Just one week after Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, apologized for editing a photo of herself and her children on Mother’s Day, the UK royal family is in hot water again over another family portrait—which coincidentally is connected to Middleton.
Getty Images Wants AI to Stop Copying Them
Getty Images, one of the world’s largest photo agencies, alerted the public to the second manipulated image on Monday when it placed an editor’s note on a photo of the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Image has been digitally enhanced at source,” reads the editor’s note on the photo, which is still available for licensing.
The photo, a rare look at the late monarch with the family’s youngest members, was taken by Middleton in August 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. It was shared by the official social media account for the Prince and Princess of Wales on April 21, 2023, to commemorate what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022. The photo was also sent to agencies like Getty.
Getty was one of many photo agencies, along with the Associated Press and Reuters, that removed Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo from its offerings last week. The agencies only allow minimal editing in the photos they distribute.
“Getty Images is undertaking a review of handout images and in accordance with its editorial policy is placing an editor’s note on images where the source has suggested they could be digitally enhanced,” a Getty Images spokesperson told Gizmodo in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
The press office of the Prince and the Princess of Wales couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
To my untrained eyes, it’s not clear how many edits have been made to the photo of Queen Elizabeth with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Getty didn’t specify. CNN reports that it found 19 possible alterations, while The Telegraph found 7.
Here are the ones I can see with my face pressed up to my computer screen:
There is a misalignment of Queen Elizabeth’s plaid skirt near her right elbow. This one is pretty bad. The misalignment run from the skirt to the green couch, where the fabric dimples near the button don’t align.
There is a black cutout above Prince George’s shoulder. You can see it set against the green dress of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Louis, who is on the right next to the vase with the red rose, looks like his head was cropped out from somewhere else if you zoom in.
Savannah Philips, the Queen’s great-granddaughter who is sitting next to her in red, looks like her blonde hair is going through her red sleeve. It then magically reappears.
On the side of the couch near the vase with the rose, there’s another bad alignment. Dimple marks don’t line up.
If you all find more, please feel free to let me know in the comments!
While Middleton hasn’t come out to say the edits were her work—it’s very possible she only took the photo—it’s hard not to make the connection. (The Royal Family credited the Princess as the photographer on social media.) The incident calls the UK royal family’s reputation into question and increases the storm of scrutiny already surrounding them due to Middleton’s months-long disappearance from the public eye after abdominal surgery. Middleton’s absence has prompted a slew of conspiracy theories, with some speculating that she’s getting a divorce from Prince William or is actually dead.
Coupled with AI, which has been creating fake celebrity porn and other atrocities, the incident seems to reflect the dawn of a new era where we can’t trust what we see.
In an interview last week, Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP) said that the palace had been considered a trusted source for a long time. Asked if it was still a trusted source, Chetwynd said: “No, absolutely not.”
Tennis fans did not love-love the bee-zarre turn at Indian Wells on Thursday when a swarm of bees disrupted a quarterfinal match of the BNP Paribas Open.
Umpire Mohamed Lahyani said play would be halted due to “bee invasion” at Stadium 1, after which video showed him being stung. He then fled for the locker room, according to Tennis Majors, as did Spanish pro tennis player Carlos Alcaraz and his German opponent, Alexander Zverev.
“First time for everything,” the announcer could be heard saying.
The bees were thick on the court as Alcaraz dashed about, trying not to get stung, and they collected on the spider cam, a camera suspended by cables.
The insects claimed victory, at least temporarily.
Alcaraz, the BNP Paribas Open defending champion, was playing against Zverev, who defeated Alcaraz in their last match at the Australian Open.
Alcaraz won 6-3 against Fabian Marozsan Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
The French astrologer Nostradamus has long been a trendy topic as the clock nears midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the prophet’s predictions—though highly subjective and even more debatable—catching the curiosity en masse for the year ahead.
Unfortunately, the quatrains focused on 2024 are pretty dreary, bordering on chaotic.
But alas, here they are …
War on the water with China’s navy
(Photo by TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)
Nostradamus wrote that a “Red adversary will become pale with fear, putting the great Ocean in dread.”
While this can be directed in other areas, many believe it’s referring to China’s ongoing beef with Taiwan.
Climate disaster
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The climate has become a widely debatable subject in recent years, especially along political lines where some believe it’s a valid concern while others view the information as a sham (while also spelling it like the preposition instead of the noun).
