5 Best Tools to Help You Detect If an Image Has Been Edited

It can be difficult to figure out whether an image has been doctored, but there are some handy free tools that can help.These tools make it easier to uncover the truth behind images, allowing you to tell the difference between real and fake.Below, we’ll introduce you to the best tools for detecting edited images and show you how they work.

1. Image edited?

Image Edited It clearly shows whether the uploaded image has been edited.Once you drag and drop or upload a photo into the tool, you'll see one of the following judgments: Yes, Maybe, No.

It recognizes common editing techniques such as cropping, resizing, rotating, cloning, healing, blurring, sharpening, color adjustments, and more.

In addition to clear judgment, it can also display the complete raw EXIF ​​data of the image, such as camera model, date, location, etc.It will also provide you with a list of software that may have modified the image.All these features are free, but if you need detailed analysis you can contact Image Edited The team knows the price.

To test the tool, we downloaded a stock image and processed it using an image editor.You can see the photo before (left) and after (right):

Then, we upload the edited image to "Image Edited".Here is the result we got:

2. Fake Image Detector

Fake Image Detector Error Level Analysis (ELA) is performed to look for inconsistencies in the compression levels of uploaded images.It also takes into account the image's metadata and checks whether the image has been tampered with.

The interface of this software is very simple.You just upload the image from your computer and click Scan Now.Get results in seconds.Note that according to the tool's developers, the accuracy is between 60% and 70%.

Below is the result of the processed image we uploaded:

3. FotoForensics

FotoForensics One of the most popular options, it uses different types of data such as JPEG, ELA, and metadata to determine the originality of an image.It works a little differently than most other tools you see online.

When you upload an image and ask FotoForensics When analyzing it, the analysis process starts with Error Level Analysis (ELA).The initial results will be displayed along with the original image you provided.If the image you upload has been doctored or modified in any way, you will see color in the analysis results.But if it is an original, unmodified photo, the analyzed image will only be white.

Additionally, FotoForensics offers a range of alternative analysis methods that you can access via the left-hand menu to obtain more accurate analysis results.

Here's what it analyzed about our doctored photos:

4. Dormouse

Dormouse is another tool that offers different photo analysis methods.These methods include, but are not limited to, ELA, hash digest generation, hash list matching, signature engines, and string extraction.

With hash digest generation, the tool creates a unique code for an image based on its data, which can then be used to detect the status of the image.In hash list matching, only you have the image codes; you can provide a list of codes and it will find all images that match those codes.

String extraction allows the tool to find all text hidden in images, such as URLs, names or dates, and identify any anomalies.The Signature Engine method displays the most important information about the image, such as where it was taken, camera used, focus point, etc.

使用 Dormouse , you need to upload the image as one of the items.You can view the added images in the "Images" section of the tool.

It’s worth noting that Ghiro needs to be downloaded and installed on your device.This is a Linux tool, so if you use another operating system such as Windows, you must use a virtual machine such as QEMU or VirtualBox to run it.

Here are the results Ghiro gave us for our processed images:

5. jpegsnoop

jpegsnoop is another downloadable program, but only for Windows users.When you upload an image for the tool to analyze,jpegsnoop Important header information such as dimensions and compression mode are immediately displayed.This is your first introduction to image composition.

You can then drill down into the image's compression settings and view quantization tables and Huffman tables.For more interesting analysis, you can explore the discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients, which can visually show how the image is segmented and compressed.

Histogram is a cool feature that gives you a graph of pixel values.This helps to spot any strange content in the image that may have been edited or altered.

Here are our results:

Other ways to identify doctored images

While image editing is easy to spot using special detection tools, you can also identify it manually through some other methods.

First, look closely at the image.Look for anything that doesn't look right, like strange color changes or something that doesn't match the background.Edited images often have blurred edges or look like they were cut and pasted, so zooming in can help you find these irregularities.

Distinguish between fact and fiction

Fake Image Detector helps you decipher the real story behind the pixels and avoid being scammed by fake news, scams or hoaxes using edited images.They can also help you become a digital detective, learn more about the history and context of an image, or improve your editing skills.Without a doubt, you should try these tools.