 5.1.6
- Photo editing software misuse
| Revision
Points: |
Candidates are expected to be able
to:
- describe the use of photo editing software to distort reality;
|
Distorting reality
Photo-editing software makes it very
easy for anyone with the right software to alter digital images. Images
can easily be stretched or compressed as well as altered to make skin blemishes
disappear for example. With care it is even possible to combine parts from
several images to create something that never existed.
 |
An image of a newsreader, originally released in
May by the news channel was slimmed down for reuse. The left photo is the
official first picture released.
The doctored photo on the right
appeared in a later magazine, owned by the news channel. |
 |
The image on the left is a fake of a British
soldier in Basra, gesturing to Iraqi civilians urging them to seek
cover. It was published on the front page of the Los
Angeles Times shortly after the invasion of Iraq.
A staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times was fired after his editors discovered
that he had combined two of his photographs to "improve" the
composition. |
How to Spot Photo Fakes
- All shadows—even the ones under noses and eyes—should fall in the same
direction. The lack of shadow can also be a clue.
- Sometimes a piece of background tags along when an image has been cut
and pasted between photos. Look closely for “scraps” around edges.
- Repetition in nature is rare. If a photo has two or three identical
objects, it’s likely they’re copies.
- Could the scene in the photo really have happened? If the answer is no,
the photo is probably a fake.
Home-made examples
 The
Languages tower block
Compare |
 The Renishaw
block before the staircase
Compare |
 The
Renishaw block after the flood
Compare |
 The
front of the school
Compare |
 The school pond
and greenhouseCompare |
 Inside
the Stan Sims mathematics block
Compare |
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