Classifying Altered Digital Images - Abstract
This article describes a classification system for digital images wherein three
states are outlined depending on the image's relationship with the external world
(the original scene or image of subject matter). This system can be applied to all
photographs and digital images but is most relevant to medical and forensic pictures.
The classification system relates to the veracity of photography in its broadest sense.
The system has been developed to facilitate a discussion on the nature of altered
images and their consequences to the viewer and user, and the situations in which
pictures are presented for viewing, and to provide a baseline for definitions. The three
categories are referential, post-referential and non-referential. The defining criterion
is the point-to-point connectivity between subject and depicted object.