Photos That Look Photoshopped But Actually Aren’t

Thanks to technology and the 21st Century, there are millions of crazy photos circulating around the web. At times, it can be hard to point out which photos are real and which are photo-shopped – this is why we decided to round up the craziest photos out there that aren’t photo-shopped but seriously look like they are. Check it out!

Surf’s Up

I’m sure at first glance, you’re scoffing at the notion that such images aren’t photo-shopped but uhh, this hasn’t been touched in any way. Not by us or anyone else! Meet Robbie Maddison, the guy driving the motorcycle in the photo below, an Australian stunt rider. He worked with DC Shoes to help create a fantastical series of photos, which ultimately then became ads for the footwear. The stunt was crafted by fitting a Honda motorbike with water-skis, and after many months of preparation and practice, the team behind these photos brought us images such as this!

Chaohu Lake In China

In the Anhui Province of China, you’ll find Chaohu Lake, one of the five largest freshwater lakes in all of China. Some 5 million people live near the lake, and use it for irrigation, fishing, and transportation. However due to China’s rapid economic growth, the lake is now one of China’s most polluted lakes, ergo the green coloring.

Cross Over

This is Storseisundet Bridge and you can find it in good ol’ Norway, locals even call it ‘the Drunk bridge’. Among other bridges on Atlantic Road, this one connects several small archipelagos and peninsulas, appearing on the west coast of the country. When you look at the bridge from a direct angle, it looks quite normal, however from certain angles, the photos definitely seem severely photo-shopped as it looks like it completely drops off.

Trippy Santa

You know those photos that are all black and white expect for that one alluring, awesome feature? In this case, this person has done the opposite by wearing a grey Santa suit in a field of color and by also utilizing the greatest makeup skills we’ve ever seen. You can tell it isn’t photo-shopped as there is some makeup coming off her neck a bit.

Dogaroos

Meet Bambi and Cute, two dogs who live in the Philippines and look more like kangaroos then they do dogs. And for one reason, it looks like they don’t have front legs. Dogs like Bambi and Cute were born with genetic defects which caused their front legs to not develop fully.

Lake Sørvágsvatn In Denmark

This lake is located insanely close to the ocean, however its surface is almost 40 meters above sea level. It is also surrounded by a higher cliff, preventing it from emptying fully into the ocean. The great heights of the cliffs on either side give the illusion from certain perspectives that the lake is actually higher above sea level than it is.

Marble Caves

If you want to check out the stunning General Carrera Lake or Lake Buenos Aires then you need to go to Patagonia, it is shared by Argentina and Chile. These marble caves have been formed by serious wave action over the last 6,000 years.

Matthias Schlitte

Meet Matthias Schlitte, the man who has Klippel-Trénaunay-Weber syndrome. Matthias was born with this syndrome, with a stronger right arm. Instead of cowering back, he has embraced his differences and is a professional arm wrestler!

Anamorphic Illusions by Felice Varini

I know, what a mind blowing photo! Since 1979, Swiss artist Felice Varini has been creating illusions using flat graphics that are superimposed on three dimensional spaces with an eye-deceiving technique known as anamorphosis. These complete shapes can ~only~ be seen when they are viewed at certain angles, otherwise all you will see are some random broken pieces.

Rainbow Tree

Yup, this so isn’t photo-shopped, folks! The Eucalyptus deglupta is a tall tree and is commonly referred to as the rainbow eucalyptus, Mindanao gum, or rainbow gum – I think you can see why. The colors of the bark change as the tree matures.

Rangsit University Gardens

Rangsit University is a private university located in Pathum Thani, Thailand. The university is famous across the globe for its colorful trees and bushes that are painted with bright paint.

Super Lift

This might looked photo-shopped but it totally isn’t! It’s just a perfectly timed photo of Lesman Paredes competing at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships. Crazy.

The Maned Wolf

Head over to South America to meet the “golden dog”, it isn’t a fox, nor is it a wolf. It belongs to the Canidae (canid) family. As you can see, it has very distinct features and is sadly on the endangered list.

Adou Ouattara And The Suitcase

Nope, this isn’t some practical joke. Just in 2015, young 8 year old Adou Ouattara was actually smuggled from the Ivory Coast to Spain while stuffed in a suitcase. You can see the insane photo below. Sadly his father couldn’t afford two visa’s for his two children, so he paid someone to smuggle Adou in a suitcase. Adou’s father was charged with child endangerment and smuggling. Shortly after, Adou was reunited with his mother.

The Melting Trompe L’oeil Melting House

This photo might look as if its playing tricks on you but it isn’t photo-shopped whatsoever. The Trompe-l’oeil Melting House featured blurred windows, uneven walls, and very weird shapes within, giving off the illusion that the building was melting away. It used to be located on George V Avenue in Paris but is no longer there.

Valeria Lukyanova, The Human Barbie

This is 31 year old, Ukrainian Valeria Lukyanolva. After a bit of plastic surgery, a specialized liquid diet, and a strict workout routine, Valeria looks like a human Barbie. Especially with the clothes and makeup.

