Beating AI Using Public Domain Photos

I've recently rediscovered something I had done a long time ago: modifying pictures from weather and traffic cameras. Note: I am cautious about the cameras that I choose to use. They have to be cameras that are putting their photographs online, and specifically be in the public domain. Obviously, not all weather camera images are in the public domain. Privately owned cameras, especially the ones use for television broadcasts, are like nonpublic-domain. (Although, I have a doubt that any of them would really care about this as to them these photographs are ephemera with a rather limited usage.) I go for the ones that I know are from government agencies, especially those owned by NOAA, precisely because the government does not own these images. They are, by definition in the public domain. One of the easiest things to do with these photos is to use a gradient mask over them to come up with different effects. For example, here's an alternative version of the above photo: It's obvious…