From world leaders to government ministers, officials across the globe are keen to capture their best side when posing up in front of the camera.
But before their release into the online world, many images undergo various touch-ups and editing – with some results more realistic than others.
Digitally altering garments and adding war machines to military scenes are just a few examples of how far some officials have gone in their efforts to appear more clean-cut and menacing.
And as AI image enhancement and digital rendering becomes more prominent in photographs uploaded to the internet, it is no wonder world leaders and global powers are using the tools to their – not-so-obvious – advantage.
MailOnline has taken a look into some of the most hilarious examples of Photoshop flops from the most influential figures around the world.
World leader march
The Israeli newspaper, The Announcer, was criticised in 2015 for allegedly editing a striking image of marching world leaders as they took to the streets of Paris following the Charlie Hebdo shootings.
The image published in The Announcer showed a large group of male world leaders marching through the streets of Paris following the Charlie Hebdo shootings
Angela Merkel and other women out of the line-up of 40 were deleted from the scene in a move that caused controversy in the community.
Merkel was not the only woman to be photoshopped out of the image as former Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt, were also removed.
The march as held to remember the 17 victims of the Paris terror attacks and was attended by millions of citizens, as well as political leaders from around the world and across the political spectrum.
In the original, Merkel could be seen standing between former French President Francois Hollande and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
But in the doctored version, the female figures were removed to present a long line of male officials.
The newspaper later apologised for the altered picture.
In the original image of the march , Angela Merkel could be seen standing between former French President Francois Hollande and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Missile miss
Iran was caught out in July 2008 after it doctored images of a multiple missile launch in order to hide the fact that the exercise had experienced an embarrassing hiccup.
As news spread across the globe of Iran’s provocative missile tests, so did the image that – under closer inspection – seemed to feature a glaring copied and pasted addition.
Iran released a striking and menacing image of four missiles blasting off from a deserted area – but eagle-eyed viewers spotted that it had been altered
The image appeared to contain one too many missiles.
As the above illustration shows, the second missile from the right appears to be the sum of two other missiles in the image.
The contours of the billowing smoke match perfectly near the ground, as well in the immediate wake of the missile.
Several publications used the edited image in their stories, including The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune, as well as BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news websites.
Agence France-Presse quickly retracted its four-missile version, saying that the image was ‘apparently digitally altered’ by Iranian state media.
The fourth missile ‘has apparently been added in digital retouch to cover a grounded missile that may have failed during the test,’ the agency said.
Throughout the day, several news sites took steps to disown the photograph, including the LATimes and MSNBC.
An MSNBC editor acknowledged that the four-missile picture was initially welcomed with open arms.
‘As the media editor working the msnbc.com home page yesterday, I was frustrated with the quality of a fuzzy video image we published of the Iranian missile launch,’ said Rich Shulman, the network’s associate multimedia editor.
‘So I was thrilled when the top image crossed the news wires.’
Iran had attempted to cover up an embarrassing missile launch fail
North Korea hovercraft-y
North Korea has been a repeat Photoshop offender.
This suspect photograph appears to show a number of similar-looking hovercraft landing on a desolate beach somewhere in North Korea.
Released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in 2013, the image looks to have been doctored to make the military exercise seem more menacing than it really was.
The photo, which was widely published in international media when it was released shows a number of hovercraft coming ashore at an undisclosed location on North Korea’s east coast.
The KCNA released an image showing several hovercraft landing on a desolate beach in North Korea as part of a military exercise
A group of troops of the Korean people’s army and navy can be seen running ahead of one of the vehicles, apparently to seem repelled by soldiers positioned behind a tank at the edge of the beach.
Writing in the Atlantic magazine’s In Focus section at the time, Alan Taylor said he believed the image had been digitally manipulated.
Taylor said several of the eight hovercraft in the photo appear to be digital clones, speculating that at least two of them had simply been copied and pasted elsewhere.
Another craft raised suspicions due to its ‘soft edges, lack of visible wake, and color oddities’.
