TTG - FAQ #4: Photographers’ questions

FAQ 4 • Photographers’ Questions

401. I sometimes use AI generative fill in my photos. Why doesn’t TTG allow “even a single pixel” of added AI-generated content?

Because in the age of AI, viewers of images that look like undoctored photographs want to know whether the image does or does not depict “only what the camera saw.” (TTG = “does.”)

TTG has a zero-tolerance policy for adding AI-GC because once “even a single pixel” of AI-GC is added, there are no limits to adding more.
402. What if for my own photography “the appearance of the final image” is more important than the picture’s “trustworthiness”?

That’s fine; it just means TTG is not for you.

Each photographer gets to determine their own reputation.
403. Why would a viewer I’ve never met, who lives on the other side of the world, be curious whether a photo that I put online is “undoctored”?

Because anytime a photo is put before the public, it becomes part of the public discourse — and becomes fair game for public curiosity.
404. How is making TTG photos different from making non-TTG photos?

• A photographer making a non-TTG photo has unlimited freedom to do whatever they want to their photo (see “B” here).

• But a photographer making a TTG photograph has very limited options after light from the scene hits the recording surface.

TTG requires more changes for some photographers than for others
405. What if I’m a photographer with an established online presence and I’m interested in TTG — but many of the photos I’ve put out there are not TTG-qualified? How should I deal with TTG?

You can do whatever feels most natural. If you want to engage with TTG for even just some of your photos, you have multiple options.
406. How do I know that my TTG photo won’t be mishandled when I submit it to a third party for publication?

That is addressed in #201–203 in the list of publishers’ rights and responsibilities.

Summary: It is in the interest of TTG-ready publishers to not abuse the trust implied in use of the TTG label.

(Note that the publisher will have expectations of the photographer)
407. Why does TTG disqualify photos made using my favorite manipulation?

There’s a viewpoint page on that.
408. What if my photo is disqualified from the Trust Test because I changed it to look exactly how it would have looked if I had taken it just a little bit earlier?

If a photo doesn’t fully meet the Trust Test, it is disqualified from TTG. Period. (To use an American idiom, viewers don’t care to hear about “how the dog ate your homework.”)

See also the viewpoint page on “seen vs. simulated”
409. What if I like to set my photos apart from other photographers’ photos by using super-long exposures so that things are unrecognizably blurred or invisible?

What if I like to stand apart by applying a distinctive tonality through my unique “recipe” of post-exposure changes?

Then you’ll have to choose between making photographs that look the way you like them vs. making TTG-qualified photos.

“Photographers can do whatever they want to their own photos, but they cannot do ‘whatever they want’ to a photo and then expect viewers to trust it.” More
410. How can I make impressive photographs that qualify as TTG if I can’t use my unique post-processing “look”?

The same way that photographers have been making impressive photographs for almost 200 years.
411. What if I think TTG looks too complicated?

Then you can just ignore TTG (see #402 above).

But since anyone can instantly make a TTG photo when handed any smartphone, it is safe to say that making a TTG photo is simple and easy.

Making trustworthy photos is not complicated
412. Why are the kinds of photographs on the “Unsuited to TTG” list not suited to TTG?

Because — usually to please clients and viewers — those types of photos typically undergo changes that keep them from meeting the Trust Test.

As it says in #1 on this page, “There are no limits to what can be done to a non-TTG photo ... Everything in the photo can be changed, moved, enhanced, erased, resized, replaced, reshaped, recolored, or blurred.”
413. But it is possible to make TTG-qualified photos in the “unsuited to TTG” categories, correct?

Yes, certainly. Photographs in most of the “unsuited” categories obviously can be made to meet the Trust Test (and thus qualify for the TTG label).

More
414. What if I think TTG doesn’t have enough gray areas, that it is too yes-or-no, too black-and-white in its judgment of which photos are “doctored” and which photos are “undoctored”?

TTG is a standard. The role of a “standard” is to identify examples that meet the standard vs. examples that do not meet the standard. (See #428)

There are many, many gray areas in TTG, especially with regard to the execution of various parts of TTG’s Allowable Changes.
415. What if I think TTG has too many gray areas, without enough clearly spelled-out limits for things like how much contrast or saturation is too much?

Any limits that are not currently present in TTG are absent because they would be arbitrary and unrealistic. More
416. Haven’t photographers always had to choose between “trustworthiness” and “appearance”?

