5 Easy Ways To Tell If A Photo Has Been Photoshopped

We live in a world once an event occurs, the first sound to hear are the clicks of smart phones camera. People take photographs for different reasons and as the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words” so, how do you tell if a photo has been photoshopped? 

For most pictures we have online have been manipulated or enhanced. Reasons may varies but for most, they may simply want to make you believe what truly is not real or they just want to look more physical appealing.

Below are some of the ways to know if a photo has been photoshopped. So help yourself and those around you to spot a fake photograph and reduce it aim, which is to create a hoax or simply to deceive.

1. A Little Common Sense

Sometimes, spotting a doctored photograph can be obvious; somethings might just fall out of place. This can be seen in some photographs having slightly misplaced body parts or too enhance/spotless body features. So, having to look deeply on any obvious signs from the norm can prove to you what is not right.

2. Pay Attention To The Photo quality (Pixelation)

A modified photo often has digital distortion. This photo distortion can be in form of pixelation or just imperfect coloring, and this can be a good indicator of the photo’s validity. But signs of digital distortion are easier noticed on small and medium size photographs than on larger ones.

3. Shifting Light

Examining the way light interacts with the photo objects is another way to spot a doctored photograph. If this is true, shadows and highlights will appear to violate the laws of physics. This is most common when a subject has been added or removed from a photo. A common mistake can be an object that doesn’t cast a shadow or has it lights coming from a different direction.

4. Google Reverse Image Search

Using a reverse image search is also an easy way to spot a doctored image. To do this, just drag and drop a photo unto the Google image search bar to bring related images of the photograph. In the case of a photo that has been altered, this can showed up the original image or images that look like the manipulated photo.

5. Use Web Forensic Tools

If with the listed above ways you still couldn’t tell if a photo was photoshopped. Then, using a web photo forensic tool will come in handy. By using a forensic web tool like FotoForensics, it can help you detect a more difficult to tell photoshopped image. And also let you know where the manipulation was done.