But upon closer inspection, it appeared the image had undergone a botched cut and paste job as viewers noticed the vehicles looked exactly the same
Kim Jong-il funeral fakery
In this 2011 image from North Korea of Kim Jong-il’s funeral procession in Pyongyang the North Korean government appears to have edited the photo to make it look neater.
An overall view of the snowy procession included the framed image of the deceased leader in the foreground, the masses of mourners on the sidelines, the motorcade in perfect sync, and the order that is associated with a totalitarian regime – and a regime with access to Photoshop.
But another version taken from the scene and uploaded to Kyodo news site, depicts a small difference that became quickly noticeable by sharp-eyed viewers.
The photo of the procession was released by the KCNA , before being distributed by the European Pressphoto Agency, Agence-France Presse, and Reuters.
But all three international agencies later issued a ‘kill’ notice on the photo after the editing had been revealed.
In an image published of Kim Jong-il’s funeral procession, the scene looks eerily neat and in order but something appeared to be missing when viewers saw the original
In one version, the government cut out a group of men clustering around what looks like a video camera on the left side of the picture.
It became apparent that the editors at the KCNA took issue with the collection of people seen on the side of the frame.
They had been digitally removed and their footprints covered with cloned snow.
The position of the car in the centre of the procession is also further proof that the images were altered as if they had been two separate images, it would have left little time for the group of people to move out of the frame.
In the original image, a cluster of people could be seen gathering to watch the procession, but they had been edited out with their tracks covered in cloned snow to make the final image neater
Scruffy Japanese ministers
Most recently, furious Japanese officials have admitted to editing a photograph of the country’s new cabinet.
Both media and the office of the Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba released pictures of the gathering at the PM’s official residence in Tokyo on October 1.
But eagle-eyed observers clocked that there were some differences in the version released by officials – sparking online speculation that it had been manipulated.
In the pictures, the recently installed Ishiba, can be seen stood shoulder to shoulder with his colleagues as he unveiled the ministers he has chosen to run Japan.
An image taken by the media shows Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba (front centre) stood shoulder to shoulder with his ministers
But media images show a slight wardrobe malfunction – that ended up being corrected with ‘minor editing’, a government spokesperson later admitted.
In the original unedited images, which appeared in local media publications, small patches of white shirts can be seen peeking under the suits of the PM and the Japanese Defence Minister.
The official images on the Prime Minister of Japan’s shows the white shirts mysteriously absent.
After the pictures were mocked online, with Japanese social media users branding the picture ‘utterly embarrassing’, a spokesperson finally admitted today that ‘minor editing’ had taken place.
In words reported by BBC News, spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said that the pictures had been manipulated because it ‘will be preserved forever as memorabilia.’
Hayashi said: ‘Minor editing is customarily performed on these photos.’
The image released by the media is shown on the left compared to the ‘edited’ photo on the right. The images both show the Prime Minister (centre) and his defence minister (second from left) along with cabinet members – but with some subtle differences
In the original unedited images, which appeared in local media publications (left), small patches of white shirts can be seen peeking under the suits of the PM and the Japanese Defence Minister. This was rectified in the PM’s official photo (right)
A giant photoshop flop
In 2013, a picture of four Chinese officials meeting a 103-year-old woman in her home, was probably meant to convey the impression of a government in touch with the masses.
The image, from Ningguo in eastern China, even bore the caption: ‘Love and consideration for the elderly is a cherished Chinese tradition. They should feel the warmth of the party and the government.’
However, the media stunt backfired spectacularly as the image was an ineptly edited montage that exposed all involved to ridicule from China’s increasingly vocal online commentators.
Four Chinese officials were pictured meeting a 103-year-old woman in her home – but their size differences were instantly noticeable in the hilarious Photoshop fail
Four grinning men tower above centenarian Cheng Yanchun, who has obviously been edited into the photo from another image but appears almost doll-sized.
One of the party officials has been chopped off at the thigh to incorporate the image, leaving him bizarrely hanging in mid-air.
Chinese users of Weibo, a micro-blog site, were not impressed.
‘The brainless propaganda staff will probably be sacked along with these officials,’ said one.
Another added: ‘This picture really shows the distance between leaders and commoners in the eyes of your average government official. Very sad and depressing.’
