We used to say that seeing is believing. These days, when almost anything can be made to look photorealistic, that quaint expression lacks the sincerity it might have once had. Can you really trust the images you see on magazine covers, on television, and on the Web?

Probably not. For evidence you need look no farther than this very column. Every week we talk about ways to doctor reality. Sometimes it’s as subtle as changing the color of the sky from overcast to sunny, but sometimes we make dramatic changes like swap out the background, turn an ordinary scene into a miniature, and even resurrect Elvis. If amateurs can do those kinds of things, what does that tell us about professional graphic designers?