Image manipulation

Image resize (YouTube, 4:27)

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the concept of manipulating digital images, in which software tools are used to adjust images in any number of ways. This is a short video demonstrating some cutting edge research into "seam carving," a new software technique that goes beyond basic image editing and fundamentally alters the content of images. Watch this video, and you will never again fully trust any digital image. This is amazing stuff, just as much for its sophistication as for its simplicity.

On a similar note, Dove created a campaign about a year ago centered around a video called "evolution" (YouTube, 1:14) that was designed to demonstrate how "our perception of beauty is distorted" by the (highly manipulated) images we see on billboards and in magazines. It's a worthwhile watch, as is this fantastic parody (YouTube, 1:16).