Author Topic: Photos that spontaneously change (Read 20791 times)

Giampy · « **on:** February 13, 2014, 10:06 AM »

Hi all.

I am stressed because of a drawback that bothers me for many months.

I download many photos from Internet, then I fine-tune them with regard to brightness, contrast, colors, etc...
They become almost perfect.

After some months I find out that several photos are spontaneously changed. They are darker and reddish. I must fine-tune them again.

I am just irritated.

Notes:
- PC and monitor are always the same
- such drawback happens with certain photos only. Anything else in my PC is perfect
- my PC is free from any malware
- those photos appear changed even if I start my PC by an external operating system (on an USB key)

I don't succeed in finding an explanation.
It seems that someone enters in my PC and changes those photos... Is this hypothesis so absurd?

Can you find an explanation to my drawback?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2014, 10:15 AM »

Where did you get the photos? Is there a common denominator?

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2014, 10:17 AM »

no one is sneaking into your pc and adjusting the contrast of your photos

try some steps to figure out the problem:

Make your changes, then close the files, then reopen them. were the changes saved? ok then rmake copies and ename them and zip them and file them away somewhere.
Next time you find they look different, go check out your zipped archive and compare -- have the files changed or not?

kunkel321 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2014, 10:20 AM »

As Miles says, share some specific download links, so we can try it on our systems....

I wonder, are you saving them as .JPEG? Try saving as .png and see if it still happens. (I'm not an expert, but I think jpeg will "compress" your picture, whereas png is "lossless.")

MilesAhead · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2014, 10:26 AM »

It would be interesting if they were all downloaded from the same place. The old sneaky single pixel image hidden in an email comes to mind. Although one would think it should be difficult to just come into the PC and play with the images. Even if the sneak knew your IP how would he know the image file location? Unless it somehow "called home."

The other thing I'm thinking if the pics are layered then maybe something in the system is used to set the base layer value somehow. But I don't know enough about layered images etc..

Curt · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2014, 10:44 AM »

Did you check the pictures in the exact same light, on the same time a year, and at the same time of the day, as at the first look? Are you certain that your eyes and the monitor screen is in the exact same angle now, as then? Have your sight changed? Were any of your indoor light bulbs changed? It really does matter! All of it.

Giampy · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2014, 11:55 AM »

Where did you get the photos? Is there a common denominator?
It would be interesting if they were all downloaded from the same place
-MilesAhead (February 13, 2014, 10:26 AM)

The drawback affects photos downloaded from different websites

Although one would think it should be difficult to just come into the PC and play with the images. Even if the sneak knew your IP how would he know the image file location? Unless it somehow "called home."
-MilesAhead

I don't know.
As far as I know Jpg files may include code, though no security progam has detected it in my photos. Such code could communicate with someone outside my PC. I don't know how much this hypothesis is credible.

pl5bnsf · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2014, 12:02 PM »

Dang it! The Secret Photo Contrast Cartel has been exposed! Must move on to other dastardly deeds now that the truth is out :>

But seriously, Google Picasa has bitten me a few times when I don't actually save the photo changes. A week or so ago I cropped about 40 pictures but did not do the final save properly and the photos reverted back to the originals somehow.

Not sure what I did exactly. I am happy for Picasa to make backups, just wish it finalized the saves quicker.

Giampy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2014, 12:04 PM »

make copies and ename them and zip them and file them away somewhere.
Next time you find they look different, go check out your zipped archive and compare -- have the files changed or not?
-mouser (February 13, 2014, 10:17 AM)

Excellent trick, but I have already applied it. I am waiting for the next changes of my photos. If they will happen again, I will open that Zip to control the differences.

tomos · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2014, 12:06 PM »

I remember you posting about this before - it is a weird one - you were even saying you could see the images change sometimes. Makes me think hardware (monitor) issues.

What are you using to make the changes to the images - some software e.g. Picasa by default only save the changes *within* Picasa AFAIK (unless you actively save the changes to the file as pl5bnsf says.

Here, found it:
Images unexplainably changed

Giampy · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2014, 12:10 PM »

Did you check the pictures in the exact same light, on the same time a year, and at the same time of the day, as at the first look? Are you certain that your eyes and the monitor screen is in the exact same angle now, as then? Have your sight changed? Were any of your indoor light bulbs changed? It really does matter! All of it.
-Curt (February 13, 2014, 10:44 AM)

I confess some changes in my sight during the day, but they are little changes.
Changes of those photos are far greater.

