Artifact analysis identifies visual, auditory, or semantic imperfections left by media generation or manipulation. In synthetic-media detection, it examines clues that may reveal altered content. section 4.4
Detection commonly examines three kinds of inconsistency:
- Pixel-level anomalies, including blurred edges, repeated textures, and unnatural blending. section 4.4
- Physical inconsistencies, such as mismatched lighting, distorted shadows, or impossible reflections. section 4.4
- Semantic errors, including contradictions between timestamps, shadows, lighting, and broader context. section 4.4
Artifact analysis remains adversarial: as detection methods improve, generative techniques evolve to counter them. Media forensics therefore increasingly considers both physical coherence and semantic meaning, not only surface imperfections. section 4.4
