A Study in eBay Image Enhancing... and getting caught
airplanenut
Posts: 22,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
I've found that I have a knack for recognizing coins that I once owned, especially when they have some unusual toning pattern. So when I was hunting on eBay and I came across this piece, it was a no-brainer to me. A quick check of my photo archives show that I'm right (I matched the serial number of the slab, not just the image).
Anyway, I remember the coin vividly... or perhaps dully. The color is thick, and there's little lustre going through it. The colors are somewhat dark and rather flat. So I was surprised to see the coin look so darn good. It's not a bad coin, just nothing as impressive as the new photo shows. Granted, my picture is old, but I remember thinking it to be quite accurate. And yes, the holder (and auction) are mislabeled: it's a New Orleans piece.
on eBay:
My images (~3 years old):
I guess in this day and age of cosmetic treatments and airbrushed magazine models, this type of enhancement is just to be expected...
Anyway, I remember the coin vividly... or perhaps dully. The color is thick, and there's little lustre going through it. The colors are somewhat dark and rather flat. So I was surprised to see the coin look so darn good. It's not a bad coin, just nothing as impressive as the new photo shows. Granted, my picture is old, but I remember thinking it to be quite accurate. And yes, the holder (and auction) are mislabeled: it's a New Orleans piece.
on eBay:
My images (~3 years old):
I guess in this day and age of cosmetic treatments and airbrushed magazine models, this type of enhancement is just to be expected...
JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
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Comments
I've long thought that many of the coins I sold on ebay would have sold for more had another person shot them (photographically speaking) and definitely more if someone else had sold them (numismatically speaking)
Joe
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i>The way he changed the hue, it looks like an OGH label. >>
I am no expert at taking coin photo's but the color of the slab label is what I use to try to adjust my colors.
<< <i>
<< <i>The way he changed the hue, it looks like an OGH label. >>
I am no expert at taking coin photo's but the color of the slab label is what I use to try to adjust my colors. >>
If your white balance is set correctly, there shouldn't be a need to adjust the colors.
Jeff
It's not a crime to use Photoshop to adjust the coin to make it look like it does in hand!
That's what I heard, anyway.
[edit] 'airplanenut' busted this seller good. Looks like this seller also photoshopped that gash out of the neck in addition to juicing the color.
His listing has that coin ID'd as a P, an S, and it's really an O?
Sheesh!
ownership adds a point
mechanical errors add touche'
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i> The other thing I notice is the deep gouge on her jaw is not even seen on the Ebay photo. Thank you for posting these pictures. Very informative. >>
That may just be the angle. You'll notice one of my shots doesn't have it very strong, either. I think it was probably a bit washed out, and then made even harder to see when the photo got enhanced, causing the colors around the gouge to blend in with each other.
<< <i>I don't buy coins from him and a few others on Ebay for this reason.....before I even enter the auction I can tell the seller by the juiced image. The seller has purchased from me and a few others I know and the coins are always juiced beyond believe. >>
A while back, he had some really obviously juiced images--terrible editing jobs. So I blocked him. With this, while the coin looked a bit off, the colors still looked plausible (I was too tired to look at the label). I make a point of not buying from him, but I still see his auction sometimes. This time it was exciting because I knew the coin well.
<< <i>If your white balance is set correctly, there shouldn't be a need to adjust the colors. >>
Not always. Sometimes an image can be a bit washed out for whatever reason (glare, etc.). This can require a bit of brightness/contrast being added, and it may also change the color levels. A few points used sparingly aren't really problematic. Major editing like this is dishonest. The key is intention... if you intend to make the photo look right, I don't think you've done harm. Here, he's clearly intended to deceive.
Oh, I did send him an email about the photos and how realistic he thinks they are. I eagerly await his reply
My email:
Hi,
I was wondering if the pictures may have been edited in any way, or if the coin's colors in hand are exactly what the pictures show.
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Reply #1:
Hi, what is exactly?? I don't know of any picture that represent any coin exactly. Looking at the pictures I can tell you that there are 2 problems:
1) There are 2 color bands: the one in the left side near the rim, and the last right band which looks to me saturated lime and should be baby blue.
2) The other problem is that the PCGS label indicates this coin as 1883-P, but if you look at the reverse "IT IS AN 1883 "O" !!
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Reply #2 (regarding one of the pieces I have listed, so I won't link it):
What is this coin?? in your description you said is blazing white? but the pictures show a pink toned coin?. So do your pictures represent exactly this coin? Something is not correct.
[my comment--it's white on my screen. At worst, there's a hint of red cast, which is taken care of by my saying the coin is bright white, as opposed to his description which says the picture is what the coin looks like, which I can confirm is false].
Dare I bother responding and showing him my pictures? He is right, though, that the left-most band is baby blue in real life... and that he oversaturated it lime green
If you take a pretty coin and juice the image....the buyer may indeed be happy with the coin in hand and may actually leave positive feedback....but that doesn't mean deception didn't take place.