Giampy · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2014, 12:18 PM »

I remember you posting about this before - it is a weird one - you were even saying you could see the images change sometimes
-tomos (February 13, 2014, 12:06 PM)

Congratulations for your very good memory.

Yes, it's still the same unsolved matter since 2012...

What are you using to make the changes to the images
-tomos

Photoshop CS4.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #12 on:** February 13, 2014, 01:17 PM »

Dang it! The Secret Photo Contrast Cartel has been exposed!

Heh heh! I love the play on words.

I shutter to think what may happen next.

wraith808 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 13, 2014, 01:25 PM »

I shutter to think what may happen next.
-MilesAhead (February 13, 2014, 01:17 PM)

Chris will come along and flash us.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #14 on:** February 13, 2014, 02:16 PM »

I shutter to think what may happen next.
-MilesAhead (February 13, 2014, 01:17 PM)

Chris will come along and flash us.
-wraith808 (February 13, 2014, 01:25 PM)

Yeah. Puns are a reflex with him.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #15 on:** February 13, 2014, 03:41 PM »

Chris will come along and flash us.
-wraith808 (February 13, 2014, 01:25 PM)

Yeah. Puns are a reflex with him.
-MilesAhead (February 13, 2014, 02:16 PM)

Not at all — as usual I'm waiting to see the latest developments before saying anything negative.

tomos · « **Reply #16 on:** February 13, 2014, 03:51 PM »

Chris will come along and flash us.
-wraith808 (February 13, 2014, 01:25 PM)

Yeah. Puns are a reflex with him.
-MilesAhead (February 13, 2014, 02:16 PM)

Not at all — as usual I'm waiting to see the latest developments before saying anything negative.
-cranioscopical (February 13, 2014, 03:41 PM)

ah yes, getting back to the old-school approach: maybe the chemicals will fix the problem?

wraith808 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2014, 08:08 PM »

ah yes, getting back to the old-school approach: maybe the chemicals will fix the problem?
-tomos (February 13, 2014, 03:51 PM)

Only if the room is dark. Otherwise, there's too much exposure.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2014, 09:50 PM »

Come on chaps, this topic is all over the place — let's try to focus!

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #19 on:** February 14, 2014, 12:08 AM »

Okay, I'll try to get it back on track.

Giampy, can you upload any of the pictures you think have changed? Can we then try to locate an "original" copy?

Giampy · « **Reply #20 on:** February 14, 2014, 06:17 AM »

The changed photo/wallpaper that drove me to start this thread:

BD - Sophie Marceau - sophie2.jpg

I can't know how you see it. I see it rather dark and reddish.
It's impossible I fine-tuned that photo in such way!

Who is the hacker who changes my photos?

tomos · « **Reply #21 on:** February 14, 2014, 06:26 AM »

Giampy,
when you say you see it dark - do you mean in the forum - or do you mean on the desktop as wallpaper - or are you looking at it in some other softw.?

In the forum here, the face looks well balanced on my monitor (with brightness relatively low on monitor settings).

Giampy · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2014, 06:36 AM »

Giampy,
when you say you see it dark - do you mean in the forum - or do you mean on the desktop as wallpaper - or are you looking at it in some other softw.?
-tomos (February 14, 2014, 06:26 AM)

I see it dark everywhere: this forum, desktop, viewer of Windows XP, Jpegview, Microsoft Paint.

Of course there are little differences among those systems/software, but such differences are irrelevant.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2014, 06:49 AM »

In the forum here, the face looks well balanced on my monitor (with brightness relatively low on monitor settings).
-tomos (February 14, 2014, 06:26 AM)

Looks perfectly fine here to me as well.

Shades · « **Reply #24 on:** February 14, 2014, 07:18 AM »

Do the pictures that change color all start with the color white on the left side?

Had a similar problem before, where the image was shown correctly with IrfanView, but ff'ed up in all Microsoft related products for viewing images. That is because these use (part of) Internet Explorer to render the image on your screen.

What I did was to add a 1-pixel wide bevel of a color very close to white on the left side of the image and a small bit on top and bottom of the image. This fixed my problem, it might fix yours.