Decoding the Origins of the Backrooms Photo

Summary

The 'Backrooms' is an internet phenomenon that originated from a single image posted on 4chan in 2019, depicting a mysterious, empty room. It has since inspired fan art, video games, and a YouTube series being adapted into an A24 film. Despite its cultural impact, the origin of the image remains unknown, sparking extensive online investigations. Theories range from an old furniture store to an office under renovation, but none have been confirmed. The search continues with the community analyzing the photo for clues and misinformation, focusing on 4chan archives and furniture stores for potential matches.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The 'Backrooms' concept originated from a single image posted on 4chan in 2019 and has since become a significant internet phenomenon.
• 📷 The original 'Backrooms' image has sparked extensive online investigations to determine its origin, with no definitive conclusion to date.
• 🎨 The 'Backrooms' has inspired fan art, video games, and a YouTube series that is being adapted into a movie by A24, demonstrating its cultural impact.
• 🤔 The mysterious nature of the 'Backrooms' image, including its strange setting and unknown origin, has captivated the internet's imagination.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The search for the image's origin has involved examining various leads, such as an office building and a post office, all of which have been debunked.
• 🔍 Advanced techniques like error level analysis (ELA) have been used to determine that the 'Backrooms' image has not been edited or manipulated.
• 📚 The image's metadata and analysis suggest it was likely taken in North America, possibly the USA or Canada, and not computer-generated.
• 🛋️ The most plausible theory suggests that the 'Backrooms' image could be from an old furniture store, given the presence of multiple wallpapers and half walls.
• 📹 Despite a promising lead from a furniture store photo, further investigation confirmed that it was not the source of the original 'Backrooms' image.
• 👥 The community effort to find the origin of the 'Backrooms' image continues, with a focus on exploring furniture stores and 4chan archives.

Q & A

What is the origin of the 'Backrooms' concept?

The 'Backrooms' concept originated from a thread on 4chan in 2019, where the creator posted an image and asked users to post disquieting images that feel off.

How has the 'Backrooms' concept impacted internet culture?

The 'Backrooms' concept has had a massive impact on internet culture, spawning a shared mythology, fan art, special effects, video games, and even inspiring a YouTube series that is being adapted into an A24 movie.

What is the significance of the 'Backrooms' image in the community?

The 'Backrooms' image is significant as it has become the basis for an extensive online mythology and has been the subject of extensive searches to determine its origin, making it a sort of 'Holy Grail' of lost internet media.

What is the 'Backrooms' described as in the original post?

In the original post, the 'Backrooms' is described as a limbo-like space that exists just outside our reality, filled with an endless maze of dull-looking passageways resembling different kinds of liminal spaces such as abandoned schools, office buildings, pool rooms, and airports.

What role did C pixels play in the popularity of the 'Backrooms'?

C pixels, a then 16-year-old amateur filmmaker, played a significant role in the popularity of the 'Backrooms' by releasing a massively popular YouTube horror series about it, which garnered millions of views and exposed the concept to a wider audience.

What is the current status of the search for the original 'Backrooms' image?

The search for the original 'Backrooms' image has been ongoing, with many leads being investigated and debunked over the years. As of the script's information, no definitive origin for the image has been found, and the search continues.

What is the theory about the 'Backrooms' being part of an old furniture store?

The theory suggests that the 'Backrooms' could be part of an old furniture store due to the presence of multiple types of wallpaper in the image, which would be expected in a store showcasing different furniture styles.

What was the outcome of the investigation into the furniture store lead?

The furniture store lead was debunked after a call with a business confirmed that none of their eight locations resembled the 'Backrooms' image, and further inconsistencies were found between the two photos.

What is the role of the virtual carbon Discord server in the 'Backrooms' search?

The virtual carbon Discord server serves as a central place where the 'Backrooms' search effort congregates, allowing people to share information, collaborate, and discuss potential leads.

What are some of the challenges faced by those searching for the origin of the 'Backrooms' image?