Officials told The Honk Kong Standard that they had visited centenarians during a Chinese festival, but an employee had merged two shots because the layout of the room had prevented the photographer from capturing the woman and the officials in the same frame.
‘Cheng was sitting on a chair on the balcony, under the sun. The balcony space was very small and the camera lens could not cover the whole scene… When the employee of the municipal civil affairs department uploaded the photos … he simply merged two shots,’ the government said.
‘We express deep regret to internet users for its negative influence… We will learn from the experience, to improve civil affairs work.
It was revealed an employee had merged two shots because the layout of the room had prevented the photographer from capturing the woman and the officials in the same frame
Leader of the pack
In 2010, an Egyptian state-run newspaper was criticised after it released a bizarre image depicting President Hosni Mubarak was leading the Middle East peace talks at the White House.
The photograph, which appeared in Al-Ahram, the country’s most widely circulated newspaper, showed Mubarak walking on a red carpet ahead of the US, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders.
Egyptian state-run newspaper, Al-Ahram, in 2010 published an image showing President Hosni Mubarak leading a group ahead of the US, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders
The original image shows Barack Obama leading the way ahead of the three other leaders, with Mubarak trailing behind.
The doctored image was exposed by the Egyptian blogger Wael Khalil and spoof versions quickly began appearing across the internet showing the then-82-year-old landing on the moon, breaking the 100m world record and hoisting the World Cup.
Although the incident caused plenty of mirth at the president’s expense, some were left amused.
The anti-government Youth Movement said at the time: ‘This is what the corrupt regime’s media has been reduced to.’
It added that the newspaper had ‘crossed the line from being balanced and honest,’ and accused it of unprofessionalism.
The original image, taken in the White House, showed it was former President Barack Obama leading the pack
#Shoegate
In 2019, the Australian Prime Minister went viral after a doctored family portrait was uploaded online that had clearly been altered.
It was meant to be the perfect political portrait – the smiling family man alongside his beaming wife and kids.
But the image on Morrison’s website had an obvious flaw that was later ridiculed by its viewers and dubbed #Shoegate.
The former Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, went viral after a Photoshopped family portrait made its rounds on social media
The failed picture-doctoring attempt left the leader with two left feet and a pair of pristine Photoshopped trainers.
A spokesman for Morrison said at the time the prime minister did not request or authorise the Photoshopping.
‘The photo was doctored by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet without the knowledge of, or authorisation by, the PM or the PM’s office,’ he said.
Morrison then tweeted a picture of his real, original, K Swiss trainers the following morning.
‘Message to my department (PM&C): I didn’t ask for the shoeshine, but if you must Photoshop, please focus on the hair (lack thereof), not the feet!’
In the original, he was wearing a pair of blue and white K Swiss trainers, which were then swapped out for a pair of badly-edited white shoes
Dodgy dictator
In 2013, North Korea was once again caught faking official photos.
The bizarre scene shows the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his staff at a children’s hospital under construction in Pyongyang.
However, the oddly uncontroversial image was immediately jumped upon by keen-eyed observers who pointed out discrepancies which they claim clearly show it up as a fraud.
‘Can someone please help the North Korean government out? The propaganda ministers stink at Photoshop,’ wrote Brian Ashcroft in a post on the gaming website Kotaku.
In this image, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was pictured at the construction site of a children’s hospital in Pyongyang, but there appears to be discrepancies with his hand and the lighting
Ashcroft claimed that that the shadow and lighting on the photograph show up the fact that Kim and his entourage were superimposed onto the image and that in particular, Kim’s hand as a shadow looks too clearly defined.
In addition there are odd shadows around the hands of Kim’s advisers, and their feet look to be slightly ‘floaty’ – calling to mind the infamous picture of Chinese park inspectors that was widely ridiculed the year before.
Hospital drop-in
In 2007, Culture Secretary James Purnell turned up too late for a photoshoot to promote a new development at a Tameside hospital.
He appeared alongside other MPs in a photo issued by his local Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester.
But it soon emerged in a BBC News 24 report that the Labour MP had actually been late to the photoshoot.
