EXPLAINED: Weird Object on /r/aviation [Artbreeder GAN images]

[flarkey]

Saw this on Twitter and Reddit. What could it be?

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/qhecht/any_idea_what_the_heck_this_thing_is/


https://www.reddit.com/gallery/qhecht

 

[Ulrich]

Something like that, maybe. In your case maybe Fata Morgana of a futuristic yacht. There are lines below your ship as well. Perhaps parts of the mirage. Perhaps artefacts of a fake.

 

[Mick West]

I don't think it's a mirage. There's no repeating vertical elements.

The unrecognizable yet oddly clear shape suggests to me some kind of AI generated image, like a very low resolution seagull that has been vastly upscaled.

 

[Mick West]

We'd really need some more context, and the original photos.

Might also be a panorama stitching glitch.

 

[Mendel]

Something like that, maybe. In your case maybe Fata Morgana of a futuristic yacht. There are lines below your ship as well. Perhaps parts of the mirage. Perhaps artefacts of a fake.

I believe that picture is of a false horizon, created by the abrupt transition from shaded water to sunny water.
See https://www.metabunk.org/threads/de...gana-or-mirage-false-horizon.9112/post-246314

 

[Edward Current]

They definitely have features of glitching AI imagery. Compare examples of AI-generated faces gone wrong — similar random stitching and odd feathering.

 

[deirdre]

a distorted airshow pic?

 

[flarkey]

I'm tending to think this is some sort of issue with a mobile phone panorama like Mick said, or possiblly an image of a curved reflective surface such as a metal sphere. The dark area on these looks like the sea with the lighter area above being the sky. There also appears to be some sort of structure, possibly a bridge or pier.





editso typos

 

[jarlrmai]

The HDR techniques used as default on a lot of phones these days can have similar glitches to the panorama modes with fast moving subjects, i.e. jets as pictured in Deidre's post.

 

[taurusclover21]

The lower extruding part looks like an airplane landing gear.

When enlarged it appears to have numbers on it.

The second pic appears to have a fighter canopy visible on the lower half.

I think it's a distorted pic of a military airplane.

 

[JMartJr]

There is a hint of a possible false horizon in at least the lower image, when levels are adjusted. IF there in fact is one, and not a cloud/haze layer, then that might bring "mirage" back into play?



Adjust further, and there is a less defined (but the same in both pics) possibility that the horizon is WAY up there (white lines to mark where I'm seeing it) and if THAT'S the horizon, nearby boat with wake/rooster-tail and camera distortion seems possible.


...like these?

 

[Edward Current]

Other possibilities: A real or manmade orca.

 

[Ravi]

I am also convinced it is an "AI" generated artefact. I saw other examples recently on reddit:


source: https://www.reddit.com/gallery/qigacn

Pretty sure we have to adjust our spidy senses as this newish technology is powerful.

 

[386]

If you compare the water pattern in these two images it doesn't appear to change in relation to the object's position, which would suggest it's possibly not a panned/pano shot. Seems unlikely to be a jet in that case, as I'd think that any camera with a high enough burst rate for that would be too fancy to have the artifacts?



Gif and nearest neighbour enlarged 400% - could it be a rotating balloon?

 

[JMartJr]

Just tossing something like this into the mix...

 

[Ulrich]

The horizon below the object seems to be slightly higher than in the rest of the image on two of these pictures. I marked the two lines approximately.

 

[Mendel]

The horizon below the object seems to be slightly higher than in the rest of the image on two of these pictures. I marked the two lines approximately.

I'm not convinved that any of these lines is the horizon.

 

[Ulrich]

I'm not convinved that any of these lines is the horizon.

I agree, but why is the apparent horizon higher under the object? And not on the rest of the image?

 

[JMartJr]

I agree, but why is the apparent horizon higher under the object? And not on the rest of the image?

I believe that is the crest/face of the next wave rolling in... if so, that just happens to be where it is, it would be unrelated to the UFO thingie. Imagine this pic with fog blurring things, and the actual horizon lost in the mist and the dark shape of the next swell just visible. A foggy/drizzly day might also explain something (a smear of water) getting on the lens, if that's what the UFO turns out to have been.

 

[386]

Definitely agree with GAN generated. That would also explain the observation of little to no change in the water between two of the images. This website allows you to generate them, here is a familiar looking example:

https://www.artbreeder.com/i?k=2053973189c3f0d06179


For those interested, the homepage has a search function, simply searching for "ufo" resulted in the above image in the first two scrolls among many other distorted jets.

 

[jarlrmai]

Definitely agree with GAN generated. That would also explain the observation of little to no change in the water between two of the images. This website allows you to generate them, here is a familiar looking example:

https://www.artbreeder.com/i?k=2053973189c3f0d06179


For those interested, the homepage has a search function, simply searching for "ufo" resulted in the above image in the first two scrolls among many other distorted jets.

Great another source to be aware of, thanks!

 

[Shrinker]

Definitely agree with GAN generated. That would also explain the observation of little to no change in the water between two of the images. This website allows you to generate them, here is a familiar looking example:

https://www.artbreeder.com/i?k=2053973189c3f0d06179


For those interested, the homepage has a search function, simply searching for "ufo" resulted in the above image in the first two scrolls among many other distorted jets.

All the thumbnails on that site are 256x256 pixels. The thumbnails posted in the OP are also exactly 256x256 pixels. I think this is very likely the source of the images, and probably the source of many more to come.

 

[Mick West]

All the thumbnails on that site are 256x256 pixels. The thumbnails posted in the OP are also exactly 256x256 pixels. I think this is very likely the source of the images, and probably the source of many more to come.

I agree, the nearby examples a very similar in terms of weirdness. I think this is very likely the source.

 

[deirdre]

the nearby examples a very similar in terms of weirdness.

especially the very last one

 

[JMartJr]

I'd call the image size making this conclusive and list this one as explained. Well spotted, 386 and Shrinker.

 

[flarkey]

Great find. Well done.

 

[Mick West]

If you log in to Artbreeder, then you get the ability to edit "genes" (the influence of source images) and create entirely new images. Here's the effect of gradually reducing the amount of "Stinkhorn"

 

[Mick West]

And after playing with them for a while, it's obvious that this is the source of the images, so I'm declaring this one explained.

 

[deirdre]

If you compare the water pattern in these two images it doesn't appear to change in relation to the object's position, which would suggest it's possibly not a panned/pano shot. Seems unlikely to be a jet in that case, as I'd think that any camera with a high enough burst rate for that would be too fancy to have the artifacts?



Gif and nearest neighbour enlarged 400% - could it be a rotating balloon?

that was a new guy must have uploaded the original ?
https://www.artbreeder.com/i?k=81243db27cff2e3a4d51a4ac8cf0

or he was the original and someone else tweaked it for reddit.



@flarkey where did you get that attachment photo?

 

[deirdre]

yea as i play im getting what looked like plane wheels and maybe stabilizer fin (i also had the yellow nose for a bit but moved the sliders and lost it

 

[flarkey]

@flarkey where did you get that attachment photo?

It was in the original Reddit post:

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/qhecht/any_idea_what_the_heck_this_thing_is/