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The attention of modern media research in the last decade has been focused on the truth value of images: within the field of manipulated photographs, portrait photographs represent a special group, since the human face is a specific visual stimulus that plays an important role in the perception of beauty. The present research investigated portrait photographs that have been automatically retouched by an artificial intelligence-based image editing software, using an online questionnaire. Accordint to the results, viewer’s perception of artificial intelligence based (AI-based) image retouching is not influenced by the gender or age of the photo model, nor by the gender or age of the recipients. However, the beauty judged by the recipients does affect the viewer’s attitude towards both the model and the photograph. The study points to new potential research directions in the field of AI-generated beauty ideals and automated AI-based retouching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone retouchers were part of the human toolkit since the Lower Palaeolithic. These tools are essential to the understanding of lithic technology and raw materials exploitation in cultural complexes associated with both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. They are also considered to be among the oldest bone tools ever made. On account of their great morphological variability and the lack of any standardised shaping, bone retouchers are often classified as expedient tools rather than as a true bone industry. The present work proposes a new approach to the use-wear study of bone retouchers through the application of 3D imaging microscopy. The results show several advantages in the identification and description of retouch-induced use-wear. The comparison with current methodologies suggests the need to rethink approaches to this bone industry. Through a more in-depth technological and functional study procedure, bone retouchers can potentially play a crucial role in understanding the subsistence strategies of hominin groups throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws inspiration from the observation that Byzantine icons in Greek museums are exhibited in an unrestored state, with traces of damage and loss kept visible, in contrast with the majority of painted artworks. To identify the reasoning behind this approach to public presentation, research based on interviews with scholars in the field was conducted. The main issues they raised are summarized and discussed. Conservation ethics, the interests of scholars of the Byzantine period, ideological ferment in Greece between the two world wars, the impact of historical events and the role of religion as a living tradition in Greece are themes that recurred throughout the interviews. It appears that along with scientific and rational developments, broader ideologies and aesthetics that derive from evolving social influences also influence conservation decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, original photographs were sent to publishers so that they could be reproduced in print. The photographs often needed to be reworked with overpainting and masking, and such modifications were especially necessary for low-contrast photographs to be reproduced as a letterpress halftone. As altered objects, many of these marked-up photographs were simply discarded after use. An album at The New York Public Library, however, contains 157 such photographs, all relating to the Jackson–Harmsworth expedition to Franz Josef Land, from 1894 to 1897. Received as gifts from publishers, the photographs are heavily retouched with overpainting and masking, as well as drawn and collaged elements. The intense level of overpainting on many of the photographs, but not on others, raised questions about their production and alteration. Jackson's accounts attested to his practice of developing and printing photographs on site, testing different materials and techniques—including platino-bromide and silver-gelatin papers—to overcome the harsh environmental conditions. In this context, sixteen photographs from the album were analyzed through a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). This analytical campaign aimed to evaluate the possible residual presence of silver halides in any of the preliminary and improved photographs. The detection of these compounds would be one of several factors supporting a hypothesis that some of the photographs in the album were indeed printed on site, in the Arctic, and, as a result, may have been impacted by the extreme environment. Additional goals of the study included the evaluation of the extent of retouching, providing a full characterization of the pigments and dyes used in overpainted prints, and comparing the results with contemporaneous photographic publications that indicate which coloring materials were available at the time. Further analyses shed light on the organic components present in the binders and photographic emulsions. This research has increased our knowledge of photographic processes undertaken in a hostile environment such as the Arctic, and shed light on the technical aspects of photographically illustrating books during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone retouchers are an important behavioural marker in the definition of several Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic cultural complexes. However, their relationship with the assemblages of knapped stone artefacts is still to be investigated particularly in specific but not uncommon lithic contexts of the Middle Palaeolithic in Europe. This paper offers insights to evaluate the use of bone retouchers in a context of Discoid lithic technology, a significant cultural expression largely spread in many regions during MIS3. The study case is the lithic and osseous assemblage of unit A9 at Fumane Cave, in north-eastern Italy. A detailed analysis of the bone retouchers is presented for the first time; their technological features are then correlated with the characteristic of the retouch observed on the lithic tools recovered in the same unit. The study contributes to complete a picture of Neanderthal economic behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation treatment of a telescope belonging to the collections of Cavour Castle in Santena, Italy, is described. It is valuable both as a material testimony of the diffusion of scientific progress and as a rare example of a japanned telescope, providing evidence for the use of this decorative style in Piedmont between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Historical research was necessary to solve some questions regarding the manufacture and dating of the telescope. Comparison of the data and information collected with those of similar scientific instruments indicated with manufacture in northern Italy in the eighteenth century. The pigments and binder were identified, confirming the Western origin of the red lacquer that embellishes the outer tube of the telescope, applied on a leather support. Three-dimensional mock-ups were used to select the methodology and products for the conservation treatment, including the adhesion of lacquer lifting from leather and the infilling of losses in the japanned layer. The treatment aims were preservation of both the instrument and the traces left on it by time and events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining taxonomic-grade images is a vital part of probably every present-day morphological study of insects, even though the task itself is perceived as a "necessary evil" due to high investment of both time and effort to produce representable images. Cleaning the background and making it appear as a solid color of known properties is probably one of the most time-demanding tasks. Several techniques have been developed to reduce the time requirement; the most convenient and cost-effective one presumably being the chroma isolation. This method uses a green background that can be isolated and conveniently replaced with another picture or solid color, as used in the film industry. However, the main drawback of this technique is spilling of color onto the object, which is unavoidable and can be corrected only by sacrificing the true color of the object to some extent. Our improved Chroma+ method is based on classical chroma isolation workflow and helps to overcome this problem by taking an additional image of the object with a neutral color background and applying a selection obtained from the chroma-isolated picture on it. This technique is, in terms of the resulting image quality, superior to classical chroma isolation, while the time difference between these two methods is negligible. Furthermore, it does not require any additional equipment (hardware or software), thus being accessible to both employed taxonomists, low budget laboratories, and enthusiasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to analyze the relationship between photography and truth and to evaluate how the iconic message is modified due to the arrival of the digital age, the plastic capacity of bitmap images and the proliferation of photographs on the Internet and social networks. This article presents some relevant research findings carried out from a diachronic and anthropological approach. These outcomes are based on bibliographic documentations as well as on the analysis of images disseminated through different media. Besides, both observation and active experience as users and professionals of graphic design are provided. The use of photo retouching software such as Adobe@Photoshop@ has also been considered here. Some questions are raised in order to explain the reasons why society has been using photo retouching. In the same way this paper aims at explaining the possible factors that contribute to different interpretations related to the retouching work of images that are seen as a result of technical needs in contrast to those that can be understood as an adverse manipulation. The photographic image works as an element of communication with different meanings depending on the message to which it belongs and the values it serves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keith Haring painted large outdoor murals in Melbourne, Australia, in 1984 (theCollingwood Mural) and at Pisa in Italy in 1989 (Tuttomondo). Recently, both murals have been analyzed and conserved by similar teams of conservators and scientists. The original appearance of theCollingwood Muralwas severely compromised, and the original materials much degraded.Tuttomondowas somewhat altered visually but with less physical damage. There were initial suggestions to repaintTuttomondobut these were dissipated by good communication of the analytical findings. In Melbourne, there was a high-profile and emotive campaign to have theCollingwood Muralrepainted. Conservators and government were heavily criticized for supposedly ignoring the artist's wishes. However, detailed research into Haring's published statements revealed that conservation does respect his artistic aims. For theCollingwood Mural, conservators had to consider whether to reduce the visual disturbances which obscured the works. Practices documented by conservation theorists and routinely undertaken by conservators guided the decision to apply mechanically reversible re-integration. This made Haring's unique ‘line’ visible and accessible again, and pleased the public. The controversies showed how conservators must communicate clearly and tactfully; appreciate the feelings of the public and involve communities in conservation, without compromising rigorous scientific and curatorial research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of software tools that use compactly supported radial basis functions (CSRBFs) to process scattered data is proposed in this paper. To solve problems concerning the processing of scattered data in such applications as reconstruction of functionally defined geometric objects, surface retouching, and shape modifications, we employ a specially designed C++ software library. Thanks to the efficient octree algorithm used in this study, the resulting matrix is a band-diagonal matrix that permits handling of large data sets in a reasonable time.The method, classes of the software library, time performance of the algorithm, and various examples of the use of the software tools are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]