Photo editing is an essential part of many art-related industries. Adverts, magazines, and even high-end visual effects use various techniques to make images look better, attract eyes and convey important messages. But what happens when the highly-trained individuals who manipulate images get it wrong? even after several account managers, clients and producers miss the error, the offending image ends up here, on lists of hilarious photoshop fails.
Ghost Gramps of the Upstairs Hallway
This mysterious elderly couple must have died some years ago, and now they're haunting the staircase of this property. That has the explanation for why they seem to have no legs. There they are in their coast grammy sweaters, and then… nothing.
We wouldn't worry too much, as they seem quite friendly. But we have to wonder whether the dog is also a specter or whether it is eternally trying to get down to the ground. It can't be easy, as grandma has no knees to bend.
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
These are the things that classic horror movies are made of. And by "classic", we mean cheesy B-grade. That mirror is possessed and a portal to another dimension, where the little girl is planning to eat your soul.
It's not entirely clear why the people who designed this advert aren't clear on how mirrors work. Maybe this was from the Transylvanian edition of Rolling Stone, and the advertiser was appealing to young kids who have musical talent but also need assistance from the netherworld.
Shower Trouble
Good grief, what is wrong with this woman’s neck? Has she fallen in the shower and broken it? Perhaps she needs medical attention! No, it’s just the art director’s insistence that they somehow get more skin into the shot, for some reason.
You’d think that someone qualified in an art-related subject - even graphic design - would have some idea of what a human body looks like. Maybe this artist missed that day’s class. The smile on her face makes it worse - it seems like she’s in so much pain, she can’t even open her eyes.
Swimming Arms
Swimmers are impressive athletes. They develop muscles in places most of us don't know we have them, and their body strength is immense. But we've never heard of swimmers developing abnormally long and large arms.
It also seems like that hand is at a very awkward angle and massive in terms of proportion. One thing is for sure - if ever you had to compete against this swimmer, you'd be better off just going home before the race started. Those scoopers will leave you dead in the water… so to speak.
Happy Feet
Asia is known for its excellent practitioners of martial arts. But we're quite sure even people of Asian descent cannot contort their bodies in the way that this model's feet placement suggests. If this lady can, she's probably an incredible dancer, too.
It's unclear why anyone would want a model to strike a pose like this or why this particular pose seems appealing to whoever created it. More than that, it's going to be really awkward on this model's next job when she's asked to do it again.
Start Spreading the News (of the Crash)
This lady is looking out the window of this airplane for good reason. She’s probably figured out that the plane she’s on is about to crash into New York Harbor. That’s the only explanation for why she’d have that particular view out her window.
The Statue of Liberty is way too small to fly below or alongside. It is also nowhere near an airliner’s path of flight and approach for landing. We’ll put this Photoshop fail down to a client who has never flown into New York but wanted to demonstrate that it can get people there. There must have been a better way.
Air Guitar Blues!
How hard can it be to get a guy to pose with a guitar, photograph it and use it in your ad? It must be terrifyingly complex because this client decided to employ a Photoshop artist to create their ad masterpiece instead.
It's an extraordinary air guitar, after all, one that doesn't need to be held in hand and yet stays in position. You don't even have to actually touch it, it seems. But it looks good, at least—sort of.
Mind the Gap
Perhaps this Photoshop technician (also known as a graphic designer) hasn’t actually seen what women’s legs look like. They’d know that this model has a severe pelvic malformation if they did.
Aside from that enormous thigh gap (which was the rage on Instagram at some point), there’s the question of her very thin waist in proportion to her thighs. It would probably be better if this entire art department went back to art class, especially the one that discusses form and the human body.
Foot Shocker
Sometimes, it really does surprise you to learn what magazines edit in their pictures exactly. In many cases, these things go mostly undetected. But there are times when a seemingly ordinary image reveals a startling surprise.
This apparently innocent and ordinary picture of a model sitting down has a terrifying secret hiding in plain sight. The graphic editor has given her two right feet. It's the kind of thing you don't look for, but it can't be unseen once you see it.
Perfect Peas
Food photography is admittedly a highly specialized discipline, and id dome properly can be time-consuming and expensive. Photoshop editing can help with this, allowing a relatively quick and cheap solution if a quick photo solution is needed.
But there’s no excuse for creating weird digital dished like this one, where the peas are perfectly placed and all the same shape. Unless, of course, this is how this person happens to dine every night, in which case, there may be bodies in the refrigerator.
