Tell-Tale signs of a doctored image?

[JollySipper]

What are some of the signs to look for to tell if an image has been manipulated? The "What If" topic has a lot of pics that would fool anyone with an untrained eye (namely me!) and so does the "Weird Cars" thread.

Please enlighten!

[Harry P.]

If it was done well, it's virtually impossible to tell unless you're an expert.

A few things to look for... different areas of the photo seem to have different levels of sharpness. Different areas seem to have different lighting. Some parts of the image have a different color cast. Very sharp edges in parts of an otherwise not razor-sharp image, or vice-versa. Just a few giveaways of a poor Photoshop job.

The "What If" topic was just me fooling around and "redesigning" a few cars, just for fun. I wasn't being particularly careful to do an expert PS job... just playing around, basically.

If I manipulated an image with the intent of fooling you, you could never tell if I didn't want you to know...

[Deano]

If I manipulated an image with the intent of fooling you, you could never tell if I didn't want you to know...

Oooo ... sounds like a challenge!

[martinfan5]

Oooo ... sounds like a challenge!

Agreed, bring it on Harry :lol:

[sjordan2]

Look at just about any car brochure and catalogue. They're all retouched.

However, I once worked with an art director who did Mercedes brochures back in the 60s-70s; Mercedes had a policy of prohibiting retouching then, so lots of people were busy dusting, polishing, adjusting lighting between every shot -- especially tough on locations like Monument Valley.