How to Identify AI Enhanced Photos on Forum?

[CharlesH]

I was about to post a photo that uses Lightroom's Generative Remove function with a pretty dramatic effect, and wanted to identify it was AI modified. This is a big deal anymore for sites like Instagram and others, as AI gets more and more realistic. For our small forum it may not matter much but Generative Remove can do dramatic things and I didn't want to imply the photo came right out of the S5IIx. Possible labels at the top of the photo:
AI Enhanced
AI Modified
AI Enhanced with Generative Remove
Other label?
No label?

Much of the software we normally use has some AI content but it doesn't seem to me to rise to the level we need to call it out. This included DxO DeepPRIME, Lightroom's AI Denoise, and all the Topaz Labs Products. But it's not what comes out of the camera, should we label it?

What do you think?

 

[Travis Butler]

I'd suggest there are three factors that come into play:

• Context. Are you pointing the technical qualities of an image as part of an evaluation - discussing the quality of a lens, for example? Then disclosure becomes a lot more important.
• Nature of the effect. Is it simply a better version of something already present, like denoising or sharpening? Global adjustment and balancing of levels/color temperature/etc.? The same, only with AI-driven subject recognition to make adjustments on a region-by-region basis? A 'healing' tool as a more advanced version of clone-and-replace? Wholesale replacement of the sky?
• Area of effect. Is it just removing a tiny bright spot? Or removing an object that's 20% of the photo?

Personally, I don't think something like sharpening or denoising is important to disclose unless you're calling attention to technical IQ. Contrast and color adjustments don't really matter if it's just a faster shortcut for adjustments you could do yourself; I almost always have to tweak the results anyway. 'Healing' tools to remove a bit of branch don't bother me, but if it's erasing/backfilling a large element of the picture I think it needs disclosure. Sky replacement? I think that needs to be called out, whether you're using an AI tool or doing it the old-fashioned way.

 

[CharlesH]

Here is the photo I modified with Generative Remove. It is on the Las Vegas Strip, a shot of a truck with a Beatles Love Show sign. This was the cleanest shot I got, but the street sign for "Fashion Show Drive" is distracting. I took out the street sign with Generative Remove, and to my eye got a much better picture. First the original, and then the AI modified picture.

Original Picture

• Panasonic - DC-S5M2
• LUMIX S 100/F2.8 MACRO
• 100.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/1250 sec
• Pattern
• Manual exposure
• ISO 500

The modified picture. Everything behind the "Fashion Show Drive" sign was generated by AI.

Picture AI Enhanced with Generative Resolve

• Panasonic - DC-S5M2
• LUMIX S 100/F2.8 MACRO
• 100.0 mm
• ƒ/8
• 1/1250 sec
• Pattern
• Manual exposure
• ISO 500

 

[Oíche]

Do you remember the 'spot the difference' competitions way back in the day or 'wheres Wally'?

I had to really look for that difference, it wasn't obvious. It's good for removing real distractions that really ruin a photograph but I'm not really jumping up and down with excitement about it which seems to be the expectation from Adobe and others.

Just more hype

 

[Oíche]

Modifying photos has been done since the invention of photography, this is basically a new more convenient digital version of the same thing and "photoshopping" has been around for decades.

How many UFO photos have convinced and influenced a whole culture of TV/film and convince some that aliens visit Earth in flying saucers?

 

[Pete_W]

I don't think photos need to be labelled if distracting elements have been removed. That kind of editing doesn't alter the substance or the intent of the original photo.

I guess disclosing that something has been removed can be helpful for someone who may be pixel peeping if some detail has been smeared by the process.

 

[Travis Butler]

I don't think photos need to be labelled if distracting elements have been removed. That kind of editing doesn't alter the substance or the intent of the original photo.

I guess disclosing that something has been removed can be helpful for someone who may be pixel peeping if some detail has been smeared by the process.

Depends on how big the element is, for me. Mixed feelings on the example here - it's relatively small and improves the photo, but it also could raise questions like 'why is the street sign on the other pole but not this one?'

 

[Arkan]

Here is the photo I modified with Generative Remove. It is on the Las Vegas Strip, a shot of a truck with a Beatles Love Show sign. This was the cleanest shot I got, but the street sign for "Fashion Show Drive" is distracting. I took out the street sign with Generative Remove, and to my eye got a much better picture. First the original, and then the AI modified picture.

Original Picture
View attachment 4622


The modified picture. Everything behind the "Fashion Show Drive" sign was generated by AI.

Picture AI Enhanced with Generative Resolve
View attachment 4623

I like how the face on the front of the truck is different on its side
But I would probably won't notice if I didn't know the picture was customized.

 

[RichardC]

I honestly don't see an issue with removing things, it's putting things in that's potentially problematic.

Someone, somewhere will find a reason to be outraged or decide that OP isn't a real photographer. I was on another forum recently where two guys were marking all of their submissions as "un-cropped" like it was some kind of badge of honour. Managed to stop myself posting "who actually cares?".

AI enhanced removal is a big deal if you make money through picture agencies. In general terms, you can't sell your work for commercial use if it includes people without a model release or advertising, logos or other potential IP infringements.

 

[pdk42]

Here is the photo I modified with Generative Remove. It is on the Las Vegas Strip, a shot of a truck with a Beatles Love Show sign. This was the cleanest shot I got, but the street sign for "Fashion Show Drive" is distracting. I took out the street sign with Generative Remove, and to my eye got a much better picture. First the original, and then the AI modified picture.

Original Picture
View attachment 4622


The modified picture. Everything behind the "Fashion Show Drive" sign was generated by AI.

Picture AI Enhanced with Generative Resolve
View attachment 4623

Wow, that's an amazing difference. Must give it a go. I personally have zero problems with this sort of manipulation. I guess on natural history shots it's probably going too far, but on "artistic" shots, I think the leeway for post-capture edits is very wide.

Of course, you could use AI to generate images in their entirety - no camera needed. I am in awe of the tech to do this, and actually accept that the images can have just as strong an emotional impact as if taken by a human. But the risk of course is that people try to fool us into thinking it's their photo/artwork rather than the machinations of a neural net and a very big dataset!