How to Spot AI-Generated Photos and Videos in 2026

Picture this: last month, a photo of a celebrity at a London protest went viral on social media. Millions shared it, sparking outrage. Then experts proved it fake. AI had cooked it up in seconds. Tools like Midjourney and Veo 3 now churn out images and clips so sharp they fool the eye. Yet tiny slips give them away. Scams prey on trust; fake news sways elections. You need skills to fight back.

This guide arms you with straightforward checks. Spot photo glitches like wonky hands or odd shadows. Catch video stumbles such as missing blur or stiff walks. Learn free tools that flag fakes fast. And grasp why no method works alone. CurratedBrief keeps you ahead on AI shifts, with quick bites on tech news from top stories to market moves. Practice these steps, and you’ll sift real from fake every time.

Spot Common Flaws in Photos That Scream AI

Zoom right in on any suspect photo. AI loves smooth results, but reality stays messy. Check edges, patterns, and light play. Flip the image sideways or mirror it. Fakes warp under stress. Real shots hold steady.

Hands top the list of tells. AI struggles with bends and grips. Fingers merge like wax drips or multiply to six. Count them. Bend points look flat, not jointed. Teeth gleam too even, rows too straight. Compare to a real hand photo: skin creases shift with pose; AI copies paste flaws.

Eyes stare blank or reflect wrong. Pupils miss scene glints, like absent sun sparkles. Faces sit too symmetric, smiles frozen sans crow’s feet. Lighting fails hardest. Trace shadows back to bulbs. If a cheek glows but nose stays dark, light paths clash. Uniform blur across the shot screams fake; cameras soften near bits more.

In 2026, models fix some slips, yet physics trips them. Objects float sans support. Patterns tile like cheap wallpaper, repeats too exact. Backgrounds smudge at joins. View on phone then desktop. Scale reveals warps. A street sign curves wrong on zoom? AI slip.

These clues persist because AI predicts pixels, not grasps world rules. Train your eye on known fakes. Soon, dodgy shots jump out.

Start with Hands and Fingers: AI’s Weak Spot

Hands baffle AI most. Complex poses stump generators. Fingers fuse at tips or sprout extras. One photo showed a politician with seven digits on a pint glass. Count each: five per hand, nails neat, knuckles curved right.

Bends fail too. Real fists clench with wrinkles; AI smooths them flat. Grips slip, thumbs hover odd. Picture a handshake: palms press firm, veins bulge. Fakes float detached. Always inspect first. It’s the quickest bust.

Check Eyes, Faces, and Lighting Mismatches

Eyes give glassy voids. No depth flicker, reflections absent or mismatched. A sunny beach shot needs twin glints in irises; fakes skip them.

Faces lack asymmetry. One brow quirks higher in joy; AI mirrors perfect. Emotions flatten, cheeks stiff. Shadows betray worst. Lit from left? Right cheek darkens too. Trace beams: they must align. Mismatches yell fake.

Catch Video Tricks AI Still Can’t Nail

Videos amp the challenge. Motion exposes AI limits. Play at half speed. Scrub frame by frame. Fast bits lack blur streaks; cars zip crisp where tyres should smear.

Lights flicker unnatural. Bulbs pulse steady in life; AI stutters them. Walks robot stiff, no hip sway or arm pump. Crowds mill blind, folk clip through each other. A football clip last week showed a player glide sans turf kick-up. Real boots gouge divots.

In 2026, Veo 3 smooths clips, but quirks linger. Lips lag words in talks. Heads bob too even. Slow-mo reveals physics flops: hair stays statue-still in wind. Groups ignore spills or shouts. Watch the wobble in legs; humans bounce natural.

Rain patters uneven; AI drips uniform. Animals twitch ears at noise; fakes stare ahead. Scrub to speech peaks. Sync holds or lips flap loose? These hold because AI fills frames, skips cause-effect.

Hunt for Motion Blur and Smooth Moves

Motion blur marks real clips. Fast swings streak soft; AI keeps edges knife-sharp. A runner blurs limbs crossing frame; fake stays crisp.

Gaits lack bounce. Humans sway side to side, knees flex uneven. Robots march piston-straight. Spot the glide: no weight shift spells AI.

Watch Talking Heads and Group Scenes

Talking heads sync lips tight to sound. Fakes lag half-second, words flap loose. Faces stiffen mid-sentence.

Groups buzz reactive. One laughs, others glance. Fakes tunnel-vision ahead, blind to spills or waves. Clips through bodies seal it.

Use These Free Tools for Quick Checks

Tools speed spot work. Upload and scan in seconds. Top 2026 picks stay simple, no sign-up walls.

FotoForensics runs ELA analysis. It heats pixels; real ones glow even, fakes flare at edits. Bright zones scream tampering. Drag-drop ready.

Illuminarty scores real-fake odds. Green bars mean human; red flags AI. Handles photos crisp.

Google Gemini checks Synth ID watermarks. New embeds tag AI output. Upload, get verdict fast. Pairs with reverse search.

V7 Deepfake Detector probes videos free. Flags motion glitches, scores probability. Slow-mo aid built-in.

Sightengine free tier scans both. API light, results instant. Batch uploads save time.

Combine two or three. One misses, next catches. Step-by-step for FotoForensics: visit site, upload photo, hit analyse. Heatmap pops; blue even? Real shot likely. Streaks? Probe deeper.

Pros abound: quick, no cost, update often. Downsides hit too. Evolving AI dodges them. Edits strip clues. False positives tag real art wrong. For lists of more options, check this roundup of AI detectors or Gartner’s deepfake tool reviews.

Always pair with eye checks. Tools aid, don’t rule.

Face Detection Limits and Build Better Habits

Tools falter as AI advances. 2026 models evade scans, metadata wiped clean. False flags hit edited real clips. No detector nails 100%.

Human smarts win best. Cross-check sources: trusted outlets match facts? Reverse image search via Google spots origins. Gut flags “off” vibes, like too glossy sheen.

Build routines. Pause at wild claims. Flip to grayscale; colours hide flaws. Hunt context: event photos from pros? Crowds react real?

Watermarks roll wider soon, baked-in tags. Till then, practice on samples. Sites host known fakes. Sharpen eyes daily.

Conclusion

Photos betray via hands, eyes, lights. Videos slip on blur, sync, crowds. Free tools like FotoForensics boost checks fast. Limits push human habits front.

Scan suspicious media now. Upload to Illuminarty, eye the heatmap. Practice spots most fakes quick.

Stay sharp as AI races on. CurratedBrief drops AI news bites to keep you primed. You’ve got the edge; use it. What fake fooled you lately? Share below.