Nostradamus wrote that “The dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen.”
Royal unrest
(USA TODAY Network)
If you were hoping to see more Royal Family drama in 2024, you’re in luck. Nostradamus predicted that the “King of the Isles will be driven out by force.”
In his place will be … King Harry and not William.
Hmm…
A new Pope
(Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
Predicting death? Yep, Nostradamus was apt to foresee the downfall of man as well as the demise.
And while this seems to be an awful practice, we’d be amiss not to list this quatrain that has many looking at the Vatican City in Rome.
“Through the death of a very old Pontiff, a Roman of good age will be elected. Of him, it will be said that he weakens his sight, but long will he sit and in biting activity.”
Saving for a down payment on a home can take a long time, especially amid steep mortgage rates and high home prices.
That’s why some Americans are looking to family for help.
In fact, the share of first-time homebuyers who received down payment gifts or loans from relatives or friends during the homebuying process in 2023 was 23%, according to a recent study by the National Association of Realtors. The NAR found 19% received gifts, while just 4% took out family loans.
That makes sense considering home prices continue to hit record highs and mortgage rates remain above 7%, making affordability more difficult for younger buyers who are struggling with student debt and rising day-to-day costs.
“You have a generation that struggles to find a down payment for their first house,” Mitchell Kraus, the owner of Capital Intelligence Services, told Yahoo Finance. “I’m fourth generation financial services… My father’s done this for 60-something years. And you’re working with individual clients, and it’s just so much harder to save.”
Intrafamily lending can help Americans speed up the process of purchasing a home in an unfriendly housing market.
“So just understanding really how it’s not overly complicated, how it can be done easily, and how you can save a family member a significant amount of money potentially by having a lower interest rate and a little bit more flexibility may be very appealing,” said Jaime Eckels, a certified financial planner and wealth management partner with Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
Here’s how to navigate such financial help.
A for-sale sign sits outside a home in the 100 block of Mosaic in Irvine, Calif., on Nov.15. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) (MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Do you have sufficient funds?
Those seeking to help should begin by taking inventory of their funds to make sure they can genuinely afford to assist family members in financing their down payment. Those getting the funds should also take into account their finances.
Both need to understand what their income sources and expenses are. For those on the receiving end, know “what your expenses would be if you owned a home, and now you have a mortgage payment and property taxes and everything that comes with homeownership,” Eckels said.
If possible, the experts recommended that buyers receiving help also put at least 20% down on a home. Otherwise, they will also have to pay private mortgage insurance, or PMI, which increases the monthly mortgage payment.
“It’s not going to be the first choice because it just adds so much cost to the price of homeownership and takes away some of the value of homeownership, and it makes it harder to build equity,” Kraus said.
Don’t forget the emotional implications of helping out.
Kraus noted that unfairness tends to drive a major wedge between family members. In particular, he said that children or grandchildren resent feeling that their siblings or cousins were treated better than they were.
“Make sure that if you’re going to loan [or gift] money to one child or one grandchild, you have the capacity and a willingness to do it for everybody else,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re helping one child, and you’re probably tearing your family apart.”
It’s so important to define what help you’re giving.
“People have to be clear-eyed on what they’re asking or what they’re getting,” said Doug Ryan, vice president of policy and research at Prosperity Now, a housing nonprofit. “Are they getting a gift? And does that trigger any tax implications? It’s a good idea to talk to an attorney to get this laid out for you.”
If the down payment assistance is a gift, the maximum amount a gift giver can give another person — aside from a spouse — in the 2023 calendar year without reporting it to the IRS is $17,000. If it’s anything more than that, the gift giver will likely need to fill out tax Form 709 to report the gift.
That doesn’t mean the gift is taxed. It just means gifts above $17,000 can count against the gift giver’s lifetime gift exemption. For 2023, the maximum lifetime amount is $12.92 million in cash or other assets before the federal gift tax comes into play.
Then, there are intra-family loans for down payment assistance. In an intra-family loan, someone with means helps a family member finance their mortgage and then charges them interest. These loans also must be repaid on a schedule.
