I wanted to believe that the infamous picture was photoshoped as much as the next PAK-FA fan, but after tinkering with the image I could not find any convincing evidence of that. The area below the engine face looks weird, but flash light reflecting on metal surfaces can result in weird things.
I asked in a Photoshop forum for the opinion of the experts and the best answer I got was this:
It’s probably impossible to say for sure, but I tell you this: If it WAS ‘shopped, it was not only a very good job, but a thorough one as well.
Here’s what the exif data says:
It was taken Feb 11, 2010, using a Canon EOS 450D. The exposure is Auto mode, 1/60th sec @ f4.0, ISO 400, compulsory flash, metering mode: pattern. White balance was set to Auto. The focal length of the lens was 50mm.
All of which fits the image. f4 is a pretty wide aperture, and would give a relatively shallow depth of field. I believe this is the cause of the blurring on the back half of the fighter.
What’s NOT in the exif data is any mention of software used. Had photoshop been used, Bridge would normally indicate which version, and for which platform. Also, there likely wouldn’t be as much camera data included. It IS possible that any mention of software has been removed from the exif data, even that it could be done without recording the software that was used to do it. But to then go back and reinclude the exif data that would have been overwritten…well thaqt would be going the extra mile.
Since the simplest solution tends to be the correct one, it’s therefor my opinion that this image is more or less straight from the camera.
So either Sukhoi is playing elaborate games with us or the image is real…
Question: shouldn’t the shadow cast on the engine face be further down given the distance from where it starts?
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