40 Times Reality Fooled Us Into Thinking It Had Been Photoshopped
If you have a computer at home, the chances that you are familiar with Photoshop are pretty high. You don’t need to know how to use it to understand how it works. Now and then, we see images that are too good to be true, and we pass on it thinking it is just a work of Photoshop. However, this is not always the case. We have found 45 of them look totally Photoshopped. But you will be blown away once you realize they’re actually not! Don’t worry. We thought they were fabricated too, so we dug deeper into each of them and can assure you that they aren’t. Some are a result of sheer timing, others from nature itself, and others are deliberate works of art. Sit back and enjoy these mind-boggling, real pictures!
1. Did somebody say “Star Wars!?”
If you have watched the movie Star Wars, then this picture will make you excited. You would think that this spaceship must be a part of the movie, or it is Photoshopped. But we are happy to say that it isn’t!
This beautiful architectural masterpiece is actually a church in the Reykjavik region of Iceland. It is called Hallgrímskirkja (cookies to you if you can pronounce that!) and is the tallest church in the country, with a height of 244 feet.
2. Welcome to Virtuality
A Screenshot from an old 2D game? Nah, it is the Yeonnam-dong 239-20 (and no, NASA has no connection to this). It is a café that is situated in the Seoul region of South Korea. The café was designed in such a way that it makes visitors feel like they have stepped into a cartoon world.
The design inspiration of this one-of-a-kind place was brought to life by a local, and it is a massive hit in the city. It also attracts a lot of tourists. This should undoubtedly be on everyone’s bucket list of places to visit.
3. Forest-Hotel-Building
We felt the same way when we saw this thing for the first time. And you can count on us when we say this is not Photoshopped because we took a reasonable amount of time to research this incredible building.
This is Singapore’s famous Hotel Park Royal Collection, built in the Pickering region of the country. Established in 2013, this hotel showcases the best examples of sustainable living with its eco-friendly solutions to everyday needs. We hope this becomes a popular trend!
4. Say Eat Cheese
As we were going through the process of writing this article, we have discovered that South Korea houses some of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. Take this, for example. What do you think this is? Well, it’s another café!
It’s called the Dreaming Camera Café, which is located a few miles from Seoul. The design is inspired by a vintage Rolleiflex camera, which looks similar to this. As you can guess, this is also a mini camera museum too – that’s the best of both worlds!
5. Don’t Go Green!
You may be thinking, “why is a boat sailing in vegetable soup; this is entirely fake.” NO – it’s real! Well, it’s a lake. Not only a lake but one of the world’s most polluted lakes, which, in its irony, is colored green.
This lake is located in the Anhui Province in China and is called Chaohu Lake. It’s the only source of water transportation for 5 million people living around it. But as a result of China’s rapid economic growth over the past few years, this is now termed as one of the most polluted lakes in the world.
6. The “Drunk Bridge”
Looking at this picture, for some people, this may be the last place to take their cars to, but it’s not what it seems at first glance. This motorway is called the Storseisundet Bridge and is located in Averoy, Norway.
This bridge is famous because when seen from some angles, it seems that it dead-ends at its peak, and the vehicles crossing it all appear to drop off, but it isn’t really true. It is all just an optical illusion.
7. Wavy Clouds
We, along with the whole internet, thought it was fake when we first set our eyes on this intriguing cloud formation. This W=wavy, unusual structure of orange clouds looks unreal to all of us, but to our surprise, it isn’t.
This photo is from Hamner Springs in New Zealand and was taken in 2005. NASA verified the picture to be authentic and featured it in their “Astronomy Picture of the Day” section. The type of cloud these are remains unclear to date, but they can be related to lenticular clouds.
8. Thunder Wonder
If you have sat on a plane before, you know that things look pretty different when seen from 10,000 feet in the air, be it clouds or cities. Have you ever gotten a chance to see how magnificent lightning looks from that height? We’ve got you covered.
This picture was taken from a flight by a passenger, and it shows us how extraordinary nature can be. From being breathtakingly beautiful in the mountains to life-threateningly dangerous in the skies, our earth has many ways to express itself.
9. Rags and the Riches
The line between the rich and poor is decreasing as we progress into the modern world, but it is still prevalent in some regions. Take Mexico as an example. The picture you are seeing looks like a before and after photo.
