Checking hands, eyes and skin
Anatomy can suggest useful questions about an image. It can also mislead you when a hand is hidden, an eye is turned away, or a photograph has been retouched. Start by separating what you can actually see from what you are assuming.
Worked example · Published puzzle, 2026-10-24
Boxing gloves defeat the finger-counting shortcut
The October 24 puzzle put a close-up boxing photograph beside five generated gym scenes. In both candidates below, gloves hide the fingers. The usual advice to count them cannot help here.
These are two candidates from the same archive puzzle. Their labels are shown because this is a lesson. Numbered boxes identify the details discussed below.
The original candidate is closely cropped, with a shadowed eye and visible sweat.
Photo by Metin Ozer on Unsplash.
The generated candidate has detailed skin and a plausible ear, even though it is synthetic.
1Hidden fingers cannot be counted
The photograph shows boxing gloves, not individual fingers. The glove can look like a single smooth shape because that is what a glove is.
Limit: An obscured hand provides no usable evidence about the number or shape of its fingers.
2An angled eye is not a circle test
The photographer captured the face from the side. The eyelid, viewing angle and shadow limit how much of the eye is visible.
Limit: A pupil that is not clearly round in a small image is not evidence of generation.
3The same limitation applies to the fake
The generated candidate also hides its hands inside gloves. Passing a finger-counting check is impossible when the fingers are not visible.
Limit: You cannot count an absence of visible errors as evidence that an image is a photograph.
4Plausible anatomy can be generated
The synthetic ear has recognizable folds and sits naturally beside the head at this viewing scale.
Limit: Recognizable anatomy is compatible with both photography and generation. Check the origin as well.
What establishes the answer here?
For this puzzle, image 4 is the photograph attributed to Metin Ozer; image 3 is a generated alternative. The useful lesson is the limit of the visual test: covered hands and a convincing ear do not separate these candidates. In a real verification task, follow the source record before claiming a visual verdict.
The labels come from this published puzzle's answer key and linked photo source. They do not come from an automated detector or a claim that one visual detail proves authenticity.
Explore all six images from this puzzle →Hands: trace the structure you can see
A visible hand is worth following from wrist to palm to fingertips. Look for an unexplained junction: a finger that merges with a mug handle, a nail on the wrong surface, or two outlines that cannot belong to the same grip.
Before counting, check whether a finger is hidden behind another finger or an object. Motion blur, gloves and a tight crop can make counting impossible. People also have natural anatomical differences. A count alone cannot establish how an image was made.
A more useful question is whether the visible hand and the object it holds fit together. If the resolution does not let you trace that relationship, record the detail as inconclusive and move on.
Eyes: account for the viewing angle
Pupils and eyelids
An eye viewed from the side will not present the same outline as an eye facing the camera. Eyelids, shadow, glasses, contact lenses and limited resolution can change what you see. Do not require every visible pupil to look like a perfect circle.
Catchlights
Compare the small reflected highlights in the eyes with the scene. Differences can be worth examining, but the eyes face slightly different directions and a room can contain several lights. A mismatch is a question to investigate, rather than a verdict.
Similarly, different iris colors or an asymmetric face are not proof of generation. The point of inspection is to find unexplained relationships in this particular image, not to demand an idealized human face.
Teeth, skin and hair: use the available detail
Teeth: look at how the mouth, lips and teeth join. A bright continuous strip might be low resolution, lighting or retouching. Do not infer an exact tooth count from a small or partially hidden smile.
Skin: compare texture across the face, neck and hands, accounting for light and focus. Smoothing filters and makeup can reduce visible pores in a photograph; a generator can also produce convincing pore texture. Neither smoothness nor detail settles the origin.
Hair: follow visible strands where they cross clothing, glasses or a hand. An unexplained change into another material is worth a closer look. Soft edges can also come from motion, focus, compression or editing, so seek the original before drawing a conclusion.
A careful anatomy check
Before you guess, run through these checks:
- 1Identify which details are actually visible. Mark hidden or blurry features as inconclusive.
- 2Follow the wrist, palm and visible fingers through their contact with nearby objects.
- 3Account for pose, eyelids, lighting and glasses before comparing eyes.
- 4Check several independent relationships instead of relying on pores, teeth or a finger count.
- 5Look for the original source and provenance even when the anatomy looks plausible.
Glossary entries for this module
Sources and further checks
Our worked examples explain observations in published ImageGuesser puzzles. For provenance tools and their limits, consult the organizations that maintain them:
- Google: verifying AI-generated images in Gemini
- C2PA: what Content Credentials establish and what they do not
- Content Credentials: origin and editing-history tools
Examples and guidance updated . A visual clue is a reason to investigate; it is not a universal authenticity test.