EAFPS Guidelines for post-processing of patient photographs
This code is intended to promote the highest quality in all forms of facial plastic surgery photography and to strengthen confidence in the profession, standardizing what is acceptable post-processing and what is not.
Surgeons and those who process patient photographs are accountable for upholding the following standards:
Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of patients and surgical techniques.
When editing, maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent patients, techniques or outcomes.
You may use the following post-processing techniques without declaration:
1. Cropping and sizing
2. Adjustment of Levels to histogram limits
3. Minor colour correction including the use of the eye dropper to check/set gray or selective colour lambda adjustment of the whole frame
Do not use any of the following post-processing on patient photographs (exception: see below):
1. Additions or deletions to image
2. Cloning & Healing tool (except dust)
3. Airbrush, brush, paint
4. Rearrangement of pixels with liquify filter
5. Selective area sharpening
6. Selective area lightening/darkening
7. Selective area colour tone change
8. Blurring
9. Eraser tool
10. Quick Mask
Exception:
The integrity of the photographic images’ content and context may be altered for
1. pre-operative consultation and planning of the procedure (computer imaging; simulation)
2. enhancement of the didactic value of intra-operative images
Declare any post-processing that alters the impression of size, shape or colour and thereby distorts the meaning of the original image by stamping the processed image with a clearly visible “modified”.
References:
National Press Photographers Association http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008oUq
Reuters http://blogs.reuters.com/blog/2007/01/18/the-use-of-photoshop/
