What is error level analysis (ELA)?

Error level analysis (ELA) re-saves a JPEG image at a known quality and maps how much each area changes, so regions edited or pasted in later stand out.

How to read it

• Bright edges and textures are normal.
• A bright block on a flat surface is suspicious.
• Similar surfaces should look similar.

Limits

• Weak on images recompressed by social media and messaging apps.
• Not meaningful for PNG files.
• Fully AI-generated images can look uniform, so ELA must be combined with other checks.

Try it

Run a free check on the AI image detector. Full guide: detecting AI inpainting with ELA.