Duchess Kate’s photo blunder: Why a Google cell phone is suspected behind it

“Best Shot” function
Swap faces with a tap of a finger: Why a Google cell phone is suspected to be behind the royal photo blunder

The family photo, intended as a sign of Duchess Kate’s life, backfired badly. Now some observers suspect that she could have used a function of the current Google cell phones. But that doesn’t explain all the errors in the picture.

It was an image whose appearance was already making headlines – and which then turned into a huge embarrassment. As a duchess When Kate of Wales posted a picture with her three children on Sunday, it was supposed to reassure fans of the royal family. But suspicions quickly arose that the image had been manipulated. Until it was ultimately deleted. Now there is a new theory that could explain some of the discrepancies: Kate is said to have simply used a function on the new Google phones.

This explanation was suggested by numerous users on the short message service X, formerly Twitter. The function of the current Google smartphone Pixel 8 (you can find our test here) called “Best Shot” allows you to simply swap the face in photos – and create a new image from it. Did Kate also use this function?

Did Duchess Kate use a Pixel 8?

The way it works is actually pretty simple: As with other modern smartphones, the Pixel takes photos even if you haven’t fired the shutter yet. Once you have captured an image, you can replace the faces of the people depicted individually in the final recording with one of the faces from the additional images taken. With the help of AI, the face is then incorporated into the other image.

The benefit is obvious: If one of the people in the otherwise best shot suddenly looks away, closes their eyes or stops smiling, you can simply change that – and take the smile out of the other shot. In the end you have the best photo, which is actually a kind of collage of several.

Open questions

But did Kate also use this function? There are a few other details that speak against this. The most important thing: The Google AI actually only targets faces and only exchanges them. But all the more seamless. However, there are a number of inconsistencies in Kate’s photo, for example in the children’s hands, clothing or hair. You can find an overview here. If Kate had used the “Best Shot” feature, these errors should not have occurred.

In addition, many of the smaller errors are classic Photoshop mishaps. For example, edges of elements that are not neatly cut off, inconsistencies in the blur or overlaps of shifted parts of the image. The charm of Google’s feature is that it assembles the images almost seamlessly. There is therefore a lot to suggest that the images were edited by hand.

The Duchess herself has now admitted that they are manipulated. “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing,” she wrote on the royal couple’s official X account. The image has now been deleted. An unedited version has still not been posted.

Source:Google, X