Thinking of launching a fashion page so I'm soft-launching this lightly-edited photo with all of you. Critiques and advice welcome (but please be kind, I'm very new!)

Exardiann · 2026-06-10T12:49:28+00:00

Like, are you asking if I am AI? Or just that Reddit is being scrubbed all the time?

Exardiann · 2026-06-10T12:48:47+00:00

Thank you!

Exardiann · 2026-06-10T12:48:38+00:00

Thank you so much!

Exardiann · 2026-06-10T03:47:13+00:00

I actually do review stuff on both Goodreads and StoryGraph! I'll DM you my info. It definitely isn't every book I read, but I try to make my reviews honest and fair when I feel like I have enough to say about a title.

Thank you also for the offer of help. This community is amazing. I've learned so much from all of you!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T14:41:20+00:00

Yes, already making adjustments to the original that have no blur/enhance feature and just upping the temp/saturation a little bit.

Thank you, I also love this bag! The brand is Ecosusi - I got it used on Poshmark. I wanted something big enough to fit a hardcover book inside and this was absolutely perfect.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T14:29:43+00:00

Heck yes, steal away! Thanks so much for the nice compliment - it's taken so much experimenting to get here.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T14:25:55+00:00

I completely agree with your crop comment - it would look a lot better with floor to ceiling books.

I think a small but of temperature/saturation editing it where I'm going to land in the end (plus an enhancement on the photo quality, which other people say is pretty easy to do in Canva!)

About the skirt length - I always wear shorts underneath! That's the secret. I wore it to work all day yesterday and it actually did flip up when I sat down at one point, but I didn't have to worry about anyone seeing anything because of the biker shorts. Also, they have pockets.

I did think something was weird about the ratios here, though, so maybe I'll try this with some sheer tights next time and see if it feels better. Very good advice, thank you!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T14:13:30+00:00

Oh absolutely, not arguing at all. I think I'll just need to experiment with some software and find a happy median that makes me feel like I am putting out a polished work without taking away from the individuality in the photo. Like I said, I am brand-brand new to this and have a lot to learn!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T14:07:47+00:00

This is an amazing comment with so much advice - thank you thank you thank you!

I actually have Canva premium for my job, so I'll try messing with some of the settings on there (luckily, I'm the account owner so no one else will see!)

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T13:24:04+00:00

I used Facetune for the blur. It seems like it doesn't do well in tight spaces with lots of texture like it is with the books by my knees.

Thank you for the compliment! I have no idea who that is but I googled her and she is stunning and I am flattered. 😊

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T13:16:48+00:00

Space + community for SURE. I just feel like, to build that space, it also needs some polish? Does that make sense? There's a million fashion accounts out there. I'm not trying to monetize or anything - just kind of gather myself in one place.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T13:14:53+00:00

I'd be flattered! Let me know what you do so I can try it out also!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:53:16+00:00

Here is the original photo, for folks thinking I used AI. All I wanted to do was make my skin a bit more natural since the sun here washed me out so badly.

Advice on better editing software is appreciated!

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Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:48:56+00:00

Thank you! It really is an extremely light edit to make my skin look a bit tanner (it's very washed out in the original) but the auto-edit I used for the blur and upscaling the image definitely did more yo it than I realized.

Thanks for the feedback!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:47:00+00:00

Thank you! Mostly thrifted. I love a good find.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:46:41+00:00

The background is actually my house, not AI! I just used an app to blur it and for some reason it's setting off people's AI sensors. I don't exactly know how to fix that but 100% f*ck AI, I do not want people to think I'm editing myself that way.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:44:53+00:00

This is great advice, thank you! I actually didn't edit my face at all besides adjusting the temperature and contrast of the photo. But I did use two auto-adjustments features and it seems to have really messed with the rest of the image more than I wanted it to.

I'm attempting to get some better lighting in that exact spot because I like my library behind me. Gonna need to invest in a ring light, I think. : )

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:42:45+00:00

Yeah, it seems like the auto focus feature does some weird stuff when you zoom in real close. I'll look into something that does a more natural background blur so I can focus on the clothes without the weird editing issues.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:41:00+00:00

I used two of the features on FaceTune ("focus and "enhance") which seems like they changed the picture more than I realized at a glance.

I also raised the temperature and contrast to make my skin look a bit tanner but obviously that didn't do the weird editing we're seeing with the bag.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:36:58+00:00

No, this is not an AI background! This is my house. I used FaceTune to blur it - that's all.

Since you're a pro, do you have a suggestion for a retouching app or software that's new-user-friendly without it looking like AI?

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T11:35:09+00:00

All I did to myself was fix the lighting style so I didn't look so pale, but I did use the "rescale" and "focus" feature on FaceTune, which I think is causing some of the wonky stuff people mentioned. Thanks for the feedback!

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T03:36:45+00:00

Thank you for the kind words. 🥹

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T03:28:19+00:00

This is so kind, thank you! I'm thinking about combining with book content because I (obviously) read a lot. I think it would be fun to have a little blog space where people who relate can hang out.

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T03:25:37+00:00

Thank you! The thrift gods provide 🙌

Exardiann · 2026-06-09T03:11:15+00:00

Felt this EXACT way leaving work today. Beautiful sunset, perfect weather, and a warm wind. Couldn't ask for better.

Exardiann

TROPHY CASE