A family member of the original poster AI image incident

A family member recently experienced frustration after paying a photographer 110 dollars for an enhancement service that resulted in a distorted, low-quality image. Despite the client providing a high-quality scan of a family photo, the returned work appeared to be processed through careless AI generation rather than professional editing.

What happened

The original poster shared on Reddit that their father hired a photographer to improve a scan of a great uncle's photo. Although the final image featured increased sharpness and deeper black-and-white tones, it contained significant errors characteristic of poor AI usage. Specifically, the image displayed bizarrely shaped fingers and warped shoes on the subject. The client, who is a photographer and editor themselves, noted that the output did not resemble standard professional upscaling tools like those found in Adobe software. Commenters on the post suggested that the service was a scam, noting that the photographer failed to disclose the use of AI and provided a result that was objectively worse than the original scan. The original poster indicated that their father was friends with the photographer, which may have contributed to the lack of scrutiny regarding the final product. The incident highlights the growing issue of service providers charging professional rates for automated, low-quality AI outputs without transparency.