The Location is Santa Fe, which is a prime spot in the country. Here we can see how different people can live, even next door to each other; one side has hard times arranging dinner, while the other enjoys luxury at its peak.
10. Abandoned by Society, Accepted by Nature
When everybody left the place, nature adopted it. This is a village called Houtouwan in China. The people there left the area in 1994, and since then, it has been empty with a couple of families still living in the area.
Due to this, the vegetation there has overgrown and has covered buildings and houses with a thick layer of greenery. The place has again seen people due to the unusual scene. It is now known as a popular tourist destination.
11. Dry to Wet
This breathtaking view is… real! It comes from the Namib Desert, located in Southern Africa. This is truly a wonder of nature where a desert meets the sea, which makes the picture seem fake. But if you’ve learned from our list thus far, you know it’s not!
The place has become a tourist attraction for people living in Namib and around the world. The coastline extends for hundreds of miles. If you want to witness this unreal destination, you can take a helicopter ride around the coastline and have a bird’s eye view of the place.
12. I’m A Barbie Girl
A real-life example of the famous song, what you see here is a 100% percent real person. Her name is Valeria Lukyanova, and she is a Ukrainian Model. She is famously known as the “Barbie Girl” because she looks exactly like one.
She was able to achieve this look by following a strict workout routine and a catered liquid diet, and on top of that, she also has a couple of plastic surgeries on her face, which adds to her overall resemblance to the famous doll.
13. Commendable Coordination
When we talk about the Military, we remember one thing, and that is discipline. But the Chinese Army took it a step further, or we can say the photographer had perfect timing. As a result, we got a picture that our mind says is fake but is pure reality.
This was taken in Minsk, Belarus, in 2019, and it was popularized to show the discipline and coordination they have. In it, you cannot point out even a single thing that is not perfect (except they are not all the same height), and believe us, it is untouched.
14. Copy and Paste
You are ready to accept anything we show you after having seen the unreal pictures thus far, but even then, your mind will not handle this one easily. This is the San Buenaventura housing complex located in Ixtapaluca, Mexico (another wonder from there).
Helicopter Pilot Oscar Ruiz captured this while he was at work for a local radio station. The houses painted in such uniformity caught his eyes, and he was compelled to capture the perfect, colorful angle for the world to witness.
15. Beware of the Space Boat
What do you see in the picture? A typical cloudy day in a typical neighborhood, but look closely, and you’ll find the ship levitating in the clouds, passing by in the distance. Just kidding; it’s the Sutro Tower in San Francisco, California.
The image was captured on a foggy day at such an angle, making the tower seem like a ghost ship roaming in the sky. The Sutro Tower is a famous landmark among city residents mainly used for TV and Radio communication purposes.
16. Spider Tree
The photographer here was a volunteer who saw something which seemed impossible. This was the after-effects of the great floods of Pakistan, which took a heavy toll on the country, making many people homeless. And these trees were taken over by stray bugs.
The spiders and insects took to the trees to escape the flood, where they rested until the water level receded to normal. During their stay, they made themselves homes which covered entire trees. This picture went viral on social media back in the day.
17. Colorful Roofs
This fantastic sight is again from China. These are the Yuanyang Rice Terraces which are located in the south of Yunan Province. Locals farm rice plants on the mountains by making terraces which are very beautiful to look at.
The beauty of this place is one of a kind, and it should be included on the travel list of people who love to witness the sunrise because the morning here will take your breath away and make you feel like you’re in heaven!
18. Driving through the Sea
The incident you see below is dangerous but real. The man in this picture is named Robbie Maddison, who is a professional motocross bike rider. A YouTube video in which he shares his near-death experience got 4M views in under 24 hours.
Robbie, who has been a James Bond stunt double, took his custom-made dirt bike to “ride” the waves. He wanted to do this stunt on the world-famous waves of Tahiti, Teahupo’o, and Paparā. He said in a recent interview that he almost lost his life in the final take.
19. Fried on the Beach
Your first thought would be, “Nah! It’s just an optical illusion.” But this is a gigantic frying pan lying there on the beach, to both of our surprises. Artist Andrew Hankin created this unreal (but, of course, totally real) statue.
