Smoke Screens

I found that the images like the photoshopped attacked Beirut skyline and the Iran missile launch to be among the most dangerous to society. In a time where technology and a little bit of Photoshop savvy can create any image and make it into reality, images like these that show world events that can have severe effects are threatening.

The Beirut skyline image shows that even a little bit of know-how on how to use modification programs can change the scene dramatically. I personally thought that the modification was an obvious one, and, if it was supposed to be hidden, it was done poorly. The repeated pattern of the smoke in several parts is a dead giveaway to me. Smoke will almost never replicate a pattern. The image is so obviously modified that it looks as though the cloud is in puffs, little circles, similar to how a child might illustrate clouds or smoke. I found a blog that even shows that the modification even cloned several buildings to expand the city skyline, giving the image a more dramatic and more devistating look.

The Iran missile image is a prime example of releasing propaganda or spin to create fact out of fiction. The Iranian government seized the opportunity to build on an already staged event such as a missile launch that was already promoting their military strength. A simple cut, copy, and paste can turn one or two missiles into as many as they feel is necessary, or that they felt they could get away with. Again in this image was the obvious replicated pattern of smoke between two different missile launches. One other thing that made me think about the authenticity of this fake photo - and I'm no history, nor a military buff - but when was the last time that you have ever seen photos or film footage of more than one missile being launched at a time. Given the nature of the image, it is completely possible that this was compiled with images of several different launches, put into one to further give a feeling of military superiority.