Hey there, human — the robots need you! Vote for IEEE’s Robots Guide in the Webby Awards.

Close bar
IEEE Spectrum
FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER

Topics

AerospaceArtificial IntelligenceBiomedicalClimate TechComputingConsumer ElectronicsEnergyHistory of TechnologyRoboticsSemiconductorsTelecommunicationsTransportation

Sections

FeaturesNewsOpinionCareersDIYEngineering Resources

More

NewslettersPodcastsSpecial ReportsCollectionsExplainersTop Programming LanguagesRobots Guide ↗IEEE Job Site ↗

For IEEE Members

Current IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteThe Institute Archive

For IEEE Members

Current IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteThe Institute Archive

IEEE Spectrum

About UsContact UsReprints & Permissions ↗Advertising ↗

Follow IEEE Spectrum

Support IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE — the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences. Our articles, podcasts, and infographics inform our readers about developments in technology, engineering, and science.
Join IEEE
Subscribe
JOIN IEEESIGN IN
Close

Access Thousands of Articles — Completely Free

Create an account and get exclusive content and features: Save articles, download collections, and talk to tech insiders — all free! For full access and benefits, join IEEE as a paying member.

ComputingFeature

A Tour of Photo Tampering

Doctoring photos for nefarious purposes

1 min read

French inventor Nicéphore Niépce created the first permanent photographic image in 1825, and pretty much ever since, people have been altering photographs. Before the digital age, photo deceptions required mastery of complex and time-consuming darkroom techniques. Today anyone with a modicum of computer skills can call on powerful and inexpensive software to alter digital images.

The following examples are from an online collection curated by Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H. Farid specializes in computer forensics techniques that can be used to distinguish tampered photos from the real thing. He described some of those techniques in his article ”Seeing Is Not Believing” in the August 2009 issue of IEEE Spectrum.

View the slide show here.

softwaretype:featurephotoshopdigital photo tamperingdigital photo forensicscomputer forensics

This article is for IEEE members only. Join IEEE to access our full archive.

Join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum’s articles, podcasts, and special reports. Learn more →

If you're already an IEEE member, please sign in to continue reading.

Membership includes:

  • Get unlimited access to IEEE Spectrum content
  • Follow your favorite topics to create a personalized feed of IEEE Spectrum content
  • Save Spectrum articles to read later
  • Network with other technology professionals
  • Establish a professional profile
  • Create a group to share and collaborate on projects
  • Discover IEEE events and activities
  • Join and participate in discussions