How can photographs be edited?

Quiz

In today’s world, it is virtually impossible to say if an image has been manipulated or not. This is why the truthfulness of a photograph cannot be trusted. On the other hand, photographs have always been edited – the results might just not have looked as realistic as today.  

It’s important to keep in mind that a photograph is never fully objective. The person behind the camera chooses a specific subject and decides what to include in the frame, while other subjects are excluded from the picture. Thus, the photographer is affecting the truthfulness of the photograph already at the moment of shooting.  

Which of the following statements are true?  

1. Image editing is a new phenomena, that was born through digital photography. 
2. You can use image editing to add people in a news photograph who were not present when the photo was taken. 
3. A photographer can cut out a piece of someone else’s photograph and incorporate it in their own image.  
4. Only professional photographers know how to utilize of AI when editing images.  
5. Adding a filter in an image is counted as image editing.

Answers: 

1. False. Photographs have been edited since the invention of photography.  

2. False. According to the guidelines of journalists, the audience must be able to separate facts from forged material. Hence you cannot add or remove anything from news images with the help of image editing software. 

3. True. A photographer can cut a slice of another person’s photograph and incorporate it into their own work, if the result is a completely new, independent work of art. However, discriminating or offensive images are not protected by the law. 

4. False. Most AI image editing tools are open for anyone. However, misusing them can lead to harmful phenomena such as the spread of misinformation.   

5. True. Adding a filter in a photograph is counted as image editing.