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The photoshop craze: re-editing your life, one image at a time

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Most, if not all choices and decisions made in our everyday life are to ensure that we not only survive but also make it in life.

Making it in life mainly requires that we strive to attain the life that we are constantly bombarded with as we go about our daily businesses and this is usually achieved through several platforms such as social media, television and adverts among others, usually depicting wealth, luxury, fast cars and comfort.

MIXED MIGHT: The controlling the power of civilian-military might
MIXED MIGHT: The controlling the power of civilian-military might

The urge to prosper in life is so in-born some have described it as ‘second nature’ or instinct. However, just because we all have the desire to live the ‘American dream’ does not mean that everyone is entitled to a meal ticket at the end of the day. But for those many who have failed miserably at life, all hope is not lost; millions of people come up with ways and methods in which they can forge a way to their desires if not just for a like or a retweet on social media!

TAMING CARNOVORES: A photoshop imposition of a man stepping on a leopard
TAMING CARNOVORES: A photoshop imposition of a man stepping on a leopard

Uganda, like any other country, is filled with millions of red-blooded humans, who are no exception to the latest media craze. Constantly on the move and desperately trying to keep up with the era, Ugandans have experienced wave after wave of new and exciting patterns in the social media sphere.

CELEBRITY UPDATE: Chilling out with a celeb
CELEBRITY UPDATE: ‘Chilling out with a celeb’

We’ve seen the baggy and skinny jeans, tight fittings, the Brazilian hair, the crop tops, the Mohawk and this is not to mention the gadget craze where the smart phone is trending. And the list goes on. Interestingly, one new episode that has failed terribly to register with so many Ugandans is none other than the photo-shop craze.

Photo-shop is the app through which one sophisticated enough to use a computer or rather a tech-savvy nerd can virtually alter an image to create something entirely new or different with the help of apps such as Photo image-editing software, Jimp or Corel among other apps.

AIR TRAVEL MADE SIMPLE: Imaginary air travel
AIR TRAVEL MADE SIMPLE! Imaginary air travel

Indeed, Ugandans have managed to create a façade in which all their hearts’ desires are met, with no one the wiser on how and when they become so fortunate, or so they think.

However, it is not the use or accessibility of photo-shop that has proven to be a spectacle, but rather how miserably people are failing to click the art of photo-shop.

There is a common saying in Uganda that goes something like: ‘film star taffa’ loosely translating into ‘the protagonist in a film never dies’ lest the story prematurely ends.

PHOTOSHOP IMPOSED: Sitting on a giraffe
PHOTOSHOP IMPOSED: Sitting on a giraffe

And it is with this same ideology that so many Ugandans have refused to count their losses, choosing instead to keep on fighting to ensure that they too tell their story, be it real or virtual.

Sitting atop the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi:
Sitting atop the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi

From fraternizing with wild animals to sitting atop the Empire State Building, the sky is the limit when it comes to the dreams that can be achieved by so many with the help of photo-shop.

We must understand that photo-shop has been in existence for some time now, most especially used by advertisement companies and many other media outlets to enhance photos to meet required market standards for advert use.

Double-deck travel
CARS AND BUSES: Double-deck travel is it

But when such technology is open to the public, and rest assured many will exploit such an opportunity, there is no telling what can happen; the unpredictability of the outcome is what has proven to be a spectacle of sheer amusement and entertainment for many internet users.

WINNER: i can fly on one wing!
WINNER: I can fly on one wing!

Interestingly, the amount of time and innovation put into these re-edited images can either render them a show of pure genius or source of ridicule!

Nonetheless, the key to a good photo-edit is to ensure that the re-invented image looks as authentic as possible; one small misplaced angle or feature is enough to blow the cover off any credible photo-shop.

CAR CRAZE: Befriending fast-moving and flashy cars
CAR CRAZE: Befriending fast-moving and flashy cars

Most common photo-shop images on the web today mostly include faked trips abroad, socializing with celebrities or postures next to flashy items and super cars among other fantasies.

Imaginary fraternising with a celebrity
Imaginary fraternising with a celebrity

It is not clear what exactly makes these photos a hit on the internet, whether it’s the pure hilarity of the obvious or the acrid stench of desperation that emits from the images. But one thing for sure is that they can make you famous.

Shaking hands with the world's most powerful person
Shaking hands with the world’s most powerful person

A good example of failed nerds-turned-overnight-successful persons is Sevelyn Kinya also known as Seve Gats on Facebook of Kenya, one of many other photo-shopaholics. With a number of poorly edited images on Facebook, Kinya has managed to fake a number of trips to China including visiting the Great Wall. She has also indulged herself in a number of escapades on her profile, making her an internet sensation overnight, with her faked images getting several ‘likes and shares’ across the world on Facebook.

SKY-DIVING: Ms Kinya shows off her imposed sky-diving techniques
SKY-DIVING: Ms Kinya shows off her imposed sky-diving techniques

Fortunate for Ms Kinya, whatever she lacked in her photo-shop expertise she made up for in consistency, landing her an actual trip to China, funded by fellow countrymen who were touched by her pitiful attempts at persistently faking an imagined trip.

Indeed, Ms Kinya’s persistence goes a long way in showing that it is never a good idea to give up on your dreams!

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