Adobe shows preview of software to detect photo manipulation of faces

Adobe shows a sneak peek from ProjectAboutFace, software that can detect and undo face manipulation. The technique works with an algorithm that is trained to recognize operations with the Face-Aware Liquify tool.

The software tool is based on research from scientists at Berkeley University and Adobe Research. The software specifically examines whether pixels are stretched or compressed. These operations are the result of the Face-Aware Liquify filter. That tool is in Photoshop and is also widely used in fashion photography, for example, to adjust faces.

According to Adobe, the software can recognize operations that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The tool indicates with a percentage the likelihood that manipulation has taken place and a heat map will show where adjustments have been made. There is also an undo function that attempts to undo the edits made.

In the demonstration that Adobe gave during its MAX event , that works convincingly. The researchers note on their own site that there are various limitations. For example, the tool is specifically trained to recognize manipulation with the Liquify filter. Other operations are unlikely to be detected.

Whether and when the functionality becomes available is not yet clear. Adobe gave the demonstration as part of a large number of sneak peeks of new features and capabilities that the company is working on. Such functions may find their way to Adobe software in the future.