Dangerous Diving
There are a couple of possible explanations for this bizarre image in this ad. Somebody was asked to Photoshop someone diving into a body of water - fine. It had to be in a beach-type setting, so make sure you have the kinds of things you see there - rocks, sand, etc.
But why exactly this man looks like he’s just performed the most dangerous dive in the history of diving is all about proportion. Clearly, the scale of the two combined images is wonky. It, therefore, looks like he may be a giant diving into the rocks.
We Need More People
The ad has a good concept. It proclaims that each of the 148 000 people in the community has a stake in the job offer, as the candidate would be responsible for them. And then simple graphics should carry across the idea of “people.”
But did they have to be the same people? You may not have been able to show 148 000, but 30 or 40 would have sufficed in this case. Instead, the art director merely asked for a few heads to be replicated and ‘shopped. They did, however, mirror some headshots, so - nailed it!
Get a Leg Up
Some fashion models are tall and have long legs, it’s true. But this image is horrifying at its most basic level. Who looked at this image and said: “yeah, that looks perfectly natural”?
Her leg looks like it was placed there entirely separately from her. Either that or she is at least 11 feet tall on one side of her body. But then again, her left foot doesn’t seem to have a heelbone, so maybe she isn’t human at all.
Another Weird Neck
In fairness, this one is a bit more subtle, and you’ll only start to look at it strangely if you stare long enough. But then, once you notice it, you keep getting drawn back to it. And there’s one of two things that happened here.
Either this model has an abnormally long neck, and the angle of the photo is unfortunate, in which case an editor could have fixed the shot. Alternatively, the image has been fixed and looks like a still from a movie involving models from an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation.
Do They Really Need More Kids?
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are known for their adoption of several children. A paparazzi shot of them out walking was also par for the course at one point. But it seems that six is not enough for the media, who insisted on duplicating one of the children for some bizarre reason.
Zahara is mysteriously both in front of and behind Brad in this shot. Zahara #2 behind is seemingly floating. Perhaps, as the hilarious caption suggests, it’s an evil twin scenario, and Zahara 2 is just waiting for an opportunity to supplant Zahara 1. Do you have a better explanation?
Too Many Legs
We get that this image may not necessarily have been “incorrect” in conception. But the execution has left people scratching their heads because the optical effect is bizarre and confusing and leaves you questioning your sanity.
Three models stare provocatively from the top of the pic. Fine. Banner with the ad details. Fine. Then seven pairs of legs. Research tells us that Beleza Natural is a hair and beauty product. So the message is… you get more walking done?
Umbrella… Ella… Ella
Reflections. They are a natural occurrence and often happen in water. What seldom happens is a reflection of something that isn't there. But here, we have a superb rare example of that phenomenon. In the water, the umbrellas are down. Above the water, the umbrellas are… somewhere else.
Maybe they forgot to put them out that day, and nobody told the water. Perhaps the photographer is so talented he shot something that was not there or simply imagined it into existence. More likely, a Photoshop technician took out the umbrellas as requested but forgot about the reflections.
Longest. Arms. Ever.
Another scene from a creature feature, this time feeling more like a monster from a Guillermo del Toro movie. Why did they feel the need to include this man’s arms in the shot when the focus is clearly the pants, which are perfectly fine, demonstrated on the lower half of the body?
Vault Boy here might be a world champion pole vaulter with those arms, and those hands are massive! You know what they say about men with big hands: They are likely poorly Photoshopped on pajama bottoms adverts.
So Many Questions
There are two things mildly bothersome about the image. The one is explainable: Why is the youngest child Asian? No problem, you say, she could be adopted. Ok, so we’ll let that one slide. But there’s a more distressing aspect:
Why is that man’s face sliding off to one side? That looks way too obtuse to be a strange camera angle alone. He seems happy, but even that doesn’t feel very realistic. Also, why are the parent’s hands so incredibly massive? And where is the Asian baby’s other arm? Correction: There are way more than two things bothersome about this image.
Paste Car
Where to begin with this one? There’s an entire essay you could write about an image that has a poorly pasted sports car driving a road. The biggest issue is that the image is featured on an image related to Matte.
You see, Matte is a magazine that specializes in photography. It features a professional photographer’s work in each issue. That makes this kind of Photoshopping done by whoever borders on criminal. On the other hand, the fact that this exists is hilarious.
