Adding virtual furniture, replacing the sky, greening the lawn, removing a power line, changing wall colors or swapping the view out a window all count. Brightening a dark photo or straightening a tilted frame usually doesn't.
The distinction now has legal weight. California's AB 723, effective January 1, 2026, requires real estate licensees who use digitally altered images in advertising to say so and to give consumers access to the original photo. The edits that trigger disclosure include changes to furnishings, flooring, wall finishes, landscaping, exteriors, views and neighboring structures.
Adjustments to lighting, exposure, sharpness or cropping that don't change how the property is represented are generally excluded. Wisconsin's Act 69, effective January 1, 2027, requires disclosure when technology, including AI, creates a false or misleading impression of a property.
A simple test before you publish: would a buyer standing in the room see something different from the photo? If yes, the image is altered. It needs a label, and sometimes the original shown next to it.
Edits that are usually acceptable with disclosure
- Virtual staging of empty rooms.
- Twilight or sky enhancements.
- Removing temporary items such as cars, trash bins or personal belongings.
Edits to avoid entirely
- Hiding damage, stains or cracks.
- Removing permanent features such as utility poles, neighboring buildings or a busy road.
- Making rooms look larger than they are.
Keep every original file. If a buyer, an MLS or a regulator asks, you want to be able to show exactly what changed.