways. (Of course, cherry picking and dropping nonsensical sound-bites is so much easier than actually thinking, debating, teaching, or learning.)

Editing has had a lot of similar usages over the past 500 years, and it's best to provide context when using it, especially in areas where there are multiple definitions which can lead to confusion.

RSM-images wrote:
To "edit" is to "delete".

When a Hollywood film is edited, the film that will not be released to the theaters is deleted/removed.

Film editing is more about juxtaposing and creating context than deleting.

Kuleshov edited together a short film in which a shot of the expressionless face of Tsarist matinee idol Ivan Mozzhukhin was alternated with various other shots (a plate of soup, a woman, a little girl's coffin).

Vsevolod Pudovkin described in 1929 how the audience "raved about the acting.... the heavy pensiveness of his mood over the forgotten soup, were touched and moved by the deep sorrow with which he looked on the dead child, and noted the lust with which he observed the woman. But we knew that in all three cases the face was exactly the same."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuleshov_Experiment

RSM-images wrote:
.

To "edit" is to "delete".

When a Hollywood film is edited, the film that will not be released to the theaters is deleted/removed.

When an editor of a magazine/newspaper edits a story/column, the irrelevant, verbose, and non-grammatical parts are deleted.

Photo editors of magazines and newspapers edit (delete) images that will *not* be presented in their publication.

The same is done with images by photographers: the ones that will not be kept are edited (deleted).

**********

Don't trust the nitternet -- typically the nitternet is full of poor diction (word choice).

.

https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thre … st13068859

Kit Kat Kadillac wrote:
I always thought of editing as a more in depth retouching. Retouching being slight corrections like brightness/contrast adjustment or slight complexion corrections, with editing including touch ups like editing model's size, etc.

Just my $0.02 .

hmmm yeah same thought as me.
but retouching can vary in time and quality also.

Paramour Productions wrote:
Squares and rectangles...

All retouching is editing, but not all editing is retouching.

+5

IMHO!

Paul Byun wrote:
Many people misuse these terms and get them all mixed up. Some may argue that these two terms mean the same thing, however they are not the same thing.

The difference between these terms may be subjective or objective. I will leave that up for you to decide.

In my knowledge, editing is a process of making a selection and organizing a set of photographs. It has nothing to do with actual manipulation that happens in Photoshop. Retouching is a correct term to describe the process of enhancing an image . Anywhere from simple color adjustments to complex compositing.

What do you guys think these terms mean?

As another said editing I can do in LightRoom. I edit colour , density, sharpness etc. Photoshop is used for pixel pushing, things like removing zits, filling in areas I missed or couldn't avoid.

I use both but editing is the most important and most fun. Photoshop retouching is highly technical and boring.

wynnesome wrote:
Not everyone comes from the industry background where "editing" means "selecting particular shots."

If you tell a model you're going to "edit" her set, and then send over unretouched selections, you are likely to have a very ticked off model, and it's your own fault for using a term in a way you KNOW is not the meaning the average person ascribes to it.

Choose your words for your audience.  If you're discussing in a context where it's assumed that "editing" is the selection process, great.  If not, you had better define the term to the person you're talking to before you use it that way.

Unless you're just trying to show that you know more than someone else, and then by all means, refrain from using language that communicates the intended meaning in the clearest manner.

Good point dude.

cheers.

Trancedelic Retouching wrote:
Edit: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose.

Isn't that what retouching is?  Meh, just a lot of pretty words that all pretty much mean the same thing.

This.

OP I'm not that anal to separate the two terms. To me I see them both as the same thing and for those who wish to be that anal about the term(s)...more power to you.

I don't have time for that hot mess.

Paul Byun wrote:
Many people misuse these terms and get them all mixed up. Some may argue that these two terms mean the same thing, however they are not the same thing.

The difference between these terms may be subjective or objective. I will leave that up for you to decide.

In my knowledge, editing is a process of making a selection and organizing a set of photographs. It has nothing to do with actual manipulation that happens in Photoshop. Retouching is a correct term to describe the process of enhancing an image . Anywhere from simple color adjustments to complex compositing.

What do you guys think these terms mean?

