Photo Editing Comic Who Takes His Clients’ Requests A Little Too Literally

How many of you have heard of James Fridman? For those of you who have no idea who we’re talking about, he’s a Photoshop master who loves to take his client requests for edits VERY literally. English graphic designer Fridman is famous for taking photo-alteration requests on Twitter and responding in a hilariously unique way, far different from what the ‘client’ wanted. Basically, he’s a Photoshop genie who provides laughs and memes for the entire internet — except for the people in the photo. But to be very honest, you can’t blame him. You do get exactly what you ask for with this expert. Fridman has developed some of the most iconic photo editing “fails” of all time. Of course, they are deliberate, and his sense of fun is terrific, and we are all here for it

All images in this article are courtesy of @fjamie013 on Twitter.

Boat

Now this feels like those silly photos you get taken when you finish a rollercoaster at an amusement park. Since we’re being honest, we believe this Photoshop job is so much greater than what the girl could have wished for! 

The photographer doesn’t always play with the background, but when he does, it’s hilarious — as we see here. The noodles added to the end of the paddle are indeed an invaluable feature. We’re already off to a great start with this one.

Headless

In the age of the internet, many of us are obsessed with having the perfect photo. But just the least we could expect from Raquel was that she referred to the guy in the background as “he” instead of “it.” 

The use of “it” sounds awful and limits clarity. Perhaps that’s why James took her head away rather than that of the guy. In the photo on the right, she looks… unhinged. Headless, to be precise. We’re slow clapping here; care to join us?

Forever

Teens are wonderfully…terrifying. These lovely girls on the left know how to click a nice nature shot. Yet, youngsters have an obsessive want for more. They wanted to look older and be at a party. Luckily for James, they didn’t give any detail for those requests…

At first glimpse, you will conclude that’s just a random image of old women. Stare at it long enough like any of your ugly selfies, and you’ll realize that two women are wearing shirts with the same patterns as the kids. The attention to detail is crazy! 

Puppy

We’re going to learn a lot about the craft of Photoshop what it can produce as a response to these queries. Even if we don’t learn something, we’re definitely giggling. Why does this sound like the dog requested the edit?!  

James absolutely did the right thing by erasing the guy that submitted this photo; the one cuddling the pupper. But that’s not all, because, after the edit, the dog is grinning! It’s certainly better than the frown it wore in the original photo. But somehow, the dog looks evil now.

Gym Freak

We typically presume that the people in these pictures push for perfection instead of having fun. The fact is that some people are a tad bit…quirky. We’ve all been there, though, with awkward hands and small eyes messing up an otherwise perfect photo.

The beautiful girl in the subway is judging her empty hands, but we wonder if she’s happier with the picture post edit! To be fair, if she ever decides to audition as the Hulk, this would be a great photo to send.  

Chicken Wings

Honestly, we can get why this beautiful girl wanted wings. Would it be weird to admit that some of us automatically thought of chicken wings when we saw the first screenshot, rather than the angel wings she was asking for?

Well, she got what she wished for. It’s not James’ fault that the word “wings” applies to more than one object. She got the yummy ones, so she won’t be flying far from this pic. The real disappointment here is that she has a picture with chicken wings she didn’t even get to eat.

Bones

The whole entire time the guy could have just been clearer and avoided this mess, but no, he had to be vague. Obviously, James took the opportunity and got away with the technicality that the guy he removed was in the background of the woman. 

But that obviously isn’t all, because the best part is in the details. At first, we wondered why he left the man’s hands, but upon further inspection, we can see why. Yup, James left the man’s arms and even went so far as to add in the detail of some bone.

Orbs

We choked on our drink laughing at this one. Let’s take a moment before diving in. The more you stare at this edit, the weirder it gets. What even is the first unedited photo about? And why did she also want him to move her hands if she spent so much time lining up the shot for that purpose?

We sort of got the idea of what she wanted, but honestly, what was she expecting? Maybe she didn’t know what an orb is…or how light and vision work! We can be sure that she won’t forget it any time soon.

Showering

We’re not going to lie; we lowkey feel bad for this dude. This wasn’t even a bad request and wouldn’t have been hard for James to work on. But we’ve got to hand it to him; his jokes are a class act. 

Think fast; what’s the best detail in this edit? If you guessed the wet hair, you’re right! These experts make editing and photoshop seem so easy, but we tried and failed terribly. Don’t ask. Let’s just say that James doesn’t have any competition with us.

Fun

Frankly, we feel terrible for this edit and even the guy in it. This isn’t because the boy looks bored, but the obsession with the ‘friend zone’ that doesn’t even exist! James, this one got laughs for sure, but not from us. 

However, do you people see how clean and natural that edited t-shirt looks? It took us a while to figure out what the edit even was. Yeah, we know, we’re slowpokes! Got to hand it to the editor for this.

Jawline

We don’t want to be excessively opinionated, but are we the only ones who think her face isn’t even that round? Her face shape is considered ideal in beauty standards across the world. We’re glad that someone with James’ skill is a master in teaching people to be happy with their bodies and not rely on editing to become “beautiful.”

