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GameStop is letting someone sell an NFT that references a famous 9/11 photo (Updated) - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 23 Jul 2022 11:19 AM PDT

Less than two weeks into its soft launch, GameStop's NFT marketplace is already courting controversy. Among the NFTs listed on the platform is an artwork called "Falling Man" that was spotted by Web3 is Going Great. There's no mistaking it, the NFT references one of the most iconic photos of the early 21st century. "The Falling Man" is part of a series of images captured by Associated Press photojournalist Richard Drew on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Of the 2,753 people who died inside the World Trade Center and surrounding area that day, it's estimated that at least 100 individuals fell to their death while the towers were still standing.

"This one probably fell from the MIR station," says the NFT's description, referencing Russia's decommissioned space station. The artwork's creator is selling two different versions of "Falling Man," with the cheapest listed at 0.65 Ethereum or about $990. As Web3 is Going Great points out, GameStop operates a curated NFT marketplace. Artists must apply and pass a vetting process before they can list their tokens for sale. The company takes a 2.25 percent cut of sales. GameStop did not immediately respond to Engadget's comment request.

Artistic theft is a major issue in the NFT space. On platforms like OpenSea where people can mint tokens for free, fake and plagiarized content abounds. While you could make the argument that "Falling Man" doesn't fall into those categories and that artists should be free to reference past works and tragedies, it's also true that this NFT trivializes the falling man's fate, reducing his final moments into something to be sold for a profit.

Update 07/24/22 9:00AM ET: The Falling Man NFT is no longer listed on GameStop's marketplace. The company has yet to return Engadget's request for comment or tweet about the takedown. However, in a direct message to one individual, the company said it was taking action against the creator of the NFT. "This NFT will be removed from our marketplace entirely," the company said. "This user has already had their minting ability removed from their account, and we have already been in direct contact with the creator about these actions."

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Google Pixel 6A's Camouflage tool makes Magic Eraser a lot better - The Verge

Posted: 23 Jul 2022 07:00 AM PDT

Google's clever Magic Eraser tool debuted on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It's an editing feature that's designed to remove people or objects you don't want in the background of your photos. Considering that it's dead simple to use, the results are okay, but it's definitely not putting Adobe out of business anytime soon. But with the Pixel 6A — and coming soon to the 6 and 6 Pro — Google has added a new Magic Eraser function that I like a lot more than the standard erase tool: Camouflage. It's just as easy to use, and the results are a lot more consistent.

Magic Eraser works a bit like Photoshop's content-aware fill. You make a selection, then it uses information from the surrounding image to remove the unwanted subject and fill in the area. With certain subjects, especially if they're isolated from other objects in your image, it works fairly well. Given that most photos are viewed on (relatively) tiny screens these days, the results look passable. But if the object you want to remove overlaps with other elements of the image, the final image doesn't look as good. It's harder for the system to make a good guess about how to fill in the space left behind, and it can create some weird-looking artifacts that are an even bigger distraction.

That's where Camouflage is a great option. Rather than trying to remove the unwanted object entirely, the tool just desaturates it to make it less distracting. It's perfect for, say, a bright purple stroller behind your subject. Using Magic Eraser will make a mess of it trying to clone it out of existence, but Camouflage will do just enough to make it less of a distraction.

I often shoot in portrait mode for basically the same reason that Magic Eraser exists: to bring attention to my subject and de-emphasize things in the background. But especially with a portrait mode shot, I don't necessarily want to entirely remove something that's in the background since it's already blurred to partially reduce the distraction. Plus, it might be something that adds context to my photo. De-saturating a brightly colored object behind my subject helps keep attention where I want it, without losing that context or introducing other distracting artifacts.