Open Access

REVIEW

A Survey of Image Forensics: Exploring Forgery Detection in Image Colorization

Saurabh Agarwal¹, Deepak Sharma², Nancy Girdhar³, Cheonshik Kim⁴, Ki-Hyun Jung^5,*

1 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Computer Science, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Christian-Albrechts-Platz 4, Kiel, 24118, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
3 School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
4 Department of Computer Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, Republic of Korea
5 Department of Software Convergence, Gyeongkuk National University (Andong National University), Andong, 36729, Republic of Korea

* Corresponding Author: Ki-Hyun Jung. Email:

Computers, Materials & Continua 2025, 84(3), 4195-4221. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2025.066202

Received 01 April 2025; Accepted 19 June 2025; Issue published 30 July 2025

Abstract

In today’s digital era, the rapid evolution of image editing technologies has brought about a significant simplification of image manipulation. Unfortunately, this progress has also given rise to the misuse of manipulated images across various domains. One of the pressing challenges stemming from this advancement is the increasing difficulty in discerning between unaltered and manipulated images. This paper offers a comprehensive survey of existing methodologies for detecting image tampering, shedding light on the diverse approaches employed in the field of contemporary image forensics. The methods used to identify image forgery can be broadly classified into two primary categories: classical machine learning techniques, heavily reliant on manually crafted features, and deep learning methods. Additionally, this paper explores recent developments in image forensics, placing particular emphasis on the detection of counterfeit colorization. Image colorization involves predicting colors for grayscale images, thereby enhancing their visual appeal. The advancements in colorization techniques have reached a level where distinguishing between authentic and forged images with the naked eye has become an exceptionally challenging task. This paper serves as an in-depth exploration of the intricacies of image forensics in the modern age, with a specific focus on the detection of colorization forgery, presenting a comprehensive overview of methodologies in this critical field.

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Keywords

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