Challenges include the abundance of misinformation and false leads, the difficulty in verifying the authenticity of potential leads, and the vast number of potential locations to investigate, such as the 60,000 furniture stores in the US.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Emergence of the Backrooms Phenomenon

The Backrooms is an internet phenomenon that originated from a simple image posted on 4chan in 2019. It has since expanded into a shared mythology with a significant impact on internet culture. The concept has inspired fan art, special effects, video games, and even a YouTube series that is being adapted into a movie by A24. Despite the widespread influence of the Backrooms, the origin of the original image remains a mystery, sparking numerous investigations and discussions across various online platforms.

05:00

🕵️‍♂️ The Quest for the Backrooms' Origin

The search for the Backrooms' origin began with the earliest known upload on 4chan from April 2018. Despite this, the image's vintage appearance suggested it could be older. The community explored various leads, including the possibility of an earlier Unix timestamp dating back to 2012. Investigations led to several false leads, such as the abandoned Certek offices and a misidentified Google Maps image. The search involved scouring the depths of the internet, including 4chan archives and other potential sources, but all leads have been debunked, leaving the origin still unknown.

10:02

🔍 Investigating the Backrooms' Image Authenticity

The investigation into the Backrooms' image authenticity involved using error level analysis (ELA) to determine if the photo had been edited. The analysis showed a high number of jpeg errors, suggesting the image had not been re-encoded many times. Comparisons with other photos and experiments with an old digital camera indicated that the Backrooms' photo likely was an original capture from a camera. This process ruled out the possibility of the image being a computer-generated render or a heavily edited photo, supporting the theory that it is a genuine photograph from a specific location.

15:02

🏠 Theories on the Backrooms' Depicted Space

Various theories have circulated about the space depicted in the Backrooms' photo. Early speculations included it being the back of a Sears store, a basement, or an old conference center. However, these theories were largely dismissed due to inconsistencies with the photo's features. A more plausible theory suggested the space could be an office under renovation, which aligns with some of the photo's elements like the half walls and fluorescent lights. Despite these theories, the exact nature and location of the space remain unidentified.

20:04

🛋️ The Hypothesis of an Old Furniture Store

The most compelling theory for the Backrooms' location is that it was part of an old furniture store. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of various wallpapers, half walls, and wooden bumpers in the photo, which could have been used to protect the wallpapers from furniture. The unusual floor plan and the constant rearrangement of display rooms in furniture stores could explain the lack of wear on the wallpapers. The theory is further supported by the creation of a 3D model of the space using Blender, which helped visualize the room's layout and the purpose of the half walls.

25:05

📛 The Ongoing Search and Misinformation

The search for the Backrooms' origin continues amidst a sea of misinformation and false leads. A recent lead involving a furniture store photo sparked excitement but was ultimately debunked after contacting the store and discovering inconsistencies with the Backrooms' photo. Despite this, the furniture store theory remains a strong possibility. The search effort is now focused on exploring 4chan archives for an earlier upload of the photo. The community is encouraged to join the search and contribute to the ongoing investigation.

Keywords

💡Backrooms

The term 'Backrooms' refers to a fictional and eerie universe that originated from a single image posted on 4chan in 2019. It has since evolved into a widespread internet phenomenon, inspiring fan art, video games, and even a YouTube series that is being adapted into a movie. The concept plays on the uncanny and the fear of getting lost in an endless maze of mundane yet unsettling spaces. The video discusses the cultural impact of the Backrooms and the ongoing search for the origin of the image that started it all.

💡4chan

4chan is an anonymous online imageboard where users can post and discuss various topics. It is known for its influence on internet culture and the spread of viral content. In the context of the video, 4chan is significant as the original platform where the Backrooms image was posted on May 12, 2019, sparking the entire phenomenon. The script mentions the extensive search through 4chan archives to find the earliest instance of the Backrooms image.

💡Internet Mythology

Internet Mythology refers to stories, legends, or urban legends that are born and spread online, often through social media and forums. The Backrooms is an example of such mythology, as it started with a single image and a descriptive post on 4chan and grew into a complex narrative with its own lore and fanbase. The video explores how this mythology has influenced internet culture and the various creative works it has inspired.

