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As someone who photoshops pictures for a living, I will tell you what they did:

The white balance is a little hot. The grey sweatshirt is good, but the stark sunshine “blows out” the rest of her face. It is pretty harsh for a woman’s portrait.

Then they did selective sharpening. We usually do that when we want a particular part of a photo to “stand out.” For example, we sharpen teeth, edges of clothes, sometimes hair, and often the eyes. I do it on sports uniforms because the little “mesh shirts” stand out nicely.

They did it to her neck and hands—usually areas on women that are softened. You sharpen the cuffs, and soften the hands. The contrast brings out the softness of the hands because you are drawn to lighter parts of the image.

Newsweek covers are ALWAYS touched up some how. Photographers do not have to be that GOOD these days, I know I’m not the best lighting guy in the business...but I can take clear braces off 12 year old girl’s teeth. And that is a nice trick.

They also messed around with the shadows on her sweatshirt. They lightened the top AND lightened around the buttons.

The other pictures posted have been done up pretty well. Especially the more “formal” portraits.

The only one on this thread not worked on is the one on the carrier.

And the Hillary picture is completely wrecked. I like it, but it sure isn’t fair. Someone spent some time making that look as bad as possible.

Yes, sometimes we do that for fun...but we usually don’t publish them.

AND, 99% of the time Magazines do this stuff with the picture. The photographers don’t do it, the designers do. When you see “wire” photos, those are usually untouched, or touched slightly—general brightening, etc.

Photojournalists do not touch up at all. Its just one of those rules.

Her chin was enlarged slightly, her nose was as well, and her eye color was darkened. The fine folks at Newsweek seem to think making her face look less feminine and more ethnic serves their purpose.

But then, you have a very pronounced bust and a waistline that most women would give their eyeteeth for, especially in their forties. Well-used grey sweatsuit with neckline unzipped. Sexualized.

Her mop of unruly hair doesn't really look real for some reason, and the color is very dark, unnaturally so given harsh lighting.

You could sit and try to read the tea leaves on this for days and come away with differing conclusions. What is clear is that her femininity and beauty was viewed as a problem, whereas her sexuality was not. The image is sexualized, even overt, so one has to assume that we flyover bumpkins, repressed Puritans that we are, are supposed to be put off by that. She was ethnicized (is that a word, lol?) so one has to again assume that we flyover bumpkins, whitebread xenophobe nativists that we are, are supposed to be put off by that.

Sound about right, lol? Trouble is, they're wrong. She looks hardened, but not hard. She looks ready for the fight of her life, truthfully. We all know she's quite capable of being a very stunning woman, regardless of her age and being a mother of five and having been under a merciless onslaught of daily two minute hates for three years now.

She's ready and the photo shows that reality. Too bad, Newsweek, you blew it again. The object of your machinations doesn't read your flimsy $1 mag, and those few who still do will find the image flattering and more in keeping with their image of a successful, serious female.