Here's What Photoshop Masters Have To Say About Photos On Social Media

In the right hands, Photoshop is an incredibly powerful tool.

The photo-editing software can eliminate blemishes, tone thighs, and accent a subject’s best features, completely changing an average photo into something spectacular. That’s a double-edged sword, of course; when every mainstream publication uses Photoshop to edit pictures, readers often have trouble figuring out what’s real.

Recently, a Chinese Photoshop artist has taken that sentiment to the extreme. She posts on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, under the username Kanahoooo. Over the last several months, she has attracted more than 430,000 followers.

Many of her fans call her “Photoshop Holy,” as her abilities seem…well, just about perfect. For her part, Kanahoooo says that she’s trying to show people that perfection isn’t normal.

“Don’t believe the perfect thing you see online!” she said in one post. “If you want to find out about somebody, then see them in real life.”

As you might expect, Kanahoooo works as a Photoshop artist, and according to MSN, she describes her job as making people look “shiny.” She primarily works with people who want to improve their online social media and dating profiles. Yes, that’s right—people pay her good money to get the perfect profile photo. It’s enough to make you question whether anything is real on the internet.

However, on her Weibo profile, the artist speaks freely about the nature of her work while occasionally taking on other subjects. In the photo below, for instance, she Photoshopped the hair off of a leg. Why? Well, why not?

Edited photos can perpetuate body issues, especially for young women. With that said, there’s a massive market for Photoshop experts, so people like Kanahoooo won’t be out of a job anytime soon.

Kanahoooo’s skills are pretty incredible, but she’s certainly not the first Photoshop master to attract a worldwide audience.

Max Asabin, a Russian artist, developed a large following last year by cutting his subjects into various backgrounds.

By changing the textures and shadows of the photos, he’s able to blend them seamlessly. It’s a pretty incredible effect.

Asabin has an artistic flourish, and he tries to choose backgrounds that highlight his subjects’ personalities.

Then there’s James Fridman, another talented artist.

Fridman’s work is a bit different, as he takes requests from his fans. However, his subjects have to be careful with their requests; Fridman interprets each word literally, with hilarious results.

For a short time, Fridman’s work was going viral on a daily basis, although his fame has leveled off a bit in recent months. Whether or not you enjoy his sense of humor, it’s hard to argue with his graphic arts skills.

So, where should you start if you’re looking to grow your social media following? We’re not experts, but we’d recommend picking up a copy of Photoshop or another graphics editing tool—oh, and make sure you’ve got an attractive profile photo.