Give the Man a Hand
Dr. Thomas Evans has a hand in many things. As such, he has many hands. Again, this image would seem perfectly usable without the need for additional manipulation, but for some reason, the editors feel the need to meddle.
At least Dr. Evans looks happy. Yet, we need to know if he’s a medical doctor. He may want to look into why three hands are better than two if he is. Alternatively, perhaps he can investigate whether this desire for image butchering on the part of the photo editors is pathological.
A Farewell to Arms
Ew! What on earth is happening to this man’s arm? By the looks of it, the instruction was to extend the background, and the designer forgot to send the layer behind the subject’s right side. Result? A bizarre thin arm.
It’s especially funny since the ad advertises 25% off men’s suits. In this case, the 25% in question must be off the right arm. Yes, it’s a cheesy joke, but it had to be done, unlike the photo, which would have likely been fine without unnecessary chopping.
Money Money Money… Oh!
This lade looks happy. She’s just sold her home and is swimming in cash. It sold really quickly and conveniently, too. That’s probably because it seems to have sold for nine dollars. At least, that’s what she’s come out with, and in this economy, that is just great.
Seriously, though, the concept for the ad should have included “use bigger notes” because showing off a bunch of singles just suggests you’re off to the exotic dance bar. That would be fine, but why would you sell your house to do that?
Magic Photos
This mobile device is incredible. It’s compatible with all the latest network protocols, comes with pre-installed web and mail apps, and manipulates photos on the fly without you needing to know anything about photo editing.
Case in point: The scene being shot by the photographer here is very different from the one on the display. Clearly, the phone even removes unwanted extra people from the shot, changes your pose, and might even put the Eiffel Tower in the background. It still adds ten pounds, though.
Magic Credit Cards
Have you ever wanted a card that magically attaches to your fingers without any visible tether? Have we got something to show you! This card doesn't need to be held in your fingers. It just hovers there waiting… waiting… waiting to be used.
This suggests that it does as advertised - "so easy to use" - as it also seems pretty outsized. On a serious note, though, it has to be asked once more: What would be so tricky about shooting the card in the model's hand in the first place?
The Family Myers
Famously, Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise was created with a plastic William Shatner facemask. But we dispute this fact. Based on this photo, we may have discovered Myers’ family, as there’s an uncanny resemblance running throughout.
Seriously, though, whoever paid for this Photoshop job got scammed. The end result is a terrifying hash job of unprecedented scale. These poor people look like they’re somewhere between mummification and the Juggalo fan convention. Urgh.
Get This Dog to the Vet
This Brazilian ad for a veterinary eye care facility features a cute cat and a dog. The dog has clearly abused steroids back in the 80s. That neck is impressive, resembling a professional wrestler’s thick, muscular attachment between a too-small head and huge shoulders.
This may have been an excellent time to offer the ophthalmic services to the photo editor, who probably has not seen enough dogs in their life. The other explanation suggests that they have seen dogs, but only in the wild or on TV, where they’re called llamas.
Eyes on the Road
This hilarious ad started out in a marketing Zoom meeting that involved a lot of coffee, very little sleep, and a dodgy wi-fi signal. The product seems to be a device that allows you to cast videos on screens in your car so that you can keep everyone entertained on your trip.
Somehow, that translates to having a family sit on a couch watching a movie in a room that looks like a car dashboard. No one is driving, the kid is still not interested, and the whole thing is just going to end in disaster.
New Generation Dog
Check out this new breed of pug, conveniently engineered to not ever need you to walk it, or use the pooper scooper on its behalf. That’s because it has no butthole and no means by which to excrete waste. This dog will be the sensation for apartment dwellers everywhere.
Presumably, this means the dog does not eat either. It is entirely battery-operated. Therefore, the savings on dog food are compelling. Don’t worry about the distressed look on its face. It has absolutely no need to go to the toilet. Ever. Trust us.
Hitting the Wall
Like the lady in New York earlier (see previously on this list), this woman is about to die horribly. She seems rather less concerned about it though, and we suppose that’s a testament to this airline’s incredible service. Why be bothered about a plane crash when you have such a great flight otherwise?
Any airline flying this low and close to the Great Wall of China isn’t going to get that far beyond this dramatic photo. In all seriousness, though, we get what the ad company is trying to communicate, but it just feels wrong and ends up being unintentionally hilarious.