💡Uncanny Valley

The Uncanny Valley is a concept in aesthetics that describes the discomfort or eeriness felt when something appears almost human but not quite right. In the video, the Backrooms image is described as hitting the 'sweet spot' between familiar and unknown, placing it firmly in the Uncanny Valley. This concept is key to understanding why the Backrooms image is so unsettling and has resonated with so many people online.

💡Liminal Space

A liminal space is an area that is transitional or occupies a threshold between two different realms or conditions. In the script, the Backrooms are described as a sort of limbo that exists just outside our reality, akin to a modern-day Purgatory. The concept of liminal spaces is central to the Backrooms mythology, as it represents a place that is neither here nor there, adding to the eerie and mysterious nature of the phenomenon.

💡C Pixels

C Pixels is a content creator who gained popularity by releasing a horror series on YouTube about the Backrooms. The series was massively successful, with the first video garnering 57 million views. The mention of C Pixels in the script highlights the impact of the Backrooms on various forms of media and the role of individual creators in expanding and popularizing internet mythologies.

💡A24

A24 is a film production company known for its art house and horror movies. The script mentions that A24 is supposedly making a Backrooms movie with C Pixels, indicating the extent to which the Backrooms phenomenon has penetrated mainstream media. This also raises expectations and speculations about how the movie adaptation will contribute to the ongoing narrative of the Backrooms.

💡Lost Internet Media

Lost Internet Media refers to content that has been posted online but whose origins are unknown or have been lost over time. The search for the original source of the Backrooms image is a central theme in the video, with the script detailing various efforts and leads in trying to uncover the origins of this mysterious content. The concept is integral to the intrigue surrounding the Backrooms and the broader fascination with unexplained internet phenomena.

💡Error Level Analysis (ELA)

Error Level Analysis (ELA) is a technique used to determine whether an image has been edited or not by examining the artifacts from the JPEG compression process. The script discusses using ELA to analyze the Backrooms image, concluding that it likely has not been modified and is an original encode straight from the camera. This analysis is crucial in debunking theories about the image's authenticity and origin.

💡Furniture Store Theory

The Furniture Store Theory posits that the Backrooms image may have been taken in an old furniture store, given the presence of multiple types of wallpaper and half walls that could have contained display rooms. The script explores this theory in depth, using it to explain various features of the image and to guide the search for the photo's origin. Despite a promising lead with a similar furniture store image, the theory remains unconfirmed, reflecting the ongoing and often elusive nature of the search for lost internet media.

Highlights

The 'Backrooms' concept originated from a single image posted on 4chan in 2019, which has since grown into a significant internet phenomenon.

The Backrooms has inspired fan art, special effects, video games, and a YouTube series that is being adapted into an A24 movie.

The original image of the Backrooms has sparked an extensive search for its origin, becoming a 'Holy Grail' of lost internet media.

The Backrooms lore suggests a limbo-like space, akin to an endless maze of mundane passageways just outside our reality.

A16-year-old filmmaker, C Pixels, released a popular YouTube horror series about the Backrooms, gaining over 57 million views.

A24, known for art house horror movies, is reportedly making a Backrooms movie, increasing the phenomenon's visibility.

Investigations into the origin of the Backrooms image have not found any uploads prior to April 2018 on 4chan.

The search for the image's origin has involved debunking various leads, such as the Ctek offices and Collins Cold Storage.

A lead involving the James A. Farley Post Office in New York City was also debunked by the photographer.

Mark Donovan claimed to have taken the photo in 2001, but this was met with skepticism due to inconsistencies.

Error Level Analysis (ELA) was used to determine that the Backrooms photo has not been edited or photoshopped.

The photo's error pattern suggests it was not computer-generated and likely comes from a camera.

The power outlet in the photo indicates the photo was taken in a country using Type A or B outlets, likely the USA or Canada.

The Backrooms photo likely depicts an old furniture store based on the presence of multiple wallpapers and half walls.

A recent lead involving a furniture store photo was debunked after contacting the store and finding inconsistencies.

The search for the Backrooms origin continues with a focus on exploring furniture stores and 4chan archives.