The share of first-time homebuyers who received down payment gifts or loans from relatives or friends during the homebuying process in 2023 was 23%, study shows. (boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images)
For a loan, start with an agreement
Eckels recommends hiring an attorney and formally documenting the agreement between family members. The paperwork should include the loan, the rates, and the total payment for the property. Eckels said it was particularly important for the person lending the money to have a lien on the property in order to be able to use it as collateral in the event of a default.
“It’s super important to still have the loan documented appropriately. And so oftentimes that means bringing in an attorney to make sure that the proper documents are drafted in order to again make sure that the terms are all laid out clearly what happens in the event of default,” she said. “Also to make sure that the proper paperwork is on file because there is you know, state and county specific real estate liens that need to be reported and filed as well.”
Make sure any loan complies with federal regulations
The interest on the lent money must be greater than or equal to the applicable federal rate in order to qualify as a loan rather than a taxable gift by the IRS. There are short-term, mid-term, and long-term rates based on the duration of the loan. Lenders need to know what the buyer is expected to pay back because it’s part of the debt-to-income equation used to qualify applicants for a mortgage.
In some cases, a loaned down payment may not be allowed, Ryan said, if the borrower fails to comply with federal rules by not charging the appropriate applicable federal rate. That could constitute mortgage fraud.
Additionally, a traditional mortgage lender may require any loan from family to be secured by some kind of collateral that the buyer has, such as a car or other asset, according to LendingTree. The person loaning the money may also be required to provide a written statement attesting to the terms of the loan for the mortgage application process.
In some cases, a loaned down payment may not be allowed, if the borrower fails to comply with federal rules by not charging the appropriate applicable federal rate, according to Doug Ryan of housing nonprofit Prosperity Now. That could constitute mortgage fraud. (designer491 via Getty Images)
Find an intra-family mortgage company
Catherine Valega, a financial planner from Green Bee Advisory, recommended that those seeking loans from family members to purchase a home find an intra-family mortgage company. Such companies can help formalize loan repayment and ensure that all tax documents are properly filed. Valega explained that such an arrangement can help mitigate snags in the repayment process.
“It’s very easy to be like, ‘Oh, hey, Mom, I can’t make a payment.’ Right?” she said. “So I would always say if you’re considering a long-term loan, well, I probably would engage with one of these services that helps you service the loan and make sure all the tax documents are filed correctly.”
Maintain an open dialogue
Eckels pointed out that providing monetary assistance — especially when the money is loaned — can often shift the dynamics of family relationships and create tension where it didn’t exist. In particular, a relative may tend to monitor the spending of the loved one they helped out.
“So you kind of open the door to allow other people into your personal space, your personal business, and they may want to be a little bit more involved and that can create some tensions amongst family members,” she said.
The best way to combat that is to keep an open dialogue with their family members, especially when it comes to a loan, which is an on-going financial commitment.
“The number one thing before you enter in any of this loan process or document anything is talk through it talk through every scenario. What would be the case if I lost my job and therefore I couldn’t make the payment?” said Eckels. “I think it’s just sitting down talking about it, talking through the different scenarios, the structure of the loan, what happens in the event of not being able to make payments. Just having that conversation, I think that’s probably the best you can do.”
The president of Colombia has compared the “genocide of the Palestinian people” to climate change.
Speaking at COP28 on Friday, Gustavo Petro linked the Israel-Gaza conflict to the climate emergency.
He claimed “barbaric acts unleashed against the Palestinian people is what awaits those who are fleeing the south because of the climate crisis”, adding the conflict is a “rehearsal for the future”.
Weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign have left more than three-quarters of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed – roughly two-thirds of them women and children – according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Hamas is a UK-proscribed terrorist organisation.
Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, mostly during Hamas’s deadly 7 October attack that triggered the war.
Petro, the left-wing president who was sworn in last year and is a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, said at the second day of COP28: “I invite you, ladies and gentlemen, to think about a fusion, a combination of events: the climate crisis and the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Israel restarted combat operations in Gaza on Friday. (AFP via Getty Images) (SAID KHATIB via Getty Images)
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“Are these events disconnected, is my question, or are we seeing here a mirror of what is going to happen in the future? The genocides and the barbaric acts unleashed against the Palestinian people is what awaits those who are fleeing the south because of the climate crisis.”
He went on: “Most victims of climate change, which will be counted in their billions, will be in those countries that do not emit CO2 or emit very little. Without the transfer of wealth from the north to the south, the climate victims will increasingly have less drinking water in their homes and they will have to migrate north, where the melting glaciers will make it possible for people to have drinking water. The exodus will be of billions.
Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said the Israel-Gaza conflict is a ‘rehearsal for the future’. (Reuters) (Amr Alfiky / reuters)
“There will be pushback against the exodus, with violence, with barbaric acts committed. This is what is happening in Gaza. This is a rehearsal for the future. Why have the major carbon-consuming nations made it possible for the systematic killing of thousands of children in Gaza, is my question?
“Because if they do not kill them, they will invade their country to prevent them from consuming their carbon. We can therefore see what the future will look like. There will be a shrinking of democracy and unleashed barbaric acts against our peoples. Those of us who do not emit CO2. Those of us who are poor.”
Israel restarts operations
Israel restarted combat operations in the Gaza Strip minutes after a temporary truce expired on Friday, blaming Hamas for breaking the ceasefire.
Within hours of the truce ending, Hamas-run Gaza reported 109 people had been killed and dozens wounded in air strikes.
In light of this, Petro was not the only world leader at COP28, which is being held in the UAE, to speak out about the conflict.
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “While discussing the climate crisis, we cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian territories right beside us. The Israeli attacks that have claimed the lives of over 16,000 innocent Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are children and women, can in no way be justified.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah also said: “Nor can we stand by as the massive destruction of a relentless war in Gaza threatens more people and holds back progress towards a better global future.”
It comes as UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said the UK is exploring alternative routes to provide aid to Gaza following the breakdown of the truce.
Sunak also renewed calls for “sustained humanitarian pauses” as he met regional leaders on the sidelines of the COP28 summit.
A memorial service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter is underway in Atlanta, where former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and all five living current and former first ladies — Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton — have gathered at what is being billed as a “tribute service” at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the Emory University campus.
The last time all of the living first ladies attended an event together was in 2018 at the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral. All living current and former presidents and first ladies, including Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and the Trumps, attended the service.
The casket of former first lady Rosalynn Carter is seen during a memorial service at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta on Tuesday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Before that, in 2007, all current and former presidents and first ladies at that time, including George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, the Carters and Nancy Reagan, attended the funeral of former President Gerald Ford in Washington.
Rosalynn Carter died last week at 96. She had entered home hospice care in Plains, Ga., after being diagnosed with dementia.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th and longest-living president in American history, turned 99 on Oct. 1. In February, he decided to forgo further medical treatment for an undisclosed illness and entered hospice care at his home.
Former President Jimmy Carter arrives at a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta on Tuesday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Following Tuesday’s memorial service in Atlanta, Rosalynn Carter will be taken back to Plains for a private funeral on Wednesday at Maranatha Baptist Church, the couple’s home church. From there the casket will then be transferred to a hearse and depart for private interment at the Carter family residence. Jimmy Carter plans to be buried next to her.
A military honor guard carries the casket of Rosalynn Carter in Atlanta ahead of a memorial service Tuesday. (Erik S. Lesser/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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A guest looks at the program prior to a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial Church on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta on Tuesday. (Brynn Anderson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The investment arm of the Mormon Church revealed some of its holdings in a 13F filing on Tuesday.
The church has amassed a portfolio of individual stocks worth nearly $50 billion.
These are the top 10 holdings of the Mormon Church’s stock portfolio as of September 30.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ has an investment portfolio topping $100 billion that includes $47 billion invested in stocks.
The portfolio is registered with the SEC under the name Ensign Peak Advisors, and its lack of disclosures over the years recently led to it paying $5 million to settle charges that it went to great lengths to hide its investments.
The portfolio wasn’t revealed to the public until 2019, when a former Ensign Peak employee filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging that the fund shouldn’t have tax-exempt status because it doesn’t engage in any charitable activities.
The church reports its stock holdings on a quarterly basis, and a recent 13F filing revealed its top holdings as of September 30. These are the Mormon Church’s top 10 stocks holdings at the end of the third quarter.
