## 3 Materials and Methods
### Meat Product Photography  
For comparative analysis, we photographed each of the meat products generated in the preliminary study. These photographs were taken in a controlled indoor environment, using a white surface and background to minimize distracting visual elements and to direct the viewer's focus exclusively to the primary subject--the meat product. Illumination was provided by two lights positioned on either side of the subject, resulting in an even distribution of light and reduced shadows. Lighting conditions were adjusted for each shot to approximate the appearance of the AI-generated images. A Nikon Z50 mirrorless camera equipped with a 16-50 mm lens was used to capture all photographs. Each meat product or dish was presented on a plain white plate, without additional decorative garnishes that could divert attention. This method prioritized clear composition and allowed for easy comparison with the AI-generated images. Additionally, the subjects were always centered in the frame, and the camera angle was kept consistent to align with the perspective of the generated images.  
While we aimed to make the AI-generated image and photograph as comparable as possible, it is important to acknowledge a key limitation: each meat product was represented by only a single photographic execution. This does not fully capture the variability found in professional food photography, where different lighting styles, angles, and artistic choices can influence perception. Including multiple photographic interpretations per item would provide a more robust basis for comparison but was beyond the scope of this study. The primary goal was not to evaluate specific items like mortadella or beef tartare in isolation, but rather to examine the general viability of GenAI tools for representing meat products as a category. Therefore, our findings are based on the average performance across all products, and the overall appeal and accuracy trends are more meaningful than item-level conclusions. This broader perspective allows for a more realistic assessment of GenAI's practical utility in the food industry, where batch production of promotional content is common, and individual visual perfection is not always feasible.  
Photographs were captured in RAW format and processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic (version 14.3.1). All image editing was performed in the sRGB color space with the explicit aim of bringing the photographs' appearance closer to that of the AI-generated images, thereby ensuring equivalence of conditions for the subsequent survey comparison. Key objectives of minimal post-processing included standardizing the background, enhancing the whiteness surrounding the primary subject, and applying slight corrections to contrastand color saturation, particularly for the meat products themselves. We made these adjustments because we shot in RAW format to ensure high-quality photographs. These changes were necessary to prevent the actual photos from looking \"flat\" compared to the generated images. Our goal was to make sure they could stand out equally in terms of aesthetic appeal during the survey.  
It is essential to emphasize that the survey's purpose was not to distinguish between authentic and AI-generated images, but instead to evaluate their aesthetic appeal and professional suitability. For this reason, we sought to equalize conditions through minimal post-processing while preserving the authenticity of the photographs. Editing interventions were therefore limited to essential adjustments, such as white balance calibration, tonal contrast leveling, and targeted exposure corrections in specific image regions. To illustrate the effect of minimal post-processing, we present an example in Figure 3: the unedited original photograph is shown on the left (Figure 3a), and the final version after digital optimization appears on the right (Figure 3b). This example demonstrates how modest adjustments can enhance clarity, cleanliness, and visual appeal without compromising the realistic representation of the meat product.