Authors - D. S. Vangao, Pallavi Khatri, Diya Khatri Abstract - In the digital age, the proliferation of image manipulation has raised significant concerns regarding the authenticity and integrity of visual content. This study, explores the critical role of image forensic tools in detecting digital forgeries and ensuring the credibility of photographic evidence. A comprehensive evaluation of a range of widely used image forensic tools—including but not limited to FotoForensics, JPEG snoop, Izitru, Forensically, and Amped Authenticate—assessing their performance in identifying various types of tampering, such as splicing, cloning, resampling, and compression artifacts is done in this work. Each tool is evaluated on the basis of criteria such as detection accuracy, supported forgery type, user interface, automation capabilities, and analysis depth. The comparative analysis reveals strengths and limitations unique to each tool, offering insights into their suitability for different investigative scenarios. Our findings highlight that no single tool excels universally; rather, a combination of tools often yields more reliable results. This study underscores the necessity for cybersecurity professionals, digital investigators, and media analysts to adopt a multitool strategy for robust image authentication.