Waffling the Numbers
Here's a reasonably innocent ad for a waffle maker. It seems a fairly easy ad to shoot, containing the product and a good example of what it makes. Not hard. Except, why does this particular waffle maker make waffles that do not correlate with the maker's pattern?
If you count the blocks in the waffle and the blocks on the waffle maker, they don't add up. And that, inexplicably, is infuriating, making us want to boycott this waffle maker, the company that created it, and the country where this company was founded.
Creepy Man
This one is admittedly confounding. It’s an ad for the all-weather jacket, we assume. But the head is missing. Was that intentional? If so, why are the hands still there? This is the kind of thing we could lose a lot of sleep over.
There’s an ill-considered additional issue here. In clothing advertising, the look on a model’s face often conveys an additional message of comfort. Without that element in play, it’s hard to tell whether this is a comfortable jacket - it sounds bizarre, but the clenched fists don't help.
River of Bad Dreams
Oh no. This river scene is just all sorts of wrong on so many levels. Let’s start with the basic concept of color blending and lighting consistency. There isn’t any. Now we can point at the poorly Photoshopped placement of the BBQ, the tent, the people… all of it. That smoke is hilarious, too.
There’s also the issue of why these people are having such a well-stocked picnic while there’s an empty single tent in the background. Maybe it’s best we don’t know. The gondola in the back is intriguing, though. Is that Jeff Probst coming to check on the remaining survivors?
Sexy Little... Aliens?
The tagline on this ad is “Sexy Little Things”, and has models in lingerie posing seductively. But there’s a problem. At least one of these models is not like the other, and we’re willing to put good money on the fact that if this is not Photoshopped, it’s actually an alien sent here to kill us.
The model in red is slightly turned, but her belly button is in a spectacularly awkward place. It looks for all the world as if someone placed it there, only after they realized that all people need one. Except that the photo editor did not know exactly where a bellybutton goes. “Here… this looks about right”. No - no it doesn’t.
Hippy Hippy Shake
Some adverts grab your attention. This one does for all the wrong reasons. Why would the photo editor make this lady’s hip so enormous? It looks comical but also quite scary, and creates the impression that this person is malformed.
The product is for body-shaping garments, but this feels a bit extreme if it is to illustrate a point. Add to that a weirdly long pair of arms and gigantic hands, and you have a monstrous photo edit that came straight out of a sci-fi novel.
Jen’s Weird Pose
Tabloid magazines are known for the cheap and nasty, trashy presentation, often with really hasty photo edits and unflattering images. This one is especially strange because it shows Jen Aniston in a yoga pose with wildly disproportionate body parts.
Most notably, she has been given an enormous head - something tells us it may not be the original head from the shot. It makes the rest of her body, especially her hand and arm out front, look incredibly small. It’s a miracle these magazines aren’t sued more for misrepresentation.
High Mom
Remember your childhood Christmas time? Your mom would get you all excited about the gifts that were going to be there tomorrow, and you would help to decorate the stairs from the top landing, and your mom would be on the ground floor, looking down on you.
Yup that would be true if your mom were this nine-foot-tall woman. For some reason, the photo editors needed to make this lady one of the tallest people on earth. Assuming that the dresser is an average of four feet high, her hips are at the 5-foot mark already.
Big-Headed Model
We don’t know this guy, but we’ve heard he has a big head. We guess that the photo editor for this ad got told to outsize the top half of the pic to emphasize the underwear. Hard to tell.
Whatever the case, the adjustment fails hilariously, in part because the earnest look on his face means he took this job seriously. That muscular, toned left arm tapers off in girth dangerously, too. Impressive waist measurement, though, all things considered.
Surface Problem
One of the ways to make tech look cool is to have it floating on a cool surface, its display possibly reflecting on a glossy sheen. Problem is, that it needs to be Photoshopped that way. And if the editor gets confused, you’ve got a problem.
In this case, the display on the phone in the reflection is completely different from the one in the main shot. It throws the viewer for a loop and instantly reflects on the quality of the product somehow. If they can’t get the ad right, how do you know the display will work at all?
Triple Dog Deal
Philosophical question: If you walk your dog three times a day, have you walked three dogs? That was the issue at hand here, when a book about dogs needed a cover, and they presumably only had one photo of a dog.
What’s better than two dogs? Three dogs, of course! But does it have to be the same dog three times? Yes, it does, because why try getting three dogs in the photo when they’re so difficult to work with? Just clone the one - nobody will ever know. Also, every dog featured in the book is a Labrador, for some reason.