They might be tinting it, but there are many factors that go into play here:
There is most likely different lighting used in the photo shooting area and the on stage shooting area, and I'm not sure if Stanzeflasher is using a flash on his camera. These variances in lighting could have a dramatic effect on the how "dark" the model looks.
Personally, I like the quality of the new cards. The "HD" quality was never bad, but it is noticably better, in terms of clarity with the newer cards. I'm just one of those guys that could take it or leave it if they readjusted lighting or tinting... as long as the clarity is still there. :-)