Reality check for celebrity images proposed

Dartmouth College computer scientists have developed a program to automatically rank photographs based on the amount of retouching the picture has undergone. Use of the system by photo editors and advertisers would, the researchers say, help rein inskyrocketing rates of eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

The researchers’ work, reported in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, notes that the AMA has recently adopted a policy to “discourage the altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image.” The same public health concerns are echoed in the UK, where two L’Oreal cosmetics advertisements featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington were banned by the Advertising Standards Agency following complaints that the magazine adverts were misleading because the photos had been digitally altered.

But the researchers argue that ad hoc complaints and bans are not the answer to addressing what is a pervasive problem. Dartmouth’s Hany Farid and Eric Keeway assert that an automated ranking system allows advertisers to truthfully and accurately characterize the extent to which an image has been altered while allowing the public to make informed judgments. Their goal, they say, is to create a metric that provides an objective assessment of how much alteration has been made to an image.

Their proposed rating system takes into account common practices such as cropping and color adjustment while providing assessment of other kinds of modifications that dramatically change a person’s appearance. The algorithm assesses geometric alterations such as slimming legs, adjusting facial symmetry, and correcting posture, as well as photometric manipulations that might include removing wrinkles, “bags” under the eyes and skin blemishes.

“We start with the before and after digital images from which we automatically estimate the geometric and photometric changes, effectively reverse engineering the manipulations that a photo retoucher has made,” Farid explained.

In their study, to crosscheck and validate their metrics, human observers were asked to compare and rank the differences in hundreds of pairs of before and after retouching images. The results, says Farid, correlated highly with the algorithm.

“Such a rating may provide incentive for publishers and models to reduce some of the more extreme forms of digital retouching that are common today,” the researchers conclude. “It remains to be seen if this rating can mediate the adverse effects of being inundated with unrealistic body images.”

Related:
Discuss this article in our forum
Body dysmorphia unimproved by cosmetic surgery
Biological Cause For Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Men fueling plastic surgery boom
Adolescent boys aspire to be average

Source: Dartmouth College

, , ,

Comments are closed.

Kristi Noem 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100214 picture

Kristi Noem 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100214

$2.99



Kristi Noem 8x10 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100212 picture

Kristi Noem 8x10 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100212

$5.99



Milana Vayntrub 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100934 picture

Milana Vayntrub 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100934

$2.99



Kay Parker 6 picture

Kay Parker 6

$4.99



Gillian Anderson 8 x 10 Photograph Art Print Photo Picture picture

Gillian Anderson 8 x 10 Photograph Art Print Photo Picture

$6.99



4x6  celebrity photos $1.95 ea Pay 1 Ship Charge Per Order LAST UPDATE 3/15/25 picture

4x6 celebrity photos $1.95 ea Pay 1 Ship Charge Per Order LAST UPDATE 3/15/25

$1.95



Cindy Crawford 8x10 Celebrity Photo Picture Hot Sexy 2 picture

Cindy Crawford 8x10 Celebrity Photo Picture Hot Sexy 2

$9.99



Arnold Schwarzenegger Wilt Chamberlain Andre Giant Conan 8x10 Celebrity Photo picture

Arnold Schwarzenegger Wilt Chamberlain Andre Giant Conan 8x10 Celebrity Photo

$6.98



Olivia Dunne 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100484 picture

Olivia Dunne 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100484

$2.99



Margot Robbie 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100638 picture

Margot Robbie 4 x 6 inch Celebrity Print Collectible Photo 100638

$2.99



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes