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Old February 10th, 2012 #1
keifer
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Default Photoshop:Fake Photos And How To Spot Them.

This thread is for the discussion photos that are in question for authenticity. If there is a photo in question then post it. If you have uncovered a fake, let us know how you did it.
 
Old February 10th, 2012 #2
keifer
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This photo is so poorly done that I have to conclude from the start that it's purpose is one of obvious parody, as if the content isn't enough of a laugh.

I hope to present clues for helping a viewer spot manipulated images even if they themselves are not a computer tech Photoshop practitioner.

First off the imbedded info is erased, and the photo was renamed to blackgirl.jpg. Renaming is a modification. This title has no numeric representation and therefore it is possible this is a one of a kind by the author. The title is with out capital letters which might indicate the lack of importance or an indication of a temporary file. However this is just a guess. The importance of this is simple in that with out opening the file, it can be read as modified. Obvious enough.

What's wrong with this image. There is a clear separation of the visual components. Very common to see a person(s) isolated from the rest of the photo. This is the first clue as to what the focal point agenda is for the author of a manipulated photo. In this particular image, the author isolated the people and separated them from the rest of the picture by modifying the color. The edges around the people are made obvious by the authors lack of skill as you can see the edge of the orange shirt is constant and visually unyielding to the variations that would otherwise be naturally out of focus. As I said before, in this image the fabricated edge is defined by color change that creates an inconsistent relation from a subject to the surroundings. By making a simple observation the viewer can see that the color that represents the shadows for the curtains is different from the color seen in the shadows of the people/clothing. The black hat does not have the red in the shadows like the people/clothing do. The black hat fits more into the color of the back ground. The dark edge(Color Shift) around the top of her head can be explained for the same reason as the hat. The discrepancy in color is further compounded by the inconsistency in the color that represents light in this image. The area where the greater concentration of light is bouncing off the subject and into the camera lens is the high lights and in this image the highlights are different from one zone(people) of the image to another(background). The difference between these two zones is further stated by a shift in overall color intensity(saturation).

Unless otherwise modified, most digital cameras will favor the color red. The result in terms of imaging is that anything in the image that already has some red in it will become intensely more red in the photo. The people in this image are a good example of that, and it is my guess that the background is where the main color change took place. This is the biggest modification in terms visual elements because it affects roughly half of this entire image. This change is far more proportional in a measurable scale than the changes that take place in this image that actually alter the content.
 
Old February 10th, 2012 #3
keifer
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The image in question.

Last edited by keifer; June 16th, 2014 at 09:52 AM.
 
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