(This is a reference to “the photographer’s choice”)

No, it wasn’t an issue until recently.
417. Why have so many photographers in the digital age chosen “appearance” over “trustworthiness”?

(This is a reference to “the photographer’s choice”)

Most photographers have not consciously “chosen” appearance over trustworthiness. More on this
418. And that “appearance vs. trustworthiness” choice explains why it’s so hard to make photos that are both “impressive” and “TTG-qualified”?

Yes. No matter what the subject, the surest way to improve a photograph’s appearance is usually going to be by doctoring or aigmenting it, not by leaving it largely “as is” so that it qualifies as TTG. More on this
419. Where’s the best place to view a wide variety of photos that are both impressive-looking and TTG-qualified?

On the websites linked on the “Photos” page.
420. The answer linked to #417 says that smartphone manufacturers spend billions of dollars a year improving the “appearance” of photographs. In the future will those companies devote significant resources to “trustworthiness” as well?

(The answer linked to #417)

A greater emphasis on “trustworthiness” seems likely considering that questions of “Which online images can people trust?” are becoming more urgent around the world.

Trustworthiness may be an important new frontier for any manufacturer of devices that can take photos.
421. It’s one of the oldest photo-manipulation questions:

To maximize the level of viewer trust, should a photograph depict “what the photographer saw” or “what the camera recorded”?

TTG photos depict “what the camera lens saw,” which is a combination of those two things.
422. Why are viewers told to disregard the TTG label when the photographer is not identified?

Because a guarantee has no value if people do not know who is standing behind the guarantee.
423. How come no one can credibly apply the TTG label other than the photographer responsible for creating the photograph?

Because credit for the photo comes with responsibility for the photo.

#1904 and #1905 address ambiguous authorship cases.
424. Why does TTG say that photographers are “staking their reputation” on the TTG label “every time they use it in a trusted context”?

Because by definition a “trusted context” is one in which viewers trust what they see or read, and naturally anyone who violates that trust in that context is likely to suffer reputational damage. More on this
425. Since TTG doesn’t judge photos, whom should I ask for a second opinion about whether a particular photo of mine qualifies as TTG?

TTG never judges photos, nor does anyone else do so on TTG’s behalf

The best choice would usually be to ask other photographers whose opinion you respect.

It would be easy to set up specific “TTG or not?” sections in forums where photographers around the world post their photos for others’ comments.
426. FAQ #112 says there are no rules for attaching the TTG label to a photograph, but is there a “best way” to do it?

(FAQ #112)

No, there is no single “best” way, because it depends on the setting.

Basically any way the photographer wants to attach the label — or any way the publisher wants to reproduce the label — is fine as long as the label isn’t put in the image area.

Helpful reading: Reasons that viewers disregard the TTG label
427. Do I have to check all 9 points of the Trust Test each time I want to attach the TTG label?

No. After an initial read, most photographers won’t need to check the Trust Test any more than a typical car owner has to read the owners’ manual each day before they start their car and drive off.

Most photographers who skim the Trust Test once will know which steps of it they are already fulfilling vs. which steps aren’t part of their usual workflow. They can always consult the Trust Test again if needed.
428. Is it fair that photos that are disqualified by something minor are lumped in some gigantic “Non-TTG” category alongside photos that are disqualified by something major?

Yes, it is fair. TTG is a standard.
429. Does using the TTG label increase the photographer’s chances of being credited for a photo?

Yes, at least with any TTG-ready publisher, because “publishing the label” effectively means “naming the photographer.”
430. Is the TTG label only for “impressive” photos?

No. Often “unimpressive” photos will get labeled.

For credibility reasons, photo publishers (individuals as well as large image providers) can create TTG-only zones (TOZs) in which viewers are reassured that none of the photos contain AI-generated elements.

In a TOZ, all of the images would wear the TTG label, regardless of how “unimpressive” any individual photo may look.
431. What if I make undoctored-looking photos but I don’t feel like saying anything to viewers about whether my photos are or are not TTG-qualified?

That’s fine. No photographer is ever obligated to explain or say anything about any photograph they put before viewers.

But in the age of AI, viewers are going to be increasingly curious
432. I would never “add” something to a photograph in post-exposure processing, but I sometimes “delete” things. Why doesn’t TTG distinguish between the two actions?

Because except when cropping, it is impossible to delete something from a photograph without adding something in its place.
433. Why couldn’t I just doctor a photo any way I want and then take a photograph of the doctored photo — leaving the new photo undoctored so that I can label it TTG?

