Be aware of digitally altered images.

 

    

    Everyone online, at least once, has fallen for an image that has been edited. Detecting manipulated images is essential to verify authenticity and prevent misinformation. Here are some techniques and tools you can use so you don’t get fooled again.

Visual Inspection:

Look for unnatural distortions, especially around specific features. Warped lines, blurry edges, and pixelation may indicate manipulation.

Analyze lighting consistency. If shadows don’t align or appear unnatural, the image might be edited.

Low-resolution images or poor-quality edits can be red flags.

Even if you were paying close attention to the above tips, there are very talented digital artists that can fool even the most careful person. Luckily, there are several online tools that you can use to help verify the images you are looking at.

Online Tools:

FotoForensics: This tool uses Error Level Analysis (ELA) to identify areas with different compression levels. Significant differences suggest digital modification. Try it here.

Forensically: Offers clone detection, error level analysis, and noise analysis. It helps uncover hidden details. Try it here.

TinEye: This tool searches the web for other images that are similar.  If you discover identical images with different contexts, one might be manipulated. Try it here.

Metadata Examination: Check image metadata for clues. Suspicious metadata such as the creation date or the software used can indicate manipulation. Sites like exifmeta can help you examine the metadata. 

Critical Thinking:

Sensational Topics: Be cautious with extraordinary images related to sensitive topics.  Everyone can fall victim to confirmation bias.

Source Verification: Always verify the image source. If it seems too good to be true, investigate further.

As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at OneSource@midcentury.com