There is an interesting article in the NYTimes regarding photo manipulation. Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth is working on software that is able to detect when a photograph has been modified, then assign a number value (from 1 to 5) depending on how much that image has been edited. Not only would the world be a little wiser as to how much a photograph has been doctored, but models could also stipulate in their contracts what level of manipulation they are comfortable with. This seems to be an important issue to many people considering this is not the first time we have seen software designed to show us how much a photograph has been edited.
We’re just after truth in advertising and transparency…
We’re not trying to demonize Photoshop or prevent creative people from using it. But if a person’s image is drastically altered, there should be a reminder that what you’re seeing is about as true as what you saw in ‘Avatar,’. – Hany Farid
Link: http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/downloads/publications/pnas11/
