Photochopping (not photoshopping) is using a photo editing program, like Photoshop, to edit a photograph. It’s considered to be a visual parody but some people think of it as copyright infringement. The goal of Photochopping is humor, not fraud.

Generally speaking, photochopping is about producing a visual joke, or parady. You might change a label, or add an element that’s out of place, to a picture. Even deforming a familiar scene, making it different but still identifiable.

Photochopping projects usually are not create anything from scratch because the idea is to change an existing photograph. Or merging elements from multiple photographs into a single image.

“Photochopping” was originally called “Photoshopping”. But the name changed to keep Adobe from getting upset over associating photochopping with their editing program. You can still find sites using the original name.

Some of the more famous images emailed around the web as jokes started out as photochopped photographs. Do remember the one of a shark attacking a helicopter, or the historical computer with a steering wheel? They were both good enough to fool a lot of people.

There are websites that offer photochopping contests. They will put up an original photography and the contest rules. The contestants have a limited amount of time to enter their submission. The prize, or prizes, goes to the person who entered the best image and obeyed the rules of the contest. Some sites offer “tennis matches” where the image is passed around in a series and each person takes a turn making changes to the photograph.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment letting me know what you think of this article, the site, or if you have ever done any photochopping.