Andrew did this in collaboration with a sunscreen brand to remind the people coming to the beach to wear sunscreen and avoid being fried like eggs. This artwork is also a part of the famous Sculpture by the Sea series.
20. Headless Heroine
We have seen gymnasts do crazy things like jumping from tall heights and bending themselves into pretzels. But we can bet that you haven’t seen any gymnast do something like this. The athlete in the picture is performing Rhythmic Gymnastics here.
It is a sport that requires great flexibility to perform, which we can see in the picture. In it, the shutter button was clicked at just the right time when the gymnast’s head was bent backward. We can’t claim to come close to this level of flexibility!
21. Never Give Up!
Basketball is a game that requires sheer physical strength and grace, but also, mind games and strategies are another integral part of the game. But this man took this to a whole new level by introducing the trump card this time!
In basketball, there is a saying that says you shouldn’t stop trying to stop the ball until it’s in the basket, and he followed it religiously by stopping the guy with his finger. We rolled on the floor laughing when we saw this!
22. All the elements
One of the most frame-worthy photos we’ve presented to you, this shows a perfect division of different landscapes. It’s so perfectly symmetrical that we would never believe it wasn’t altered if we weren’t convinced by the photographer.
The rive, of course, continues behind the fence piece, and you can see some blue sky peeking out on the left side. But nonetheless, we think this is as perfect a coincidence as you could hope to find out there.
23. Fairy Fires
Some of us are absolutely convinced that there are little creatures living in forests all over the world. And no, we don’t mean foxes and wolves and bears. We mean mythological creatures – little winged, magical fairies. But okay, we’re not claiming this photo is evidence of them.
What we see is a fire burning inside a tree. That and the surreal, smoky sky are the results of a large forest fire in North Carolina. The firefighter who took this picture said that the temperature of the flames is what led to this unique color.
24. Giant Amber
You are probably wondering, just as we did, what this could be. It looks like a giant block of amber, right? This is another case of someone being in the right place at the right time. And we get to benefit from the beauty!
In a cave in the arctic, this photographer caught the sun hitting this glacier just right. It was only a few moments of golden glow, and she managed to capture it and present it as a gift to the world.
25. Living Zombie
After talking about many bizarre landscapes and places, now let us surprise you with some extraordinary humans. Introducing the Living Zombie Belly Owan, who resembles his name as you can see in the picture. And he really relishes the fame that’s come with his unique situation!
The Motorcycle Mechanic lost his eye to cancer in 2009, and now he is left with most of his right face removed. After the incident, he stopped and started his new life by working as a real-life zombie in parties and shows.
26. Tall Girl…
In the picture below, you see an eighteen-year-old girl from Brazil who has a rare illness that releases a certain growth hormone in huge amounts, resulting in her well above average height of 6 feet 9 inches. But it clearly doesn’t stop her from enjoying life!
Her name is Elisany Silva, and she is now engaged to her boyfriend, whom you can see in the picture. They are also planning to have kids soon; however, due to the height of Elisany, conceiving might become a problem.
27. Loneliness? What is that?
When the world witnessed the duo for the first time, everyone was shocked to see them and believed something suspicious was involved. But it all turned out to be true, and Abby and Brittany went instantly viral. These women have been in the spotlight for years now.
The twins have four lungs, two stomachs, and two hearts, but they share the same body below their navel. If we look at the positive side of this, they never have any time when they are alone because they can talk to each other all day long, and that is a gift that no other person has.
28. Flying Yacht
We have seen car accidents where the vehicle ends up in weird places like a treetop after the fact, but what we see here is a yacht that ended up on a mountain top! Well, it isn’t what it seems to be.
The yacht you see in the picture is actually the Sun Cruise Resort hotel located in South Korea. This resort is built like a yacht to attract tourists and give them a one-of-a-kind experience, and you can imagine it is quite the popular spot.
29. Portal Unlocked
If you have played video games, you have probably played Mario, in which the character just jumps out from a hole and is able to teleport to the next level. Similar to what we can see in the picture below.
The picture was taken in the Guatemala City of Country Guatemala, located in Central America. The hole was made by a storm that destroyed the area in 2010. The deep crevice was 59 feet wide and 328 feet deep. Yes, that is huge!
