Should TLC stop photoshopping their pictures?

[fred67]

The emblems on the helmet are just there because it's an other pilot, most of them have differnet helmets, I couldn't find a regular and photooshopped picture of the same pilot.

But get back to the first part of you comment, I don't know if you ever had one of these figures actually in your hands? When I got them for the first time I imediatly noticed and quite frankly, it's the only thime I've been really disapointed with Lego quality. Especially the troppers, I bought one package and after opening it it went straight on eBay.

I didn't notice until you pointed it out. I'm really not much of a perfectionist, I suppose, or am just accustomed to it. I'm certainly not implying it's not a valid complaint, though. But now that we're talking about it, I will be forever looking and getting annoyed at poor printing now.

[Bobskink]

... But now that we're talking about it, I will be forever looking and getting annoyed at poor printing now.

sorry dude. (don't get the new Spiderman figure)

@ Aanchir, maybe you're right and it's not photomanipulation, but it's still not very representative for what you get. The only point I'm trying to make is that I don't mind adding ectra lightning effects etc, as an adult collector I'm smart enough to see trough it. But with the white printing I felt a little mislead for the first time, but I'm not mad, I understand that it's matter of production circumstances, so far Lego still has enough credit.

btw, I photoshop a lot of my pictures myself, so I can't complain to hard

[coffeeandcake]

as someone that works in advertising i thought i'd chip in my 2c:

its all marketing. the rule of thumb is as long as you are not shortchanged on physical parts, contents or anything that is otherwise shown on the packaging, it isn't considered misleading. unless lego were to show parts or a model that is not included on the packaging, any other DI effects that is done on the product is considered fair game.

this is common practice, not just for lego, but any products. you always want to show your products in the best way possible aesthetically, positively and dramatically. camera tricks, lighting and photoshop will always come into play here. this will include, things such as rich colours, adding gloss and shine, dynamic and dramatic lighting, exaggerated scale, adding dramatic effects, glows, shadows, etc. to give it that very polished, impressive, finished look.

take fast food for example. compare what you see on menus and what you get. a cheeseburger looks much bigger, wholesome and tastier on photos, but as long as they deliver 2 buns, cheese, lettuce, ketchup and a patty, they did not mislead you.

Edited June 28, 2013 by coffeeandcake

[Bobskink]

so this is somehow fair?

Edited June 28, 2013 by Bobskink

[TheLegoDr]

Maybe the people on the box are just really tiny...

[8BrickMario]

Okay, that pool is just over the line. Poor kids! They expected something bigger, and I honestly don't blame them. I'm glad LEGO doesn't embellish the sizes of their products.

Edited June 28, 2013 by 8BrickMario

[coffeeandcake]

so this is somehow fair?

bobskink, you raise a good point, but i guess it is all down to ethics. i will agree, that it isn't uncommon that this happens.. i know that in my work, we do cheat when it comes to representing our products, but i do agree that is way too far.

that said, i am sure that there was somewhere on the box which states it was for visual purposes, or provide actual dimensions of the product.

[Legopast]

Life is photo shopped In general these days, You will never see things on T-V looking as dull and bland as some days in reality are, adverts with people, models are perfected,

If LEGO did not put out high quality photos of their sets looking their best that would be far more concerning and a bad image for them at the end of the day.

[Wodanis]

The one point I will agree with you on is the chromed pieces. For example, compare the Roman helmets from the collectible minifigures:

vs.

(images used are from Brickset and BrickLink)

I was a little disappointed when I opened up my Romans.

They actually changed the colour of the helmet to make it more realistic. I liked the newer version rather than the chrome one.

I like the official images. I like how crisp and clean they are. Whether that is good photography/lighting or computer software, the end result looks great either way.

I agree with TheLegoDr here. The official images allow us to view the product properly unlike most other images you see released on the internet where the person lacks basic photography skills or poor lighting. Besides would you expect anything less from a professional? I do not think there is a problem using photoshop on images. They aren't altering it beyond reality like in a fashion magazine.

[Laservampire]

I'm certainly not opposed to Lego using renders in their promotional material, but it annoys me greatly when the photoshopped in backgrounds make the actual toy look like crap.

This happened to me with the Chima line, the boxart looks like such a mess you can't tell what the set actually looks like. Until I saw an in-store display I didn't realize that the vehicles were actually pretty cool!