A tamper heatmap is a quick way to screen for potential edits in photos. It compares the original image with a new JPEG re-encode and highlights unusual compression differences.
What a tamper heatmap actually shows
The tool does not "detect Photoshop" directly. Instead, it visualizes pixel-level differences after recompression. Areas that were edited, pasted, or saved differently can stand out as brighter hotspots.
Use it as a first-pass forensic check
Heatmaps work best for fast triage. They help you decide where to inspect deeper, not to make a final authenticity verdict.
- Spot local anomalies around objects, faces, text, or sky gradients
- Compare suspicious regions with neighboring textures
- Run multiple settings before drawing conclusions
Common false positives
High-contrast edges, shadows, lens noise, and platform recompression can all create bright regions. That is normal and not automatically tampering.
Recommended workflow
- Generate a tamper heatmap and mark suspicious regions.
- Inspect EXIF metadata for timeline and device consistency.
- Run reverse image search for older copies or alternate versions.
- Prepare a privacy-safe copy when sharing files for collaboration.