Techniques of Fakery
There are six basic techniques of faking a photo, none of which are mutually exclusive.

1: Inserting details. This includes placing an element from one photo into another to create a composite image, reproducing a detail of the photo by cloning it, superimposing an image onto another, or drawing-in details.

2: Deleting details. This is usually done by extending background elements over the unwanted detail. Or one can crop out the unwanted detail.

3: Manipulating elements within the photo. For instance, one can adjust the color, resize details, or rotate or move details.

4: falsifying the caption. (In a sense, every fake photo has been falsely captioned.)

5: Staging the scene. This is considered fakery particularly when it occurs in photojournalism. Varieties of staging a scene include using models and cutouts and inserting a prop into the scene.

6: Taking a photo at a trick angle. The most common example of this is the use of forced perspective.


Themes


Time Periods
hoax photo database

Category: Politics
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Dati’s Disappearing Ring
Deleted detail
Nov 19, 2008



Kim Jong-Il’s Shadow
Undetermined
November 2008



Palin in Bikini and Miniskirt
Fake (composite)
September 2008



Barack Obama Smoking
Fake (composite)
Circulating online since early 2008



Vote for Dean Hrbacek
Fake (composite)
January 2008



Sarkozy’s Disappearing Love Handles
Digitally altered
August 2007



The French Dinner
Fake (composite)
July 2007



Holiday Greetings, from Spain’s Royal Family
Fake (composite)
December 2005



“I can promise, this will never get done”
Staged using lookalike
Created in 2005. Circulating online since 2008.



Whatever It Takes
Fake (cloned-in details)
October 2004



Hanoi John
Fake (composite)
Circulating online since Feb 2004



Trophy Turkey
Real but arguably misleading (captions omitted relevant details)
Thanksgiving 2003



Leftist Patriot
Fake (digitally altered)
Circulating online since 2002.



Bush Reads Book Upside-Down
Fake (digitally altered)
Found online, September 2002.



White Hot Mama
Fake (composite)
July 1992


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