Please follow these guidelines regarding the user of AI in the preparation of Print and PDI images for competitions. Note that original JPG/RAW files of the image(s) should be available in the event of any dispute.
Safe To Use
- Spot Healing Brush / Clone Stamp
- Content-Aware Fill (uses your own image data)
- Noise Reduction / Sharpening (e.g., Topaz AI, Lightroom Denoise)
- Sky Replacement (only if using your own photographed sky)
- Global Adjustments (exposure, contrast, saturation, tone curve)
- Cropping / Resizing / Rotation / Perspective adjustment
- Conversion to Monochrome / Toning
Use with Caution
- Remove Tool in Photoshop → Turn off Generative AI
- Composites → Only allowed in Open/Creative categories if all elements are your own
- HDR / Focus Stacking → Permitted if all exposures are by the author
Not Allowed
- Generative Fill / Expand / Remove (adds synthetic pixels)
- Text-to-Image AI tools (e.g., Midjourney, DALL·E)
- AI-generated skies, backgrounds, or elements
- Stock images or third-party content
- AI-based inpainting/outpainting from prompts
Submission Tips
- Keep original RAW/JPEG files for verification
- Document your workflow if possible (e.g., Content Credentials)
- Read category-specific rules—Nature and Photojournalism are stricter
- Avoid ambiguity: if unsure, ask the competition organizer