Retouching reality with Adobe

Imagine this: you’re sitting at a bus stop, patiently waiting for your ride. Maybe you’re checking Facebook or reading an ebook on your phone, or staring off into space, or mentally reviewing your to-do list.

You see movement out of the corner of your eye and glance over at the stop’s integrated advertising. And there you are, being Photoshopped into an ad, in real time.

How would you react? The people in this video from Adobe all had positive reactions, ranging from disbelief to laughter, when they found themselves in that very position.

To promote its Creative Days events, Adobe camped out in a van across from a bus stop in Finland (or Sweden, reports differ), photographed people using a telephoto lens, and then Photoshopped them into an ad at the bus stop where they were waiting. Hidden cameras around the bus stop caught their reactions, which were edited into a compelling promotional video, seen here.

Artwork included a man turned into a Hulk-like monster terrorizing a city, a young man and woman manipulated to look like they were kissing on the top of a wedding cake (from the looks on their faces, the two likely didn’t know each other before ending up in this position), and a woman seated atop a polar bear. The execution was incredible considering the setup and the fact that these were all done very quickly, in less time than it took for the next bus to arrive. The artist, Erik Johansson, shows some excellent Photoshop savvy in this prank.

The Creative Days events themselves are held all over Europe and South Africa, throughout May and June. There are 14 Creative Days total, all dedicated to creativity and expressiveness.

Did you or will you attend any of the Creative Days events? What did you think of the live Photoshopping prank? Let us know in the comments.

Cameron Chapman

Cameron Chapman is a freelance writer and designer from New England. You can visit her site or follow her on Twitter.