7 Clear Signs A Photo Has Been Edited

With approximately five billion photos taken daily worldwide and a growing trend of using filters and editing apps to enhance appearances, it's increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fake images on social media.

Social media marketing experts Viralyft have identified seven major clues that reveal when a photo has been edited.

Completely flawless skin

Getting that airbrushed look is like chasing unicorns – fun to imagine, but impossible without filters or face editing apps. Even your friends with great skin will have natural imperfections like moles, pores, wrinkles, and scars, and this is what makes us human.

Beauty is in the eye

The eyes are one of the biggest giveaways when it comes to face editing, with even the most technologically challenged person able to easily spot that some photo editing has taken place. The biggest tell-tale signs are the white part of the eye being unnaturally white, eyes that seem to pop out from the rest of their face, the iris having an enhanced, brighter colour and the light reflected in the eye being more noticeable.

Blinded by the teeth

If their teeth are so white they’re almost luminescent or they’re bright enough to help guide a plane when landing, then they have probably dabbled in some face editing.

Voldemort nose

If their nose is ultra slim to the point that it’s almost a blur on the face or it’s disappearing altogether, you know it’s been edited.

Wonky lines

Check the lines of the body and the backdrop: celebrities like Beyonce, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim K have all been caught with wibbly wobbly backgrounds.

Long limbed

If their arm has doubled in length or they’ve grown a freakishly long finger, naming no names Ariana, the chances are they have tweaked the image.

Makeup salon trip for the weekly shop

If someone has taken a car selfie after the weekly grocery shop and it looks like they’ve been to a makeup salon beforehand, and they're not on their way to a party, there is a high possibility they have edited their face.

Thomas Moore, Director of Viralyft, has commented:
“With photo-sharing and video-sharing apps like TikTok and Instagram having gained extreme popularity over the past few years, photoshopping has become so prevalent that the line between fiction and reality has become truly blurred.

“But with this rise in photoshopping has come an increase in expertise and knowledge, which has created edit investigators who can spot an altered photo when they see it. And there are now even fake image detectors, which can say whether an image has been changed.

“With technology advancing at a rapid pace, it’s becoming harder to spot an edited photo. Remember these tips when coming across a flawless image on social media - chances are, it's been edited. No one should measure themselves against unrealistic standards of perfection, because they're not real.”