Adobe Photoshop Forensics

by Cynthia Baron

Thanks to TV's crime scene investigation shows, forensic technology has entered popular culture. Combining puzzle solving and a dramatic storyline, these shows fascinate audiences as high-tech procedures uncover the truths hidden in seemingly insignificant clues. What many people may not realize is that forensic teams also use items they probably have in their own homes Â- digital cameras, computers, and Photoshop image editing software. "Adobe Photoshop Sleuths, Truths, and Fauxtography" shows you how Photoshop is used to create many types of fakery and fraud, including scientific, counterfeiting, art, journalism, and political propaganda. You'll discover that with some basic training in Photoshop's manipulation capabilities and a critical eye, you too can see through photographic hoaxes. Follow along as each chapter explores a different genre of real-life frauds, both historical and current, and explains how the fakery was or could be detected. A featured case file in each chapter carefully deconstructs a faked image so you can see the methods and processes followed by the image editing professionals who solve - and the perpetrators who commit - a variety of crimes. Even if you've never considered altering an image or becoming a crime scene investigator, you'll get a kick out of discovering the how and why behind both famous and common acts of image fraud with "Adobe Photoshop Forensics!"

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2007

About the author

Cynthia Baron is the author of Denzel Washington. She is also co-author of Reframing Screen Performance and co-editor of More Than a Method: Trends and Traditions in Contemporary Film Performance (Wayne State University Press, 2004).

Reviews

[Robert Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in forensic photograph analysis and have very little background in the subject, this might be a good introduction for you. However, by no means will it provide you with the skills necessary to even begin performing such analyses yourself.

To its credit, the book is far more readable and engaging than many technical manuals might be. Filled with historic examples, case studies, and anecdotes, it does a great job of bringing the field of photographic manipulation and analysis to life. If you have no idea what's possible in terms of faking photographs or detecting the fakes, you'll learn a lot.

But when I read it, I was hoping to learn a bit more about HOW to actually manipulate photographs and, more importantly, detect those manipulations. It's true that the book does have some tips on the matter, and simply seeing examples of how some manipulations have been performed will give the astute reader some idea of how to detect the fakes. But given the the title even goes as far as to contain the name of a specific software platform, I simply expected a lot more in terms of step-by-step instruction regarding how to use Photoshop in forensic analysis. Technical instructions of that sort are incredibly limited within this book.

A good way to conceptualize it is by thinking of the difference between a graduate school lecture and an educational documentary. This book fits within the latter camp, providing a wide breadth of non-technical information to a lay audience. So if you're just looking to learn ABOUT these topics, it's the perfect book for you. But those seeking the graduate course--those who want to actually learn how to use the various tools on the market--would be better served elsewhere.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing book which showed to me how difficult it is becoming to determine reality once we've become so very expert at altering it. A bit shy of hard information, but some very fascinating examples ranging from solving a century-old case of accidental death to eBay daguerreotype scams.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and informative book about messing around with Photoshop. I'm not an expert user, but it was very interesting to see what is possible. They even talk about the Hands of God goatse manip!

[Kevin Connery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected. It's an amusing overview of fakes, but very very little with Photoshop or forensics

[Drini Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't expect to read the whole thing, but it was quite interesting and I quickly got pulled in. (only got it hoping to do the tutorials in GIMP)