I basically agree with this. After 30 years of dealing with photo editors at ad agencies, clients and magazines, none of whom ever "retouched" a photo of mine (in fact, they usually send them out to a "retoucher"), I've kind of got "photo editor" defined as "selection of images".  Also, I note here on MM, the folks who describe themselves as people who manipulate individual images are listed as "retouchers", not editors. On the other hand, Adobe does use the word "edit" in some instances to describe what PS can do with with individual images. So I think the line is blurred, but I know what the terms mean to me. The trick now is making sure inexperienced clients know what I mean when I say it to them.

David Richelieu wrote:
Yes Paul well topiced. It does rile me when people wrongly overuse the term 'editing' thinking it means the whole of post-production.

Editing is as you describe it. Then there's processing. And retouching. All wrapped up in the blanket phrase post-production. Can it really be so hard, as so many seem to find it, to even get beyond the proper use of terminology.

Well I use the term 'editing' more than 'retouching'.

Choosing which images to alter in PS I would call 'selecting', not 'editing'.

Does that rile you? Too bad.

Ken Marcus Studios wrote:
I agree with the premise that MikeRobisonPhotos proposed that the use of the term 'edit' could cause some confusion with a client that is expecting retouching and only receives 'un-retouched', but 'edited' images.

Lee Andre wrote:
+2

+3

My clients all use the word 'editing' when asking about photos I am retouching for them. I used to correct them, but started feeling like a pompous ass who was trying to belittle people in a petty manner. Editing is close enough of a term to describe the process of retouching. The dictionary backs this up.

cheers,

David Hirsh

A-M-P wrote:
In photography Editing means culling (choosing/sorting the photographs), Retouching means post production, enhancing and altering the image.

A magazine editor chooses the images that will be going in the magazine, a retoucher does the post production/enhancements and alterations on said photos.

Well there ya go, now I know why they're called editors. Simple enough, editors edit and retouchers retouch or editors select and retouchers process.

But, if the magazine editor edits the images going into the magazine, who edits the rest of the magazine's content?  Are they contentors? 

David

PixelPurfect wrote:
Well there ya go, now I know why they're called editors. Simple enough, editors edit and retouchers retouch or editors select and retouchers process.

But, if the magazine editor edits the images going into the magazine, who edits the rest of the magazine's content?  Are they contentors? 

David

The editor also edits the content. He selects(edits) what stories/articles will be in the magazine etc

PixelPurfect wrote:
But, if the magazine editor edits the images going into the magazine, who edits the rest of the magazine's content?  Are they contentors? 

A-M-P wrote:
The editor also edits the content. He selects(edits) what stories/articles will be in the magazine etc

You have fashion editors, chief editors and then content editors. Every post has a different purpose, there is a group of editors working for a magazine headed by the Chief like in any office.

So, every department edits out and approves their own content, sometimes there will be two or more editors for the same thing too.

Also, editors could be region-specific. (Country to country- different guy)

Scroll down:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_%28magazine%29

As for the TOPIC-

Editing == editing out selects and picking up final selections for a publication/shoot etc. and retouching is correcting those final selections using any standard software and given tools.

Simple!

Ashish Arora wrote:
You have fashion editors, chief editors and then content editors. Every post has a different purpose, there is a group of editors working for a magazine headed by the Chief like in any office.

So, every department edits out and approves their own content, sometimes there will be two or more editors for the same thing too.

Also, editors could be region-specific. (Country to country- different guy)

Correct

They are all editors and they all edit (select) different type of content for whatever their tier is. 

I didn't want to go into specific types of editors. Keeping it basic so is easy to understand what an editor does as oppose to a retoucher.

One editor does the articles, the photo editor selects the images, And the editor in chief basically is the one that approves what all the other editors have done. etc etc

A-M-P wrote:
A magazine editor chooses the images that will be going in the magazine, a retoucher does the post production/enhancements and alterations on said photos.

And the reason this whole argument is pointless intellectual masturbation is that most people who are in the industry don't care.

Most of my clients that work with magazines every day still ask me: Can you edit these for monday?

So...
in the end...

it doesn't matter.

Or maybe I should argue with them and say something like: No, sorry... you edit them and I'll retouch them by Monday

So once again...

Those who care don't matter, those who matter don't care
x




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