30. Fly High Low
The sight you see in the picture is a trendy tourist spot called Maho Beach on Saint Martin Island. The beach is famous among people who want to catch jumbo jets flying just above them. They almost look close enough to touch!
Why do the planes fly so low, you may ask. Well, this is because of the short runway of the Princess Juliana International Airport ending at just 40 feet, due to which the planes have to start decreasing their height well before they reach the runway.
31. Tall Tap
We have seen taps all our life, but we can bet our cookies that you haven’t seen something like this. This marvelous example of engineering is present in the Sattarkhan Park, Iran, where this is a “big” tourist attraction.
You may wonder what makes the tap float. Well, you probably also guessed it’s not actually floating, but it is helped by a transparent tube that runs straight in the direction of the water. It is present behind the flow so that it is invisible to everyone.
32. Study on the TOP
We see tables and chairs around us all the time, and they are an integral part of our surroundings. You may be reading this sitting on a chair with your computer on the table, but how does yours compare to the one you see in the picture?
The structure you see in the picture is not your usual optical illusion but a real tourist attraction in Monza Park, Hampstead Heath, England. People come here to witness this fantastic scripture situated on an open farm. And yes, the chair really is as tall as the trees.
33. Walking over the Pool
Finally, after so many years of research, development and testing, we now have a way to walk over water, as we can see the boy doing it in the picture. Reading our list, you would believe this as well.
Well, this picture is nothing but another example of what pressing the shutter at the exact right moment can bring to the table. Here, the boy who seems to be walking on water is really just diving into the pool feet first.
34. Ghost Santa
This picture could become the perfect thumbnail for a paranormal video on YouTube titled “9 times ghost were captured on camera,” but we are here to tell the truth, not to clickbait you! And to our surprise, people love to see these types of videos.
The picture is from San Francisco captured in 2010, where Brody S. tries to shock people gathered at Christmas with her Desaturated Santa Look. To achieve this, she used body paint and dyed her hair, and got a custom-made costume.
35. God’s Tissue
At first glance, there is no chance you can believe it is real, and even we didn’t; that’s why we scrambled the internet and found out that Neil Dawson (creator of the sculpture) has god-level talent. Isn’t this so perfect?!
This amazing scene is from a park in New Zealand where Neil has created this piece of wonder which looks like it’s a crumpled paper that would fly with a breeze but in reality is a 3D structure made all out of metal.
36. Levitating Landscape
Boats are a great way to commute instead of the regular cars, bikes, and trains because you get to float above water watching beautiful landscapes all around. But that also doesn’t compare to levitating, as we can see in the unedited picture.
This is a place called Blue Lagoon, which is located in Paphos, Cyprus. The site is known for its spectacular views and crystal clear water. Due to this, the boat appears to be hovering midair, but if you look closely, it is actually floating.
37. U.F.O…
Aliens, UFOs, parallel worlds – these topics attract much hype and attention, and people find ways to link everyday life things in outer space. One such example is shown in the picture below. We agree it looks out of this world.
The things that appear to be a UFO (to some people) are actually clouds, a special kind in science called Lenticular Clouds. The shape of these clouds is formed because of the wind direction around hills and mountains. They’re also rare.
38. FROZEN
If you have seen the movie Frozen, you must be familiar with these kinds of structures shown all throughout the popular film. Well, today, it is time to see them in real life. Welcome To Switzerland, the land of Wonders.
Switzerland has some of the most incredible looking places in it, and that’s why it is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the entire world. The picture you see here was taken after the lake became frozen due to the temperature and is completely unedited.
39. Save the Books…
The world houses many artists who are masters of their craft and can produce wonders when given the right opportunity. We showed you one famous and well-loved case in New Zealand above, and here in this picture, is another amazing sculpture.
This is made by the artist Alicia Martin, and she has done a fantastic job in making it seem absolutely real. The more you see the picture, the more you admire the level of detail present in the sculpture.
40. Enter into the Fairytale World
This is not a scene from a Pixar film; all of this is real and present on our own home, earth. This was aptly named Glowworms Cave and you can visit it in New Zealand, where you will find some of the world’s finest natural views.
This place is originally dark, and there is no light present underground. All that is present are thousands of glow worms that light up the whole cave and make its roof seem like a star-studded sky. Can someone take us there?!