The Portal To Hell

What you’re looking at here is a natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan and is located in the heart of the Karakum Desert. The hole is an accidental man-made event that was created when a drilling rig collapsed and officials decided to allow the gas to burn away on its own. The fire has been burning steadily since 1971 and has been open to the public since, it shows no signs of slowing down any soon. It certainly won’t stop until the natural gas that is burning is ~all~ burnt away.

Waves On Lake Erie

Dave Sandford is a professional sports photographer who heads to Lake Erie daily, spending some 6 hours a day photographing the lake. This particular day, he went into the water as usual but the conditions were a bit mad, with his Canon 1D X, a 400mm lens, and a 70-200mm lens, and wind gusts reaching 60+ mph and waves reaching a mind boggling 25 feet in height – Sandford managed to capture these wicked images.

Waterfall Fun

Photographers Sean Lenz and Kristoffer Abildgaard used glow sticks, various head lamps, road flares and even the moonlight to capture these breathtaking photos of some waterfalls in California. The colors look totally photo-shopped but couldn’t be further from the real thing.

Aditya Dev

The very little guy you’re looking at is Aditya Dev, who was recognized in 2006 by Guinness as ~the~ World’s Smallest Bodybuilder. Sadly, he passed away in 2012 at the mere age of 23.

Helipad of the Burj Al Arab

Head on over to Duabi if you want to play tennis on the world’s highest helipad on top of the world’s most luxurious hotel, Burj Al Arab,. In 2005, world greats Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a friendly match right here.

Cloud Cone

Talk about perfect timing! This isn’t a photo-shopped image but it surely looks like it might be until you consider the reality that the photo was captured at the right time.

Say What Now?

Nope, you are not looking at a tree going through a house or even a wormhole that’s opened up! Instead, just a mere optical illusion. Crazy what artists can do nowadays, eh?

Headless Hockey Player

Nope, this Norwegian hockey player has not under any circumstance found the secret to invisibility, just an image that was captured at the perfect moment.

Take a Seat

If you’d like to eat some supper at the world’s largest chair and table, then just head over to Hampstead Heath, North London, in good ol’ England!

Yikes

This is a very real photo of the famous Granville-Paris Express wreck during 1895 in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris, France. It was this image that circulated the globe back and still astonishes people today.

Winner Takes All

Tennis, anyone? Back in 1925, Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger played a bit of tennis on the wing of a biplane that was IN flight. Sounds totally wacky and crazy – probably because it was and still is!

Two Headed Rhino, That’s All

Pretty sure the title and photo here summarize everything you need to know. And just so you know, two headed animals are a very real thing and not just an abnormal phenomena.

How Low Can You Go?

Yeah, this might come off as a photo-shopped job gone wrong but it’s actually quite real! You’re looking at the world’s largest diamond mine located just outside Mirny, Russia. Whoa.

Fast And Furious

You might think that this was a line drawing of a Toyota Corolla that has been superimposed onto a streetscape. However, this is an actual life-sized wire replica that was designed by artist Benedict Radcliffe.

Blue Angels

This might look like just one jet that was captured while moving but it’s actually multiple jets, the Blue Angels in fact, flying in perfect formation. The Blue Angels are a unit of the US Navy and this is a norm for them.

Let’s March

At first glance, you’d say this photo wasn’t real whatsoever but if you look closely then you can clearly see this is the Chinese Army marching in ~perfect~ unison.

Melon Head

Not photo-shopped guys, you’re looking at some “Melon Heads” seated high at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Why, you’re probably wondering, well we don’t know but it’s pretty funny!

Swagger

I know what you’re thinking, this is totally 100% photo-shopped but sadly, you’re wrong! This is a very real housefly wearing very real glasses. In a 2005 science contest, a company submitted their latest advances in laser cutting technology by making glasses small enough for a fly to wear.

A Balancing Act

Who wouldn’t want to head out to the desert with their bestie and create such an optical illusion? It’s fun first of all and second of all, it creates insane photos such as this.

Salt Bae

An image that looks just like a geometric drawing is actually a work of art made entirely out of salt. SALT. You can thank the artist Motoi Yamamoto for this salty masterpiece.

Cloudy

Artist Berndnaut Smilde created this insane photo op by pumping mist into a room and then sealing it completely off. Smilde then very carefully controlled the temperature and humidity in order to create a real cloud…indoors.

Yangshuo, China

Isn’t Mother Nature simply awesome? We’d say so. Yangshuo, China is where you can find this colorful field.

Mount Grinnell

Head on over to Montana to see such natural beauty that the photographer Harry Litchman captured. You’re looking at a breathtaking sunrise image which has transformed the grey Montana mountains into eye-popping glowing orange beacon.

Fluffy

No one really thinks so much about clouds or cloud formations, why would you? Whenever you look up at the crystal blue sky, filled with fluffy clouds, well your last thought is about what kind of cloud formation you’re looking at. This one just happened to be captured on camera and it’s seriously wicked, this is known as a rare type of cloud formation, asperatus.

Gustav Troger’s “Mirrorman”

Have you ever wondered what a suit made entirely out of mirror fragments would look like? Well, here you are. Artist Gustav Troger’s Mirrorman “living sculpture” even turned up in a music video for Arcade Fire’s 2016 album Reflektor.