According to DoDI 5040.02 policy, any alteration to DoD imagery that misinterprets or changes the scene or object is unethical and not permitted. However, it allows for corrective techniques that help achieve an accurate recording of an event or object. Any corrective techniques used must be included in the caption and the original unedited version of the image must be archived.
Use the accepted alterations defined below when necessary:
- Color Balancing: changing the overall mixture of colors in an image and is used for color correction
- De-noising: reducing the noise in a photo by lowering the ISO or using a larger camera's sensor
- Spotting and Dusting: retouching minor flaws in the finished print
- Dodging: used to lighten areas of an image
- Contrast: scale difference of black and white in images
- Sharpening: emphasizing contrast at the edges between different elements in a photograph.
- Cropping: a process that is performed in order to emphasize a subject
- Burning: used to darken areas of an image
Click through the slideshow to see before and after images that use authorized corrective techniques.