ThinkCritical.eu · Manipulation atlas
Images, video and accountsVisual inconsistency
Shadows, light, weather or season don't match the claimed place and time.
Photos and videos are often not invented at all, just reused with a new caption – old footage from another country or another year. The weather, vegetation, shadows, clothing or signs give them away when they don't match the claimed place and time.
In September, a photo is shared with the caption “Today's floods in our region”. But there's snow on the ground, people are wearing winter coats, and the shop signs are in a foreign language. A reverse image search shows the photo was taken four years ago in another country.
How to spot it
- The weather, season or vegetation doesn't match the date (snow in September, geraniums in bloom in January).
- Shadows fall in different directions, or are too short or too long for the time of year.
- The language on signs, the number plates, the cars or the buildings don't fit the claimed location.
- People's clothing doesn't fit the weather or the occasion.
How to check and what to do
- Compare the weather in the photo with a weather archive for that place and day.
- Run a reverse image search and find the earliest appearance – an older date reveals a recycled picture.
- Check the location on maps and street-level imagery; for shadows, the SunCalc tool shows the sun's position on a given day and time.
- Look for signs, house numbers and landmarks that confirm or rule out the location.
Full explanation and exercises:
thinkcritical.eu/en/manipulation-atlas/visual-inconsistency