10. Tesla
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Ticker: TSLA Market Value: $672.4 million Change in Shares: +153,477 (+6%)
9. Exxon Mobil
exxon mobil
AP
Ticker: XOM Market Value: $735.6 million Change in Shares: -798,503 (-11%)
8. Mastercard
Reuters
Ticker: MA Market Value: $778.6 million Change in Shares: -26,379 (-1%)
7. Meta Platforms
Getty Images
Ticker: META Market Value: $1.01 billion Change in Shares: -17,008 (-1%)
6. UnitedHealth Group
A UnitedHealth Group health insurance card is seen in a wallet in this picture illustration October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Illustration
Picture illustration of a UnitedHealth Group health insurance card in a walletReuters
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 04: Nvidia Founder, President and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang introduces the Nvidia Spot, a USD 49.95 microphone and speaker that will let owners use Google Assistant anywhere in a home, as he delivers a keynote address at CES 2017 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs from January 5-8 and is expected to feature 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees.Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
(L-R) The new iPhone 8, iPhone X and iPhone 8S are displayed during an Apple special event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on the Apple Park campus on September 12, 2017 in Cupertino, California. Apple held their first special event at the new Apple Park campus where they announced the new iPhone 8, iPhone X and the Apple Watch Series 3.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Getty Images announced a lawsuit against Stability AI, the company behind popular AI art tool Stable Diffusion, alleging the tech company committed copyright infringement.
The stock image giant accused Stability AI of copying and processing millions of its images without obtaining the proper licensing, according to a press release issued Tuesday. London-based Stability AI announced it had raised $101 million in funding for open-source AI tech in October and released version 2.1 of its Stable Diffusion tool in December.
“Getty Images believes artificial intelligence has the potential to stimulate creative endeavors. Accordingly, Getty Images provided licenses to leading technology innovators for purposes related to training artificial intelligence systems in a manner that respects personal and intellectual property rights,” Getty wrote in the statement. “Stability AI did not seek any such license from Getty Images and instead, we believe, chose to ignore viable licensing options and long standing legal protections in pursuit of their stand-alone commercial interests.”
Getty declined to comment further on the suit to CNN, but said that it requested a response from the AI firm before taking action. Stability AI did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
AI art and traditional media suppliers have struggled to coexist in recent months as computer-generated images grow more available and advanced, using human-created images and art as data training.
Once available only to a select group of tech insiders, text-to-image AI systems are becoming increasingly popular and powerful. These systems include Stable Diffusion and DALL-E, from OpenAI.
Shutterstock, a Getty Images competitor and fellow stock image platform, announced plans in October to expand its partnership with OpenAI, the company behind DALL-E and viral AI chat bot ChatGPT, and enhance AI-generated content while launching a fund to compensate artists for their contributions.
These tools, which typically offer some free credits before charging, can create all kinds of images with just a few words, including those that are clearly evocative of the works of many, many artists, if not seemingly created by them. Users can invoke those artists with words such as “in the style of” or “by” along with a specific name. Current uses for these tools can range from personal amusement and hobbies to more commercial cases.
In just months, millions of people have flocked to text-to-image AI systems which are already being used to create experimental films, magazine covers and images to illustrate news stories. An image generated with an AI system called Midjourney recently won an art competition at the Colorado State Fair, creating an uproar among artists, who are concerned that their art can be stolen by these systems without due credit.
“I don’t want to participate at all in the machine that’s going to cheapen what I do,” Daniel Danger, an illustrator and print maker who learned a number of his works were used to train Stable Diffusion, told CNN in October.
Stability AI founder and CEO Emad Mostaque told CNN Business in October via email that art is a tiny fraction of the LAION training data behind Stable Diffusion. “Art makes up much less than 0.1% of the dataset and is only created when deliberately called by the user,” he said.
Blind People Share What Photography and Art They Want to Experience First. National Federation of the Blind Granting $500,000 to Museums and Institutions for Tactile Exhibition Displays.
NEW YORK, January 25, 2021 (Newswire.com)
– Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications, and the National Federation of the Blind, America’s civil rights and membership organization of the blind, have partnered with Tactile Images to deliver more than 45 million images to the world’s blind and disabled population at museums, science centers, libraries, schools, and government agencies. This partnership will significantly enhance educational opportunities and cultural inclusion for blind and disabled individuals.
As part of this initiative, more than 50,000 members of the blind community shared what photography and art they wanted to experience first. The National Federation of the Blind reinforced this by announcing that they will be granting $500,000 to museums and institutions for the development of tactile exhibition displays.
