Photographers reveal what they think REALLY went wrong with Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo: Princess of Wales using a Google AI tool, sloppy software editing or a series of pictures ‘spliced together’ to create the ‘perfect family portrait’?
The Princess of Wales’s Mother’s Day portrait should never have seen the light of day, experts told MailOnline today.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have been urged to release the original photo after at least 16 mysterious tamperings were spotted in the 24 hours since it was released.
The innocent Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children has sparked an international scandal after most of the world’s major photo agencies ‘killed’ the image and questioned its integrity.
Kate today apologized for her editing skills, but experts have given their views on what they think happened and how the photo was digitally altered.
Some believe the Princess of Wales has used an AI tool, such as ‘Best Take’, found on a £1,059 Google Pixel 8 phone, which merges a series of photos into one perfected image to ensure everyone on the images are smiling and have their eyes open, for example. But this can lead to blurred lines and glitches in the final images.
Others have blamed “sloppy” use of Photoshop or other computer software, such as Topaz, which is routinely used to enhance images.
A photographer told MailOnline today that the public can be sure the controversial image showed Kate sitting with her children for the portrait. But Katie Mortimore believes it was then massively ‘manipulated’ to create the ‘perfect family photo’.
Paul Clarke said he wondered if it had been changed so drastically that even ‘snot on a sleeve’ of a royal child or some other sign could have been removed to perfect every element of the ultimately released image.
MailOnline can reveal the statements of leading experts from around the world on the ‘CuffGate’ scandal, so named because Princess Charlotte’s left hand is misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan, casting doubt on the authenticity of the image and leads to the rare ‘murder’. announcement’ for a royal photo.
EPA is among agencies to ‘kill and remove’ warning amid questions about how heavily edited the photo of Kate on Mother’s Day with her children was really
It is believed that Charlotte’s floating left wrist is the reason the photo was taken
MailOnline found at least 16 potential problems with the photo
Photo is manipulated using two or more images and software
Photographer Katie Mortimore thinks that the photo has changed significantly with the help of software.
She said: ‘The photo has clearly been manipulated. What’s not clear is whether it’s a combination of two similar frames to look its best, or whether it’s a piece-manufacture.
‘Personally, I’m quite sure that the Princess of Wales was sitting in the chair with her children, but without her arms around them. To be honest, that kind of reach of both arms in a recent major abdominal surgery would probably be painful.
‘I don’t believe this is the first manipulated image from the palace, BUT this coincides with the princess’ illness and therefore only raises more questions rather than eliminating them.
“It would be best for the palace to release the raw image to agencies, but I would be surprised if this happened. Why was the image manipulated? I suspect the princess did it as an avid photographer who wanted to take a near-perfect family photo.”
Google Pixel AI used
Patrick Whitty, who shoots for the New York Times, TIME and National Geographic, tweeted: ‘I suspect the photo was taken with the Google Pixel 8, using the ‘Best Take’ feature, which selects the ‘best face’ for each person ‘ chooses. and automatically merges them into one photo.
‘There are so many warning signs in this photo of Kensington Palace. I was surprised the wires would move it’.
Cleaned up with a ‘clone tool’
Freelance photographer Paul Bevan tweeted: ‘I don’t think it’s unreliable. Someone tried to clean up the photo a bit and used the clone tool, but didn’t use it very well and they needed time to extract the photo. I would like to see the original version’.
Images taken during a single shoot were combined
Jon Mills, Group Picture Editor of SWNS, Britain’s second largest news agency, told MailOnline: ‘Although the Palace eventually released this particular image, it is very clumsy editing, it was not done by a professional.
‘But the quality of the image is consistent, so my best guess is that elements from footage taken during one take have been combined. “It probably shows the pressure the Prince of Wales is under to present his family in the best light, rather than any attempt at deception.”
Remove snot on a sleeve?
Paul Clarke, one of Britain’s most experienced photographers, said problems may have been caused by the search for a perfect photo and perhaps by trying to clean up imperfections.
“Here we have confusing decisions about the creation of the photo and sloppy editing (a bit of snot on the sleeve? who knows) that just don’t make much sense,” he tweeted.
‘There are numerous 100% certain photographic manipulations easily visible in that Kate photo. What were they thinking?’