How Seed Companies Alter Bud Shots

[Charles U Farley]

I know I'm a skeptical fuck but a lot of people are manipulated into buying seeds from companies who use Photoshop _extensively_ to manipulate bud shots.

All of the bud shots and photos I have posted on my website and here on RIU have been unmanipulated in Photoshop, other than adjusting contrast and vibrance (which is a very subtle saturation adjustment to compensate for environmental conditions in a super saturated light environment). Having some extra time before the holidays, I decided to see how much I could enhance standard bud shots, without making it blatantly obvious.

Here is a standard, unmanipulated shot from my Pixel 7, from a bud that's about a month away from maturity:




Here's the one I manipulated in Photoshop:



Don't believe everything you see with all the beautiful bud shots from companies who are trying to make money off of you.

 

[HydoDan]

Even a black background and flash makes a big difference..

 

[Charles U Farley]

Even a black background and flash makes a big difference..View attachment 5354310

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Anything that can be done to enhance the "frosty" factor will increase sales, regardless of the high it produces.

I will always wonder how things would have turned out if I had focused on the "frosty" factor and not the structural/survivalist traits of the original Northern Lights.

That's why I call it SouthEast Lights, it is so very different.

 

[Fangthane]

Photoshopped misrepresentations were a pretty big issue in the high-end online reptile trade. People would spend thousands on something that was represented as an exceptional specimen in the ad, only to actually receive something much more plain looking. Pretty shady when you know damn well people are only willing to drop top dollar because they're looking for that specific visual trait that just happened to get grossly enhanced.