“Blind people have all the same interests, concerns, and aspirations as all who participate in our society and culture, and that culture is reflected in the millions of images that this partnership will help us access,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “We look forward to working with Tactile Images and Getty Images to curate a collection that will include, inform, and inspire the blind of America and the world.”
Getty Images, the National Federation of the Blind, and Tactile Images are committed to participating in initiatives that provide greater accessibility to visual resources, with an emphasis on photography and fine art, that represent the world’s people and cultures, including the blind and those with disabilities. This commitment involves helping people fully understand and experience the society within which they live, providing unique educational perspectives and increasing access to content that may have previously been inaccessible. This partnership reinforces a collective commitment to improving accessibility for and inclusion of people from all backgrounds, including those who are blind.
“In a world where communication is largely visual, Getty Images is thrilled to partner with the National Federation of the Blind and Tactile Images to allow the blind community to more fully engage with and experience our pictures,” said Peter Orlowsky, Head of Strategic Development at Getty Images.
Tactile Images has several product offerings, all of which allow a blind individual to experience and engage with traditionally visual and graphic material through touch and sensory stimulation. Each is a unique, one-of-a-kind work of art. To further assist in creating a more interactive experience, braille is utilized for text, and sensors are embedded so that when touched, a customized audio description and narrative is activated. Components that emit unique smells can also be used. These three senses – touch, hearing, and smell – work together in the brain to replace the sense of sight. The blind or low-vision user creates a mental picture from this confluence of sensory stimulation. Touching a tactile print while listening to a coordinated audio presentation creates an enhanced kinesthetic learning experience.
“At Tactile Images, we are very excited that Getty Images and the National Federation of the Blind have decided to partner with us. This partnership will help to bring tactile imagery to the blind and disabled on a global scale,” says John Olson, Co-Founder of 3DPhotoWorks, the parent company of Tactile Images. “I’ve always believed that truly ‘seeing’ an image involves much more than just the sense of sight. As the notable American neuroscientist, Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita, once stated, ‘We don’t see with our eyes or hear with our ears; these are just the receptors, seeing and hearing in fact, goes on in the brain.’ We look forward to partnering with museums, science centers, libraries, and government agencies to make their existing content more accessible while also creating new and innovative installations and exhibitions.”
Tactile Images will also develop several traveling exhibitions in collaboration with Getty Images and the National Federation of the Blind. These exhibitions travel to museums, educational centers, and institutions throughout the world. They include a diverse array of engaging topics and narratives, increase community-based partnerships, and maximize an institution’s space, attendance, and participation. Furthermore, they promote inclusion, critical skills acquisition, independence, and self-confidence.
Tactile Images is committed to providing tactile experiences for the blind and disabled. These transformative experiences allow for an intimate connection with a wide range of visual and graphic material, especially photography and fine art. Images designed for touch provide the opportunity to acquire visual information independently, without relying on recorded descriptions or the interpretation of a sighted companion. Users can explore the depth and complexity of their favorite artworks and images, often for the first time. Tactile printing is an innovative process patented by 3DPhotoWorks, the parent company of Tactile Images, which converts any image into a three-dimensional tactile print that blind and disabled individuals assemble in their mind’s eye through touch, sound, and smell. Customized audio narratives, as well as components that emit unique smells, enhance the experience. Tactile Images’ partnership with Getty Images and the National Federation of the Blind reinforces their mission to deliver tactile images to every museum, science center, library, and government agency worldwide. Visit Tactile Images at www.tactileimages.com and via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About the National Federation of the Blind:
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at www.nfb.org.
About Getty Images:
Getty Images is one of the most trusted and esteemed sources of visual content in the world, with over 415 million assets including photos, videos, and music, available through its industry-leading sites www.gettyimages.com and www.istock.com. The Getty Images website serves creative, business and media customers in nearly every country in the world and is the first-place people turn to discover, purchase and share powerful visual content from the world’s best photographers and videographers. Getty Images works with over 340,000 contributors and hundreds of image partners to provide comprehensive coverage of more than 160,000 news, sport and entertainment events each year, impactful creative imagery to communicate any commercial concept and the world’s deepest digital archive of historic photography.
Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of still and moving imagery in communication and business, enabling creative ideas to come to life. For company news and announcements, visit our Press Room, and for the stories and inspiration behind our content, visit gettyimages.creativeinsights.com. Find Getty Images on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or download the Getty Images app where you can explore, save and share the world’s best imagery.