Because this is disqualified by the last paragraph of P8.

Any image in which “a non-TTG-qualified image that looks like a photograph” is “a primary subject” is considered TTG-ineligible and cannot qualify as TTG, no matter how it is explained, presented, or labeled.
434. What about trick photos? What about optical illusions?

They are eligible to qualify as TTG if they meet all 9 requirements, but they will not qualify unless viewers are made aware of any potentially deceptive aspects of the photograph, as per P8. More on this

The numbering of the FAQ questions will not change — any new questions are added at the bottom and given new numbers — so users can safely make a link to any specific question.

401. I sometimes use AI generative fill in my photos. Why doesn’t TTG allow “even a single pixel” of added AI-generated content?

402. What if for my own photography “the appearance of the final image” is more important than the picture’s “trustworthiness”?

403. Why would a viewer I’ve never met, who lives on the other side of the world, be curious whether a photo that I put online is “undoctored”?

404. How is making TTG photos different from making non-TTG photos?

405. What if I’m a photographer with an established online presence and I’m interested in TTG — but many of the photos I’ve put out there are not TTG-qualified? How should I deal with TTG?

406. How do I know that my TTG photo won’t be mishandled when I submit it to a third party for publication?

407. Why does TTG disqualify photos made using my favorite manipulation?

408. What if my photo is disqualified from the Trust Test because I changed it to look exactly how it would have looked if I had taken it just a little bit earlier?

409. What if I like to set my photos apart from other photographers’ photos by using super-long exposures so that things are unrecognizably blurred or invisible?

What if I like to stand apart by applying a distinctive tonality through my unique “recipe” of post-exposure changes?

410. How can I make impressive photographs that qualify as TTG if I can’t use my unique post-processing “look”?

411. What if I think TTG looks too complicated?

412. Why are the kinds of photographs on the “Unsuited to TTG” list not suited to TTG?

413. But it is possible to make TTG-qualified photos in the “unsuited to TTG” categories, correct?

414. What if I think TTG doesn’t have enough gray areas, that it is too yes-or-no, too black-and-white in its judgment of which photos are “doctored” and which photos are “undoctored”?

415. What if I think TTG has too many gray areas, without enough clearly spelled-out limits for things like how much contrast or saturation is too much?

416. Haven’t photographers always had to choose between “trustworthiness” and “appearance”?

417. Why have so many photographers in the digital age chosen “appearance” over “trustworthiness”?

418. And that “appearance vs. trustworthiness” choice explains why it’s so hard to make photos that are both “impressive” and “TTG-qualified”?

419. Where’s the best place to view a wide variety of photos that are both impressive-looking and TTG-qualified?

420. The answer linked to #417 says that smartphone manufacturers spend billions of dollars a year improving the “appearance” of photographs. In the future will those companies devote significant resources to “trustworthiness” as well?

421. It’s one of the oldest photo-manipulation questions:

To maximize the level of viewer trust, should a photograph depict “what the photographer saw” or “what the camera recorded”?

422. Why are viewers told to disregard the TTG label when the photographer is not identified?

423. How come no one can credibly apply the TTG label other than the photographer responsible for creating the photograph?

424. Why does TTG say that photographers are “staking their reputation” on the TTG label “every time they use it in a trusted context”?

425. Since TTG doesn’t judge photos, whom should I ask for a second opinion about whether a particular photo of mine qualifies as TTG?

426. FAQ #112 says there are no rules for attaching the TTG label to a photograph, but is there a “best way” to do it?

427. Do I have to check all 9 points of the Trust Test each time I want to attach the TTG label?

428. Is it fair that photos that are disqualified by something minor are lumped in some gigantic “Non-TTG” category alongside photos that are disqualified by something major?

429. Does using the TTG label increase the photographer’s chances of being credited for a photo?

430. Is the TTG label only for “impressive” photos?

431. What if I make undoctored-looking photos but I don’t feel like saying anything to viewers about whether my photos are or are not TTG-qualified?

432. I would never “add” something to a photograph in post-exposure processing, but I sometimes “delete” things. Why doesn’t TTG distinguish between the two actions?

433. Why couldn’t I just doctor a photo any way I want and then take a photograph of the doctored photo — leaving the new photo undoctored so that I can label it TTG?

434. What about trick photos? What about optical illusions?