Misinformation and false leads have complicated the search, but the community remains engaged in finding the true origin.

Transcripts

it's hard to overstate just how big the

back rooms have become this simple

concept originally posted on 4chan in

2019 has over the years spiraled into a

fullon share mythology which has had a

massive impact on internet culture it's

single-handedly kicked off the linal

space Trend it has a subred with almost

300,000 members it's been turned into a

highly popular YouTube series that

itself is being adapted into an a24

movie and it's inspired kless video

games the most popular of which has been

sold 2 million times and to think all

this came from a single image all the

fan art imagery special effects and

video game Graphics they all came from

the same tiny arrangement of pixels and

to this day we have no idea where this

picture came

from countless people have tried to

chart down the origin of the back room's

picture is probably the Holy Grail of

lost internet media chances are you've

probably even watched another video in

the past about the this exact topic it

seems like every few months someone

uploads a new video that goes slightly

further into the investigation than the

last I've wanted to make a video about

the back room's image for a while but

until now I couldn't really find a good

way to do it I didn't want to just

update you guys on the general search

effort I wanted to join the

investigation myself but I wasn't going

to make a video if my own investigation

didn't amount to anything and for a long

time it didn't but now I think I might

potentially have some new information

and there also is definitely a

conclusion of this video but conclusions

come at the end and we're still in the

intro so let's go over a bit of

[Music]

