It seems like a difference between focusing the definition on the technical aspect and the versatility of the technique, including its use for both preserving and distorting certain parts of an image, and the meme culture use of the term that focuses on end results when the technique when pushed to extremes.
At the same time, I see that my definition was more technical using terms like “subject-centric warping”, which might not be very accessible for everyone who needs to use this term. And the alternative is both more humorous and accessible.
But, I do prefer my more broad approach to the definition, including both automated and manual distortions, and for cases where the technique is used to preserve or accentuate aspects of an image for aesthetic or artistic purposes, instead of focusing on memetic uses.
So while the alternatives are more concise, it doesn’t capture the full range of uses for this tag. And while mine is more detailed it is potentially more obtuse and ignores the memetic focus for most of the images on the site that use this tag.
So … I’ve replaced the definition with what I hope will be a compromise:
Short description:
Scaling portions of an image while preserving or distorting other areas.
Detailed description:
Content-aware scaling is a technique used both in memes and for aesthetic purposes to selectively adjust portions of an image. It identifies and protects key areas, allowing other areas to be scaled more aggressively. This can preserve the aspect ratios of important subjects while altering the background or non-subject elements. Conversely, it can intentionally distort specific areas, creating exaggerated and uncanny effects. Known also as content-aware distortion, selective distortion, and subject-centric warping, this method is versatile in both professional editing and humorous applications.
Please let me know if you have any additional suggestions or corrections.
