Design and Develop a Tool for Digital

Forensic of Images
Mini Project Report

Subject: Cyber Security and Digital Forensics (CSDF)

Degree: Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering)
Student: [Your Name]
College: [Your College Name]
Academic Year: 2025–26
Abstract
In the rapidly evolving digital world, the authenticity of visual media has become a
significant concern. With the easy availability of image editing tools, tampering, forgery, and
manipulation of digital images have become common, posing serious challenges in areas
such as law enforcement, journalism, cyber investigations, and digital evidence validation.

This project, 'Design and Develop a Tool for Digital Forensic of Images,' aims to create an
intelligent forensic tool capable of identifying and analyzing alterations in digital images.
The proposed tool provides functionalities for metadata extraction, noise and compression
analysis, copy-move forgery detection, and error level analysis (ELA) to verify image
integrity.

Developed using Python, OpenCV, Pillow, and NumPy, the tool performs automated image
authenticity checks and generates a detailed forensic report. This project contributes to the
field of digital image forensics by empowering investigators with a reliable, user-friendly
software system for detecting manipulation and preserving digital truth.
1. Introduction
The increasing prevalence of digital photography and image sharing platforms has
revolutionized how we capture and exchange information. However, these advances have
also facilitated manipulation and fabrication of images, leading to misinformation, identity
fraud, and evidence tampering. Digital image forensics is a specialized area of cybersecurity
and computer vision that focuses on detecting and analyzing such manipulations.

In legal and investigative contexts, the authenticity of an image can determine the outcome
of a case. Traditional methods of verification are no longer sufficient due to the
sophistication of modern editing software like Photoshop and AI-based tools that can alter
content seamlessly. Hence, there is a growing need for automated, intelligent, and efficient
forensic systems that can analyze images and determine their credibility.

The proposed project introduces a Digital Image Forensic Tool that assists investigators in
verifying the originality of an image, identifying potential tampering, and extracting critical
evidence-related metadata. The system employs multiple forensic techniques including
Error Level Analysis (ELA), Metadata extraction, and Copy-Move Forgery Detection,
providing an in-depth understanding of the authenticity of an image.

2. Objectives
 To design and develop a user-friendly tool for forensic analysis of digital images.
 To implement authentication techniques such as Metadata extraction, Error Level
Analysis, and Copy-Move Forgery Detection.
 To identify manipulated regions using algorithmic and visual detection methods.
 To automate forensic reporting to generate evidence summaries.
 To ensure compatibility with multiple image formats (JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF).
 To assist digital investigators in detecting forgeries efficiently.

3. Problem Statement
With the advancement of image manipulation technologies, determining whether a digital
image is authentic or tampered has become increasingly difficult. Many available forensic
tools are commercial, complex, or require expert knowledge. There is a lack of an open-
source, simple, and effective tool that can automatically analyze an image and identify
traces of forgery.

The problem addressed is to design and develop an automated digital forensic tool capable
of detecting image manipulation and verifying authenticity using advanced algorithms.
4. Methodology
The methodology defines the structured process followed in designing and developing the
Digital Image Forensic Tool. The approach ensures systematic development, testing, and
validation of each module involved in image analysis and manipulation detection.

4.1 System Architecture Overview

The architecture consists of four main layers: Input Interface, Processing Engine, Analysis
Modules, and Reporting System. The Input Interface allows the user to upload images, while
the Processing Engine handles image conversion and normalization. The Analysis Modules
(Metadata Extraction, ELA, and Forgery Detection) perform computations, and the
Reporting System summarizes the findings.

4.2 Image Acquisition and Preprocessing

Images are collected from datasets like CASIA and CoMoFoD, ensuring diversity in format,
resolution, and compression type. Preprocessing involves resizing, denoising, and
converting to grayscale to standardize input images for consistent analysis results.

4.3 Tampering Detection Techniques

The tool incorporates three forensic detection approaches: (1) Error Level Analysis for
compression-based tampering, (2) Copy-Move Forgery Detection for region duplication, and
(3) Noise Pattern Analysis for texture inconsistencies. Each technique addresses a specific
manipulation pattern.

4.4 Error Level Analysis (ELA)

ELA involves saving the image at a lower quality and comparing it to the original.
Differences in compression error levels reveal regions that have been altered. Manipulated
regions appear brighter in the ELA result.

4.5 Copy-Move Forgery Detection (CMFD)

This module identifies cloned regions by comparing overlapping image blocks. Using
OpenCV’s ORB (Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF) algorithm, the system extracts keypoints
and matches them to find duplicated areas.

4.6 Noise and Pixel-Level Analysis

This module detects inconsistencies in local noise patterns, edge strength, and lighting
distribution. Anomalies in these properties often indicate the presence of spliced or
tampered content.

4.7 Report Generation and Visualization

The system compiles results into a readable report containing metadata, ELA maps, and
detected tampered regions. Results are visualized through Matplotlib plots and can be
exported as a PDF report for legal submission.
[Placeholder Figure 1: System Architecture Diagram]

[Placeholder Figure 2: ELA Tampering Detection Output]

[Placeholder Figure 3: Copy-Move Forgery Detection Result]

5. System Requirements

Hardware Requirements
Processor: Intel i5 or higher
RAM: 8 GB minimum
Storage: 500 GB HDD or higher
Display: 1080p
GPU: Optional for faster processing

Software Requirements
Operating System: Windows / Linux / macOS
Language: Python 3.10+
Libraries: OpenCV, NumPy, Pillow, Matplotlib, scikit-image
IDE: Jupyter Notebook / PyCharm / VS Code
Other Tools: Anaconda

6. Working of the System

The user interface allows investigators to upload an image. The system extracts metadata
and performs Error Level Analysis and Copy-Move Forgery Detection. The output highlights
tampered areas and displays the results in a visual format. Finally, a report summarizing all
findings is generated.

7. Algorithm (Summary)
1. Input image → Preprocessing
2. Metadata Extraction → Analyze EXIF data
3. ELA → Identify manipulated regions
4. Copy-Move Detection → Detect duplicated parts
5. Combine results → Generate forensic report

8. Output
[Placeholder Figure 4: Metadata Extraction Output]
[Placeholder Figure 5: Final Forensic Report Example]
9. Conclusion
This project demonstrates an efficient and accurate Digital Image Forensic Tool capable of
detecting and verifying image authenticity using Error Level Analysis, Metadata Extraction,
and Copy-Move Forgery Detection. It assists investigators in ensuring image integrity in
digital evidence analysis. Future work includes integrating AI-based deepfake detection and
video forensics.

10. References
1. OpenCV Documentation – https://opencv.org

2. Python Pillow Library – https://pillow.readthedocs.io

3. CASIA Image Tampering Dataset – http://forensics.idealtest.org/

4. IEEE Journal: Digital Image Forensics – 2021

5. GeeksforGeeks – Python OpenCV Tutorials

6. W3Schools – Python Programming