While some of the removed photos were indeed clearly altered, in recent days even photos that only used filters or minor adjustments have also been removed. Could the official team clarify the criteria used for these judgments so that players can follow the guidelines accordingly?
In particular, how does Niantic define the term “obviously” in this context? For example, are basic adjustments such as brightness, contrast, color correction, cropping, or the use of standard camera filters considered acceptable, or would they also be regarded as edited or doctored photos? Clearer guidance would help players understand and comply with the photo guidelines while avoiding the unnecessary removal of legitimate submissions.
An extremely detailed explanation of the photo guidelines would be counterproductive, because there will inevitably be wayfarers who then skirt around those and point to the detail saying “I didn’t do that”, yet are still abusing the process.
Does the photo look doctored? Does it look real? Does the POI actually look like that?
It’s a judgement call, as are a lot of things regarding wayfarer.
Cropping is OK - it is not rationally considered doctoring a photo by anyone anywhere. It is the equivalent of standing closer.
Example 2:
What about this photo in the attached example, which has only undergone minor adjustments? (Screenshot source: https://www.threads.com/@rose851216)
Note: I am not the original submitter of these photos. I am only sharing cases that are currently being discussed within the Threads community. At present, these two examples are the most difficult for players to understand in terms of why they were removed.
Can you show what adjustments were made to that second photo?
There was a thread recently that just happened to show that an awful lot of photos in Rio de Janeiro (I might be remembering incorrectly) were digitally altered to make them perfect and they were a long (long long long) way away from showing the wayspot as it actually was. I was amazed at how many were being created and accepted.
The original version of the second photo can no longer be found, but judging from the thumbnail, it seems that only adjustments such as saturation, contrast, or similar settings were made.
After Pikmin Bloom became hugely popular in Taiwan, many heavily edited photos started appearing, and quite a few players felt that aesthetics were more important than realism. The examples here are simply photos that don’t appear to have been heavily edited but were still reported and removed together with the obvious cases.
I think there is a difference between adding saturation to the colors of a picture taken at sunset, and adding a sunset to a picture taken in the day. Its the line between enhancing reality and making a fake idealized version. Even then the waypoint picture needs to focus on the waypoint not the background.
Case 2:
As for whether this falls under the Photo Guidelines category of “Obviously edited or doctored photos,” I think it would be helpful to hear other opinions on the matter.
Since you’re soliciting opinions, I’ll give mine, for what it’s worth. Yes, I think that red brick example is a bit extreme, the first photo at the top looks very unnatural, almost artificial. Others might well have a different opinion, though.
