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PICTURE IMPERFECT
I know EXACTLY how Princess Kate edited her Mother’s Day picture & it’s no surprise – I do it daily, says Photoshop pro
Expert reveals he thinks AI used, too
A PHOTOSHOP pro has revealed how he believes Princess Kate edited her Mother's Day picture - and exactly what's been changed.
The family snap was shared yesterday morning, showing her, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, beaming.
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However, the image sparked an online frenzy after royal fans claimed the picture was edited - before photo agencies ordered a "kill notice" on the pic.
The five large news agencies - PA, AP, Getty Images, Reuters, AFP - all withdrew the pic over fears it had been 'edited at source'.
And this morning Princess Kate broke her silence, admitting that she had "experimented with editing".
She was later spotted in the car with Prince William as they left Windsor Castle this afternoon.
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Fans yesterday questioned why Kate wasn't wearing her wedding ring and noticed that her other hand was blurry.
Others said Charlotte's cardigan sleeve seemed to disappear and her skirt was fuzzy.
Some people also claimed there appeared to be an odd cut in the skirting board.
In a colour-corrected and lightened version of the image, Kate's zip appears not to line up.
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And a Photoshop expert, who's been fixing photos for 25 years, has revealed what in the pic has been edited - and why he thinks it has been.
Stephen Davies, who says he's often called the 'Photoshop Guy', said he doesn't think there was anything "deceptive" going on - just that the family wanted the perfect photo.
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However, he says AI could have been used in one spot.
The photographer told The Sun: "They wanted to get a smiling face on everyone. It is hard to get the perfect photo.
"They’ve probably taken two or three photos and blended them all together - but a couple of things have been overlooked."
Steve said there were tell-tale signs the photos had been combined to be one - including Princess Charlotte's sleeve.
He said: "Something’s been altered there. That’s definitely a flaw.
"A few areas do look a bit weird."
What does the metadata on Kate's Mother's Day picture show?
Image Meta Data suggests the picture was snapped on Friday on a Canon 5D mark IV camera with a Canon 50mm lens.
It was saved into Adobe Photoshop 23.5 on a Mac on Friday at 9.54pm and again at 9.39am on Saturday.
It is unclear whether the two saves were made on the same device.
It is also unclear who made the saves - but Kate has said she was "experimenting with editing".
The editing expert said there was also a line on Kate's face that looked off, her hair wasn't near her face and Charlotte's skirt looked "strange".
Steve continued: "That’s a common thing that they’ve blended photos together.
"I don’t think they’re doing anything deceptive on it - they just wanted the perfect photo and missed a few areas.
Kate's photo 'editing' confusion comes as:
- Princess Kate apologises for "confusion" caused by inconsistencies in family image
- Princess Kate is pictured with Prince William leaving Windsor Castle this afternoon in a black Land Rover
- Piers Morgan calls for the Palace to share the unedited photo to quell internet sleuths
- Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith gives his verdict on Mother’s Day picture as he speaks out after CBB eviction
- Photo agencies release 'kill notice' on Princess Kate's Mother's Day picture
- Twitter's warning over Princess Kate photo inconsistencies
- King Charles releases video message saying he’ll ‘continue to serve you, to the best of my ability’ amid cancer battle
"It shows multiple images have been blended together - I do it every day for people when one of the children isn’t looking at the camera."
Steve added that he thought Princess Kate's right hand was added onto Price Louis' side using AI.
The photographer said: "The texture has gone from the jumper - it almost looks like it could be AI.
"I use it all the time and I have to add the texture back in, it can only do certain resolution."
He continued: "That isn’t motion blur and it’s not out-of-focus blur - there’s no reason for it
"There’s definitely some kind of manipulation there."
The Palace had said the photo was snapped by Prince William last week, and was the first time Kate had posted online in months.
Image Meta Data said it was snapped on Friday on a Canon 5D mark IV camera with a Canon 50mm lens.
It was saved into Adobe Photoshop 23.5 on a Mac on Friday at 9.54pm and again at 9.39am on Saturday.
It is unclear whether the two saves were made on the same device.
TWELVE INCONSISTENCIES
TWELVE "inconsistencies" have been pointed out as possible clues the photo was edited.
- Distorted worktop
- Louis' blurred thumb
- Kate's blurred hand
- Blurred windowsill
- Hair out of place
- Leaves on the tree in March
- No rings
- Charlotte's sleeve chopped off
- Charlotte's tights green line where airbrushed
- Kate's zip suggests manipulation
- Charlotte's skirt doesn't line up
- Skirting board off-kilter
It showed that the pic had been snapped on a Canon camera before it was put on an Apple Mac.
Princess Kate today said: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
"I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.
"I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C."
And despite calls for Kensington Palace to release the unedited version, they have doubled down and refused.
Piers Morgan had called for the Palace to put the original online to quash rumours.
He posted on X, formerly Twitter before Kate's apology, saying: "The Palace should release the unedited photo of Kate and the kids ASAP.
"If it’s just a small bit of harmless retouching gone wrong, nobody will care.
"If they don’t release the original pic, the conspiracy theories they were trying to kill, will get way worse..."
After the apology, he doubled down on the Palace releasing the original image.
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He posted: "OK, but the only way to quell the conspiracy theories is to release the original pic…"
He also quoted the apology post on X and said: "Can we see the original?"
Why did photo agencies issue ‘kill notices’ on Princess Kate’s Mother���s Day picture?
News agencies ordered a "kill notice" on the picture late Sunday night.
The removal orders were sent after "manipulation" on the image was discovered.
AP's order said the reason for killing the story was: "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."
The order then directs those who have used the photo to remove it from all platforms, including social.
Agence France-Press ordered the "mandatory kill" due to an "editorial issue" and directed that the image may no longer be used.
Reuters said the photo “has been withdrawn following a post publication review.”
Getty Images said: “For editorial reasons, please remove the following image(s) from your system and do not use in any manner.”
Getty said its picture desk "identified a problematic image" provided by the palace and removed it from its site "in accordance with our editorial policy."
Each of the news agencies have their own editorial guidelines which govern how they treat images.
AP says that pictures "must always tell the truth" and that it does not alter or manipulate the content of a photograph in any way.
Its guidelines say: "The content of a photograph must not be altered in PhotoShop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph."
However, AP says minor adjustments are allowed, they include cropping, colour adjustments, and light adjustments
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