VUO and CUO
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1. What is a Verifiably Unaltered Original?
It is a normal-looking photo that is digitally encrypted when recorded so that it later can be verified as not having been further altered.
The VUO is focus maximized — i.e., no fokeh blur — and has undergone no changes such as post-exposure perspective correction.
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2. What is a Confirmed Unaltered Original?
A CUO is a just a VUO that has been verified as being unaltered.
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3. What good are VUOs and CUOs?
They are ideal for “Before/After” comparisons.
• The VUO/CUO is the “Before” photo.
• The TTG-labeled photo is the “After” photo.
Any differences found during a visual comparison can be considered in light of TTG's Allowable Changes list. No further information about specific manipulations would be required.
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4. So VUOs and CUOs are not usually published?
That is correct: because they are not cropped, leveled, downsized, or color-corrected, VUOs and CUOs are not typically intended to be published.
VUOs and CUOs exist primarily to serve as proof when necessary.
For more, see FAQ #25
The terms “VUO” and “CUO” were created in 2020 in anticipation of future technologies. If a different term is widely embraced that covers multiple brands, references will be changed accordingly on this website.