This girl is so pretty already, so looking at the edited image, we just think her face has been edited into a character from The Lego Movie or face-swapped with a phone screen. Please tell us we’re not the only ones who see this!

Foot in Mouth

Oh man, this edit for sure deserved this idiocy. While we’re not sure what is wrong with it looking like they’re holding hands, it seems like James agreed. However, the foot on that man’s shoulder has taken their relationship to a whole other level.

This might not be one of James’ cleanest edits because if the foot goes up, it either has no calf bones or that leg is super short. We have to give him credit for also angling the guy, so it’s more reasonable to have his foot up like that.

Dress

We love this outfit, and the length isn’t even that short. This is why we stan James for his brilliance to see this man’s ignorance and inability to let this woman’s clothing be the way it is — like she is comfortable with.

Not going to lie, though, we’ve been staring at the striped dress for a few minutes and our eyes hurt, but it’s pretty cool to see the woman, not in the edited photo. We hope she wakes up and chooses someone better to be with! 

Feet

Boy, oh boy, why are people so obsessed with what their partner looks like? Not only that but their feet, too? If the man in this photo is reading this, please know that your feet are absolutely normal-sized! And even if they weren’t, who cares?

We’re ashamed to admit that it took us a solid minute to figure out what the edit was. This proves we don’t really look at other people’s photographs in such detail. If you’re as confused as us, look at her feet! 

Warning

Safety king James has done it again, folks! If the wet floor warning wasn’t there, these ladies might have slipped; seeing what could have happened in another universe is so funny! Yes, we believe the multiverse exists. Got a problem with that?

Apart from that, is it just us who can’t spot what they meant when they said ‘awkward’? Isn’t the pre-edit photo really cute, or are we boomers who don’t know anything about pictures with friends anymore? Don’t reply to that, ouch.

Movies

If the email sender had just used the word ‘background’ instead of ‘picture,’ they might not even have been included in this list of massive fails. Why can’t people just be clear! You realize this is what James thrives on, right??

We can’t stop giggling at this one. James is so creative! We need these onesies to cuddle in while we scroll through this list and laugh at the funny requests and clever comebacks. The internet really never fails to surprise us.

Handy

This girl is so attractive, we don’t think anyone ever even noticed the equally pretty hand considering her eyebrows and eyes and nose. Basically, everything about her is so stunning. But James did his part and delivered an edit.

Now, she’s using that hand to hang on for dear life in a crowded bus. We hope she’s going to work or someplace where she doesn’t have to worry about what her hand looks like — special shoutout to James’ pun abilities.

Hips

The first photo is cute and, honestly, perfectly appropriate for two people in a romantic relationship. We can’t wrap our heads around why Erik thinks his hands around his girlfriend look weird, but whatever. Our best guess would be that he thinks it seems too low, but it’s fine as is, in our opinion.

The edit, though — we’re laughing our heads off. Not only do we not know who this other guy is, but we can’t help but imagine what Erik’s girlfriend’s reaction to this photoshop edit would be. If we were her, we would run! 

Expensive

Yup, this is hands-down, our favorite edit on this list, and it’s not because it’s funny, but because it’s hilariously accurate. Student debt is no joke. Congratulations to Tanner on his graduation, though! It takes dedication and hard work to complete your degree, and he should be commended for his efforts.

We really hope he’s managed to get a job that pays off his student loans and a fresh coat of paint for his car. But frankly, any car is better than no car at all, and we hope Tanner is no longer embarrassed by it. 

Vision

This joke has so many levels, each of them equally hilarious. While we don’t exactly understand why this man would want to remove his glasses and how he planned on looking into the camera if he couldn’t even spot it.

The blurring effect on the edit has us rolling on the floor. We can’t argue with his logic there. And James went the extra step and had the edited photo of what it would look like from the guy’s angle if he didn’t have his glasses on.

Crooked

Why does the edited picture look like the boy is about to be rocket launched into space and he’s just posing for one last picture with his family, and why is it so funny?? The son’s mom really needs to give her son a tight hug.

Of course, James made no effort to put a smile on the mom’s face. If we ever needed a photo edited by him and only him, we would overthink our text to him for like, ten days and make sure every word was right. 

Trash

Phew, at least the girl is doing something good for the community in the edit and doesn’t look too dumb. But seriously, we wish we had James’ sense of humor. Do you guys think we can be friends with him?

If you were to slide into his DMs, what would you say to ensure you don’t get trolled? If we were to get trolled by him, we might end up crying; we’re sensitive right now. Got any tips for us?

Photoshoot

Okay, first of all, what was the photographer even thinking? We really hope they weren’t paid for this terrible job of having everything in focus apart from the actual subjects and clients of the photoshoot! And that game wasn’t set up in the few minutes since the couple got there. Could they not have moved?

