7. Verifying Videos – part 2

Advanced Tools and Techniques to Fact-Check Like a Pro

Robert Bourgoing/20 November 2024

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Advanced video fact-checking tools can save time and reveal crucial details when verifying content. Here’s how to enhance your investigations:

First, save videos locally before they disappear. Use tools like 4K Video Downloader or Snapsave to download streaming videos in high resolution. This ensures you can analyze text, faces, or compression artifacts in detail.

For in-depth analysis, install the InVid browser extension. It offers features like Keyframes extraction, which lets you generate multiple still frames from a video for reverse image searches. This is especially useful for videos composed of multiple sources.

If you encounter shaky amateur footage, create a panoramic view using tools like Hugin or Microsoft Image Composite Editor. These stitch screenshots into a single wide frame, making it easier to identify landscapes or landmarks for geolocation.

To analyze subtle details, play videos frame by frame. On YouTube, the comma key moves back, and the period key advances forward one frame at a time. For example, this method uncovered inconsistencies in a viral video of an eagle “snatching” a child, exposing it as a well-crafted hoax.

With these tools and techniques, you can tackle even the most complex video disinformation cases. Fact-checking doesn’t have to be tedious—it can be an exciting journey of discovery!

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