In this seemingly innocent image, James Purnell is seen gathered at the site of a new department at Tameside General Hospital with several other MPs
With the minister not wanting everyone to know about his poor manners, the picture was doctored to look like he had been there with the rest of the group.
A photo taken of him standing alone was grafted onto an existing image of Tameside and Glossop Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Kevin Corscadden and chief executive Christine Green with MPs David Hayes, Tom Levitt and Andrew Gwynne.
They had turned up for the opening of a new wing at the hospital, but had left the site by the time Purnell arrived.
The ‘faked’ photo appeared on the Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust website, and was sent out to local newspapers, but it is understood that a local newspaper journalist spotted the botched cut and paste job.
A spokesman for the NHS trust claimed the addition of Purnell’s photo had been made with his permission.
He said: ‘All the MPs had gone to great efforts to show their support, and as we would not be able to stage a repeat of this historic day for the hospital, we decided to take a photograph of Mr Purnell in the same spot very shortly after, and merge it with the earlier photograph, to which Mr Purnell kindly consented.’
However, a spokesman for Purnell said the minister had not agreed to the move.
Another spokeswoman for Purnell described the incident as a ‘mix-up’.
She denied claims by the hospital that the Stalybridge and Hyde MP had agreed to the publicity still being ‘faked’.
‘There was no explicit conversation about merging the photos with some kind of Photoshop,’ the spokeswoman added.
‘He had his photo taken by himself. He thought they would use the photo alongside the other one. In no way did James say ‘Just add me in so it looks like I was there.”
The spokeswoman also stressed there was ‘no division’ between the hospital and Purnell.
‘The trust thought they were doing something nice. There is no division between James and the hospital.’
The photo had been a fake, however, as Purnell had arrived late to the event and had to be cut in to the image that was released to make it seem as if he was present
Without a shadow of a doubt…
In another example from North Korea, in 2008 it was reported that an image of Kim Jong-il, posing with the North Korean army, was a fake.
In order to hush rumours about Kim’s death, the North Korean authorities released photos of the ‘Dear Leader’, with the KCNA claiming he was inspecting his two army units.
This image showing Kim Jong-il posing with the North Korean army was found to be a fake
He was allegedly ‘greatly satisfied to see all of the soldiers fully prepared … to be capable of beating back any surprise attack of the enemy in time and of firmly defending the socialist motherland’.
Following an investigation into the image from a Chinese blogger at the time, it was found that the leader’s shadow falls straight around his legs, rather than at a slant like the soldiers around him.
So it seems that Kim’s body had been cut from one photograph, and pasted into another with a makeshift shadow added in .
The direction of the shadows around the leader’s legs compared to the soldiers around him suggested the image was edited
PM Poppy
In 2015, an image of former Prime Minister David Cameron made its rounds online after he uploaded what appeared to be an innocent photo of him wearing a suit and poppy.
In the rather professional headshot, the PM wore a serious expression as she showed off his red remembrance flower.
But social media users quickly realised that something seemed amiss.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron uploaded a photo to his Facebook in 2015, depicting him wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day
It quickly emerged that the poppy had been photoshopped onto his blazer in an image that later appeared on his Facebook page.
Downing Street was ridiculed for the move on social media but Number 10 claimed it was an oversight.
‘This was an oversight and the picture was quickly taken down,’ a spokeswoman at 10 Downing Street told CNN at the time.
X, formerly Twitter, users mocked the British official and curated images adding entire poppy wreaths to Cameron’s photo, as well editing the leader into a famous image from the film American Beauty where Mena Suvari lies naked, covered only by red flowers.
Other social media users called out the leader for a lack of respect to those who served and lost their lives in battle.
‘Is Photoshopping an unrealistic looking poppy onto a profile pic really respecting the country’s fallen?,’ one person wrote.
A Facebook user added: ‘You’d think you had at least one servant that could use Photoshop properly.’
Another chipped in: ‘Would’ve been quicker to just take a new pic instead of Photoshopping a poppy’.
In the original, the leader had just been wearing a plain suit without the detachable flower
