Beatles Live at the BBC
Nothing Is Real

What cosmetic surgery was performed on Dezo Hoffman's original Beatles photographs before they adorned the cover of the 1994 "Live at the BBC" album?
Front Cover
Altered photo as used on front cover of "Live at the BBC" (top) with original cover photo by Dezo Hoffman (bottom). Several elements have been eliminated from the original photo: the protruding sign above John Lennon's head, the tiles on the overhang above The Beatles and the sign above George's head. In place of both eliminated signs, a digital cloning tool has apparently been used to fill in the space with adjacent textures. The overhang tiles have been replaced with a rather artificial-looking solid brown fill.

The background has been blurred to create a shallower depth-of-field. A poor or "artsy" masking job has left a halo around George. The defocusing effect abruptly diminishes, becoming sharper as it nears the edge of the wall by John's head, even though all parts of the treated area are roughly the same distance from the camera.

The Obvious Moose Beatles Page
Front Cover
Click photo to compare the altered shot as used on the front cover of "Live at the BBC" with the original cover photo by Dezo Hoffman.
Back Cover
Click photo to compare the altered shot as used on the back cover of "Live at the BBC" with the original back cover photo by Dezo Hoffman.
Yesterday And Today
Click photo to compare an original Dezo Hoffman "Live at the BBC" shot with a present-day photo taken at the same location.
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