Reality Check: Pixilu and Guy 2.0

Pixilu Imaging Inc. provides professional retouching services as an online service. You upload digital photos and Pixilu’s graphic artists review each photo and perform color correction, acne removal, facial lines reduction, teeth whitening, and enhanced red-eye correction. The cost varies from $1.49 to $9.99 per photo.

I submitted my picture to the service, and this is the “after” picture from the $9.99-level process. You can see what the artist did at this mouseover page.

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Comments

[Bulbboy]

There's no doubting their skill, but I think the case could be argued for a service that makes you look worse, so when people meet you they are pleasantly surprised.

:)

[freecia]

One surefire application would be to send cherished amateur photos in for a touchup. It seems perfect if your friend took a gorgeous picture at your wedding/graduation/promotion/baby shower etc and all it needs is a little brush up before you print it and stick it in a frame.

[Andrew Denny]

The significance of this is that it's great for 'branding'. Think of something like Colonel Sanders or Elvis.

It's ideal - cheap, time-saving and glamorous - if the people who see it will never meet you in person.

Think of the portraits of kings in the old days. Think of Oliver Cromwell, who asked the artist to portray him 'warts and all'.

[soundevolution]

I agree with Andrew Barbaccia and Lyle Kantrovich. The teeth and eyes are great. Removing "beauty spots" removes the "realness" from your character. In the same way that actors don't seem like "real" people. (But that's they're function: to act.)

[jh]

The mouseover page almost made me laugh out loud with joy. It's a sparkling, powerful meditation on so many things. The way it contrasts natural vs. artificial, actual vs. ideal, contented vs. ambitious, face vs. mask... it actually says something that cannot be mediated with words. I have a great temptation to have the same done with my own portrait just to have a handy questionmark over who I really am.

[Lyle Kantrovich]

I agre with Andrew Barbaccia. They did too much to your photo. The work on your eyes, teeth and hair is great. The skin "wrinkle removal" is also good, but they went too far removing your "beauty marks" (are they called that on a guy, Guy?).

Having said all that, I'd use this service for bio photos and such.

[Dave Q]

Guy, that's a nice facial and some teeth whitening job. Thanks for sharing this.

[GordonGraham]

Looks good to me! I'll be using it for the next pic I have to send in for a job. This is a classic example of disruptive innovation in action. It's good enough for people who would not bother getting their photos touched up in the first place. In other words, the service is competing against non-consumption, not the pros that touch up Beyonce's photos. Of course, there are technically better services out there -- not the point. If they keep their overheads down to a minimum, this should work, no?

[Chris Escalera]

Igor-
After I read about this 2 days ago, I had these guys do my CV pic. I sent a note with it saying what I wanted and didn't want done. They not only followed it to the letter (so it probably wasn't automated) but they delivered it in half the time promised! I couldn't be happier with the results.

I'm sold on the concept.

[Igor]

Whould be impossible to sell. Users who understand what they are getting and willing to pay for it will more likely find some guy who will do the job for whole bunch of photos. Majority of users wont pay this kind of money for something they dont have a proof that work is not automated and done by human.

[Frances]

Innnneresting -- very inexpensive service, but you get what you pay for. It looks like a Pixar Guy, very CG-looking.

[Adi]

Nice sample with your photo.
Cropping and gamma correction is easy, but dealing with pigmentation takes skill.

[Carlos]

The point is to save time.

Not only about saving time but mainly that this service will help a lot of people that has no clue about retouching their photos.

It seems that most people are not getting it ;-)

Great service!

[John Nguyen]

Very cool service. Sounds too good to be true. Well too cheap to be true.

[Andrew Barbaccia]

Guy,

You just spent $10 to have someone remove the character from your face. They took away so many things that made you unique.

Adjusting color and removing acne is fine -- taking beauty marks off...well, if you're going for generic...

[a person]

I agree with Jojo. It's saving time. The work they did was great for what Guy needed done and he didn't have to do it himself.

However, I object to the fact that they removed the moles or freckles. Not the big pores, the markings on your face that make you YOU! But I think that if Guy wanted them to stay, he would have told them that. He's a big boy after all! :)

[Enrique Burgos]

A M A I Z I N G!!!
This is a great marketing campaign for Pixulu!
Congratulations

[emmajane]

I can't believe they scrapped your freckles! That's crazy!

But I am impressed with the service. As an acne-prone, thirty-something with limited time for the nuances of photoshopping an image I could myself using this kind of service in the future.

[Nikole Gipps]

Look at you, you're downright pretty now! ;-)

Part of me wants to keep it real and put honest pictures of people up.

The other part says "SCORE! I can have clear skin and look 20 lbs thinner now!"

I try hard, but sometimes I just can't help myself ...

[Kevin]

This is an awesome service. There's another company that does this called Pictage that a bunch of wedding photographers use. I'm all for this service...love it!

[John]

Interesting :)

[Douglas Karr]

The most amazing part of this was the way he made your eyes sparkle. Wow - what an amazing difference in the total look and feel that your expression gives with a twinkle in your eye!

[miles archer]

You look better in the original picture. The lighting and stuff is obviously better in the retouched picture, but removing all the character from your face makes you look plastic and phony.

[SorenG]

The only problem is that people then meet you in person and think, "He is not as good lucking as I thought."

[Trogdor]

I tend to think that the retouched photo looks great, but I don't like where this is going. I'm already tired of the marketing industry on Madison Avenue telling the world that only young-looking white-teethed people with perfect hair and perfect complexion are worthwhile. By using this photo-retouching service, you're helping to continue this meme.

I don't think your "real" photo is ugly; anyone who thinks it is, and thinks their perspective on what's worthwhile should be bowed to by everyone, is very ugly in my book.