Signs of life after abdominal surgery
Fuss over photo of Princess Kate – these details expose image manipulation
The photo of Princess Kate and her children released by Kensington Palace on Sunday (color highlights through star-Editorial staff)
© Prince of Wales / Kensington Palace / PA Media / DPA
It was supposed to be a sign of life, but backfired: a photo of Princess Kate published by Kensington Palace was manipulated. You can find out here which areas speak for a subsequently edited recording.
What was supposed to end speculation about her health turns out to be a PR boomerang: the British royal family sees itself after publishing a photo of the princess Kate faces manipulation allegations. The photo distributed by Kensington Palace on Sunday shows the monarch sitting on a chair and surrounded by her three children. It is the first public photo of Princess Kate after her abdominal surgery almost two months ago. Since then there have been wild rumors about the 42-year-old’s whereabouts.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate wrote alongside the picture, which was said to have been taken by husband Prince William last week. News agencies around the world picked up the photo and reported it – only to withdraw it shortly afterwards due to inconsistencies. The US agency Associated Press said the photo appeared to have been manipulated by the source “in a way that does not meet AP’s photography standards.”
Photo contains several edited areas
In fact, if you look closely at the photo, you will notice inconsistencies in some places that suggest subsequent editing, as image expert Frank Dietz, head of the star-Title art, explained.
Manipulation can almost be seen with the naked eye in the left hand area of Kate’s daughter Charlotte. What is particularly inconsistent is the transition between the wrist and the hem of her red cardigan (marked in yellow). On the one hand, it seems as if the hem is slightly “cutting” Charlotte’s hand. At the same time, part of the hem protrudes significantly beyond her joint – that can’t be right. It is not clear from the file which part is original and which has been assembled. Perhaps space was simply needed here for Kate’s hand.
Inconsistencies in the transition between Charlotte’s wrist and the hem of her red cardigan
Also clear, but not immediately obvious, is one Editing around Kate’s head, hair and upper body. If you brighten the photo and zoom in, you will notice a clearly visible edge, which is particularly noticeable on the zipper of her blouson. The zipper shifts at one point by 14 pixels from one line of the image to the other (marked in light blue). Kate’s hair (marked in dark blue) and Charlotte’s hair slightly above (marked in red) also have an unnatural edge at the same height.
Several inconsistencies suggest that Kate’s head was subsequently replaced
In general, a kind of “frame” can be seen around Kate’s head (orange marking area), which suggests that her head was subsequently replaced with another image from the same photo session. In terms of the lighting, the light/shadow situation and the reflections in the eye, Kate’s head looks believable overall.
A kind of “frame” around Kate’s head can be seen in the photo
It is also very noticeable blurred right hand of Kate (marked pink). However, this could also be motion blur. In addition, Charlotte’s right knee appears cut off (marked green). Since the subject was obviously taken with a very fast lens, it could also be an imaging error.
Charlotte’s knee appears cut off, but this could also be due to an aberration caused by the lens
Princess Kate admits photo editing
But the PR disaster was already done.