Can you tell if a JPEG was edited in Photoshop?
Asked 8/13/2012
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If a photo has been edited and then saved as a JPEG, is there any reliable way to tell that Photoshop was used? For example, can this be identified from EXIF/metadata, and what if the metadata has been removed?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
12
it depends what you're looking for.
1) File Meta-info: the meta information contained within the file can reveal which s/w saved the photo last (with possible edits). But this can easily be changed afterwards or deleted by another s/w.
2) Image data: now, if you're looking to find out if a photo file has been tempered (edits made to it), you should look into Error Level Analysis and photo forensics.
errorlevelanalysis.com, hackerfactor.com and other such software are only made available to governments!
Originally by user10119. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user10119
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Sometimes, but not reliably in every case. A JPEG may include metadata such as the EXIF/XMP Software tag, which can show that Photoshop was the last program to save the file. Many photo management tools can search or display this tag.
However, metadata is not dependable proof: it can be removed, changed, or omitted entirely. For example, export methods such as “Save for Web” may strip metadata unless those options are enabled.
If metadata is missing, the only option is image forensics, such as error level analysis (ELA) and related techniques. These tools analyze the image data itself for signs of manipulation. Even then, they may only suggest that an image was altered; they do not reliably prove that Photoshop specifically was used.
So the short answer is: check the metadata first, but if it has been stripped or edited, there is no guaranteed way to identify Photoshop as the editor from the JPEG alone.
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