"What Matters Most"

 ... is sometimes you need to check your edits before you send things out.

I picked up Ben Folds' new album, What Matters Most and the surprise of the inside cover / insert was an autograph (stock signature it looks like) and Ben sitting on a piano giving the finger. 

Actually both hands giving the finger. 

I had to scan it in twice because the insert was too big for the HP Deskjet 3510 Scanner / Printer (which is sold old at this point, it almost exist anymore, according to Amazon, except third party sellers are attempting to get rid of it. Just don't believe it is Alexa capable because it's not. It also doesn't do duplex [double sided] printing. This thing ss 11 years old at the point of this writing and the scanner sounds like it's dying. Just be glad we can still get ink for it).

BUT.. the reason for scanning it in and making this post:

The design team failed to edit the person in front of Ben out. 

You can see the reflection in the piano - I've created a yellow arrow pointing to it.

I did some slight editing on the image as I had to crop the line out from where I had scanned twice (for full image) and needed to get the overlay of the second image on the first (which now that I look at it, it looks like doodoo, but that's not the point. The point is the reflection). I also did some sharpening and auto tone/contrast/color to match the images together. Otherwise WYSIWYG and what you get is someone's legs in the photo that don't belong.

Yes, there's a reflection of Ben's left leg on the piano, but how to you explain the pair next to it? Look at the first image I posted and then look at the second. Do you need them side by side as a comparison? 

I know I'm not the best photographer or graphic designer / image manipulator in the world, nor do I make myself out to be. However, if you're going to go haul a piano to a beach and sit on it in a suit, at least get your guys out of the picture before you mass produce the final product. Otherwise, how do you explain the pair of legs that don't belong on the instrument?

Sure, Mr. Folds can do what he wants. Hence the double bird flip. However, if I'm as renown as the guy who once was Rockin the Suburbs, I'd want my stuff as clean as possible. Considering he's the artistic advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra /  Kennedy Center, maybe going a little rogue / punk, he feels he can do stunts like this and it's fine? Dude has clout, sure. I give him full credit for silly shenanigans because I've been a fan since the mid nineties. 

I'm just surprised this was left in. It's random. It's "fun". But it's still confusing since the image itself is so cropped in, that there's no room for question or error. 

I don't know... Maybe I should listen to the album and see what he's up to with this round of music before I make any more comments... 

Cheers;