Image Manipulation

I chose this image that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 2003 because it really frustrates me when news organizations spin news and images to make them more profitable or interesting.  To be fair The LA times did not know this photo was doctored when they published it and subsequently fired the photographer but the idea is still there.  The photographer compiled an image of a British soldier and some Iraqi civilians to create this one image.  This manipulation was of course harmful.  These organizations have a job to report the truth and this image is not the truth.  All too often these days news organizations create substance to make their product more marketable.  They all do it but I can think of instances in which Fox news in particular has used stock footage of a rally to depict something that was supposed to have happened that day.

I chose this video because it describes how two images can be combined into something that looks like originally one image. This example of putting Natalie Portman's face into a painting is innocent of course.  This video is just informative in nature, not any kind of commentary on the good and bad of image manipulation.  It is valuable though to see just how easy image manipulation can be and that we should be wary when looking at images that seem implausible or just a bit off.