Which Image is Real? The Lotus Flower

Below are 4 images.

Only one is real. I know this because I took it myself.

My photo is of a lotus flower in full bloom in a reflecting pond at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

The other 3 images are AI-generated. I created them using Ideogram.ai and ChatGPTChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI, designed to understand and generate human... More.

Which one do you think is the real image? See the answer below!

The real image of the bridge is:

Image #2

Some clues that give away the AI images:

🌼 1. Petal Texture and Imperfection

#2 (REAL): The petals are slightly uneven in shape and show real-world variation — some curve inward, others flare, and a few have natural folds or edge frays. There’s even a little translucent veining.
AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is basically when computers get smart—really smart. Imagine if your c... More:
- #1, #3, and #4 all have overly smooth, overly symmetrical petals — particularly #3, which looks like a rendering.
- #4’s petals seem too thick and waxy, with a “piled” look that feels artificial.

🍃 2. Leaf Texture and Water Behavior

#2: The lily pads have natural blotches, tears, and water pooling in realistic shapes. The color variation is subtle — yellow edges, green veins, and slight blemishes.
AI:
- #1 and #4 have uniformly smooth, perfect pads — almost too green and glossy.
- #3 has pads that lack vein structure and look like flat green discs.

💧 3. Reflection + Lighting

#2: The water reflection of the flower is soft, slightly warped, and shows realistic color bleed. The lighting is dynamic — brighter on the top petals, shadowed near the base.
AI:
- #3 and #4 have mirror-perfect reflections — common AI tell.
- #1’s water reflections feel shallow and too “painterly.”

📸 4. Contextual Clutter

#2: You can see some plant debris, a submerged twig, and patchy leaves — all things that naturally occur in ponds but are rarely included by AI (unless prompted).
AI:
- #1, #3, and #4 all have a “cleaned-up” look with too-perfect environments.