The Rapidly Moving World of AI

Our club rules concerning the use of AI in post-processing are already published in club rules (3.1).

These rules align with those of the SPA.  Please read them to avoid personal disappointment and possible club embarrassment.

More recently, the SPA has published a document on the SPA website - click here -

that we hope will prove useful in highlighting known tools that are not permissible when processing images for SPA (and club) competitions. For ease of reference, we are reproducing the list below:

Forbidden Generative AI tools

This does not aim to be an exhaustive list. It will be updated and if there are other tools or software packages not covered here about which you would like advice then do get in touch with the SPA.

It is the responsibility of every photographer to understand if, and where generative AI is used in their editing software and avoid its use in SPA (and club) competition entries.

Adobe LIGHTROOM CLASSIC

☐ Generative Remove  

☐ Distraction Removal (people)

Adobe PHOTOSHOP and CAMERA RAW

☐ Generative Remove  

☐ Generative Expand  

☐ Generative Fill

☐ Generate Image

☐ Generate Background

Adobe PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS

☐ Generate Image

☐ Insert Object

☐ Restore Photo

☐ Enhanced Remove

AFFINITY PHOTO 2

☐ All tools permissible

LUMINAR NEO

☐ GenErase

☐ GenExpand

☐ GenSwap

OPAZ GIGAPIXEL

‘Generative Models’

☐ Recover  

☐ Redefine Realistic

☐ Redefine Creative

☐ Upscaling using Cloud model (local processing OK)

TOPAZ PHOTO

☐ Super Focus  

☐ Remove Object  

☐ Dust & Scratch Removal

☐ Recover Faces

GIMP

☐ some third party plugins  (e.g. OpenVINO)

CAPTURE ONE PRO

☐ No native generative AI features

ON1 Photo RAW

☐ Generative Eraser

☐ Generative Crop

☐ Generative Replace