As for the edit, let’s just say our minds are blown. Not only has James successfully ignored the main subject like his trolling is meant to do, but he’s changed the entire setting and made the chess players really fit in! 

Dead

Yes, kids, this is what happens when you don’t take care of nature and the plants around you. Who knew James could give such a strong lesson through a photoshop joke! Good going. Not going to lie though; the first photo is pretty. 

The edit made us feel sad and also made us judge the girl for smiling. How insensitive to be smiling around dead plants. But coming back to the point, we hope she stuck with the first photo and appreciated the nature around her. 

Details

Details are so important! Man, speaking to James might actually turn someone completely calm and collected into an overthinking bundle of nerves. However, that isn’t the only detail you need to look and marvel at. Can you spot the hidden joke in his edit?

Notice the shirt the guy is wearing? Yup, now look at the boxer dog’s collar. They’re the same brand! If we were the girl, we would laugh at this edit for days. Hopefully, the boyfriend got a good laugh, too. Also, that boxer (dog) is so cute!

Costumes

Let’s just get this out of the way: the couple is stunningly beautiful, and we’re so sure that all their photos come out this well. We just know they have good photographs, and Darthie here doesn’t ruin this at all. 

However, James here is hoping the man in the relationship loves his girlfriend as much as he loves the fictional character because now, his girlfriend is the character. What we can’t get over is how smooth and clean this edit is! 

Bad

We’re not sure what the obsession with being a bad boy is exactly, and it seems like James is confused, too! But discounting that entirely, this edit is so funny! It took just one edited sign to turn this man into a “bad boy.”

The power photoshop wielders hold, wow. And yes, we hope the police are on their way because that edit just changed everything for the man in the photo. We hope ‘Greg’ is happy not being bad. After all, where’s the appeal in that?

Senior

Oh jeez. Oh…no. Why? Why is it that this is so bad, but we can’t stop looking at it? Someone explain! If we could request James to do one thing for us, we would ask that he animate this edit.

Like actually have it move around so that it looks like the washing machine is doing a load of laundry, with her in it. That would be hilarious, right? Hold up, why would you want to be in the water for your senior photo. 

Official

We don’t exactly understand how a tie can be so important that you absolutely need a different color for it, but James definitely got it down. We feel bad for the guy in the photo, though, and hope this wasn’t important.

Because if this was an official application to someplace and they were strict on the all-black policy, this guy didn’t get a successful response. Should we blame him for relying on a troll photoshop expert for this? He must have known what he was getting himself into.

Chilled

Yeah, the girl is ice cold right now. It can’t get more chill than the edit of being in a literal freezer. She can probably sneak out some ice cream from that freezer once she melts. Honestly, though, the lake view is prettier. 

We hope that she didn’t mean a club or something when she asked for a cooler background because honestly, those photos look tacky, right? Nature shots are a hundred times better than dimly lit parties. It can’t just be us that think that way. James obviously agrees. 

Chandelier

Man, how is photoshop real, and how do people constantly overestimate someone’s capabilities. Most importantly, did Liam not see this coming? He’s obviously aware of what James is known for! This is a clear case of the photograph being fundamentally wrong. 

Got to hand it to him, though; James’ choice for a chandelier is very fancy. Honestly, if we had the skills he possesses, we would have just cropped all the faces and bodies and just kept the chandelier. A completely different and better angle, just like Liam wanted. 

Rocky

Yeah, this friend is never going to live this picture down. To be edited into a Medusa-gaze-struck statue of rock with creepy little eyes and teeth, what else do friends need in order to roast you for the rest of your life? 

Can we take a minute to gush over this girl’s hair?? So beautiful and voluminous! But if the edited photo made it to her social media by any chance, yup, no one would be sliding into her DMs. That creepy smile coming from the rock is just too much for us to handle.

Age

Yeah yeah, whatever, age might just be a number, but these big balloons to celebrate your birthday are meant to be held in a fun way. Girl, what exactly is the right way to hold a ‘1’? Everyone can still read it! 

17-year-old Brinley brought this upon herself, and now she looks like a 71-year-old version of herself. We love the fact that James kept the outfit of her special day just as is. We hate what he did to her hair. 

Sue

We would sue this wedding photographer if we could, because who, in their sane mind, clicks a photograph of such a beautiful bride with a tent pole in front of her? You’ve got to be kidding us! That’s such a thoughtless mistake to make; clearly, the photographer didn’t care.

James did what he’s best known for, and made the consequences of his actions very evident. Yup, the tent would fall over the newlywed bride and groom if they removed the pole. We hope they had a good laugh with this one! 

Eyes

If this edit can teach you anything at all, please, for the love of God, close your eyes when kissing your partner, especially if you’re being photographed. If you don’t, one of three things can happen. Your partner might think your kiss wasn’t special to you, you might get cockeyed, or…

…your picture will end up in James’ DMs and have to face the wrath of his edits. And it won’t stay there, as he shares his hilarious edits on this Twitter page. The easiest solution to not having a stranger cover your eyes is to just close them in the first place.