Delete a background? Easy. Smooth out a face? Seamless. Digital photo manipulation is now mainstream

“Pics, or it didn't happen” has been a common refrain when seeking proof that someone’s story or some event actually took place. But we're now in a world where the spread of technology makes photo manipulation as easy as a button on your phone. And the idea that a visual image is an absolute truth is outdated. That was seen in recent days when controversy swirled around an image of Kate, Princess of Wales, and her three children. News agencies published and then retracted the image given out by Buckingham Palace over concerns it had been manipulated. The availability of such tools to the masses mean that the world is awash in a sea of altered imagery.