History the idea of the backs was first

introduced on a thread in the export on

forchan on May 12th

2019 the creator of the thread posted

the iconic back's image and asked other

users to post disquieting images that

just feel off one user responded to the

Opie's image with the following

description if you're not careful and

you know cpot real in the wrong areas

you'll end up in the backs where it's

nothing but the stink of old moist

carpet The Madness of mono yellow the

endless background noise of fluorescent

lights of Maximum humz and approximately

600 million square miles of randomly

segmented empty rooms to be trapped in

God save you if you hear something

wandering around nearby because it's

sure as hell has hurt you everything

about the back rooms that followed all

came from this one Post in the weird

photo it was describing and it sure was

a strange image it depicts what could

easily be either through a room or a

hallway wrapped in brown carpet and

unusual yellow wallpaper this area is

completely empty there's no furniture or

Decor to speak of there's a wall near

the end that doesn't quite reach the

ceiling and also a step draped in what

appears to be green shag carpet that

could either be the star of a staircase

or a different hallway that just happens

to be slightly elevated it's really hard

to say what this space is supposed to be

and that's why it's so unsettling it

hits that sweet spot between familiar

and unknown in The Uncanny

Valley over the following months a

shared lore based around this post will

be developed on internet platforms like

Reddit forchan and Tumblr the idea is

that this empty yellow space represents

a sort of limbo that exists just outside

our reality and just like how you can

glitch outside a video game map and fall

into an endless void you can also no

clip into the back rooms an endless maze

full of dull looking passageways that

both look like everywhere and nowhere

modern day Purgatory isn't a mountain

sticking out of the ocean like in the

days of Dante it's an empty hallway with

a drop ceiling and just like Mount

Purgatory the back rooms has different

levels but they don't represent sins

like in The Divine Comedy no the

different levels of the back rooms

resembles different kinds of Lial spaces

like abandoned schools Office Buildings

pool rooms airports there are hundreds

of these

levels the back rooms would continue to

gain massive traction over the following

years more and more levels kept being

etched into the lore each one more

ridiculous than the last people began

making fanmade video games as well well

also of varying quality in 2022 C pixels

a then 16-year-old amateur filmmaker

would release a massively popular

YouTube F footage horror series about

the back rooms with the first video

guarding 57 million views exposing the

back rooms to an immense amount of

people chances are you've probably seen

this series before but if you haven't

please go watch it it's really well put

together a24 a movie studio famous for

his art housee horror movies is

supposedly currently making a back rooms

movie with Kane pixel

this sort of online mythology turn

Hollywood movie hasn't always turned out

well just look at the Slender Man movie

but a24 is a good studio and C pixels is

clearly talented so I and everyone else

have high hopes for this movie

adaptation and no matter how good it is

it's going to bring even more attention

to the back rooms while all this was

going on over the last few years a lot

of people behind the scenes are

pondering the same question where did

the back room's image originally come

from people started digging they found

an earlier upload the original photo in

a cursed images on 4chan that was

uploaded on April 22nd 2018 but that was

it nobody could find an earlier upload

on any site people weren't really

satisfied with this 2018 date for the

original image and for good reason it

doesn't really look like a picture taken

in 2018 in fact it really resembles the

sort of images early digital cameras

would take and more importantly than

that people had a hard time believing a

space like this could even exist in 2018

it looks like a room ripped right from

the 1960s or maybe even the

1950s as the back rooms gain popularity

so did the search for the origin of the

image some thought that maybe the

original file name which was a lawn

number might actually be a Unix

timestamp which is a way for computers

to store dates in the form of a number

when resolve this timestamp would return

July 15th 2012 which just so happened to

be a time when forchan would actually

rename user uploaded images to Unix

timestamps this led many people to

believe that the 2018 upload might have

been a repost from July 15 2012 so they

began digging through forant archives to

find posts from this date but after a

large search through multiple archives

nothing rela into the back room's image

came up the search wasn't only limited

to forchan though people are out

scouring the depths of the entire

internet searching for any possible

leads and many were found over the years

one of the first being the certek

offices ctek was a '90s video game

developer located in Upstate New York

that closed down in 2003 with their

office building supposedly laying their

unused ever since in early 2020 a rumor

started going around that the ctek

office is where the back rooms photo was

taken with a video on the topic getting

260,000 views some people actually went

and explored the abandoned office in May

2020 but they didn't find anything and

just a couple days later some former

employees of the company came forward to

say once and for all that this was in

fact a false lead about a year later in

April 2021 a user on the back room subed

would notice a picture of the back rooms

from a slightly different angle than the

original image in the Google Maps photos

of a place in Georgia called Collins

Cold Storage this would lead to a flurry

of calls to the company asking about the

back rooms which got so bad at one point

that the company actually threatened

legal action if you haven't already

guessed the photo upload to Google was a

fan-made 3D render some people caught

this right away but other users

explained it away by posting links to

business aggregate sites that also had

the photo but I guess they didn't notice

that all the pictures on these sites

come from Google and Yelp

a few months later in December 2021 a

new major lead would be discovered a

user posted a vague photo in the back

room subredit saying they might have

found the location in the original

picture but only provideed the context

that it was from a video of someone

exploring an abandoned post office not

much would happen until more than a year

later when in May 2023 another user in

the back room separ it posted the same

pictures but with more context this time

these images are from a Blog called

scouting New York and they're part of a

series of photos exploring the abandoned

James a Farley Post Office in New York

City honestly the only similarity

between the space to pit in these

pictures in the backrooms is that

they're both yellow and according to the

official B's lost media document this

theory has also apparently been debunked

by the photographer who originally took

the post office photos the James a

Farley Post Office and colins Cold

Storage were the two biggest potential

leads but there have also been a

multitude of smaller debunked leads over

the years as well in my opinion all of

the leads that have been found so far

haven't been very good most of these

photos don't share any resemblance to

the back rooms past being empty and

sometimes yellow spaces and even after

these leads get debunked it seems like

they still get shared around by people

which brings up a big problem with his

particular lost media search the sheer

amount of misinformation surrounding it

in November 2022 a man named Mark

Donovan will post on the back room subr

claiming to have taken the infamous

photo in 2001 on a Sony camcorder but

has since handed the camera and SD card

down to a

son Not only was no proof or followup

for this given but the power outlet in

the back room's photo is an American

plug and Marcus from the UK there's also

a YouTuber named cpic who's uploaded

several videos with false leads and

probably worst of all there's this one

video by Brazilian YouTuber named Pedro

kulz telling a madeup story about being

secretly given an earlier version of the

back room's image by some mysterious guy

and then displaying falsified data about

the photo even though no proof or

further explanation was given users on

both the backro subreddit and the lost

media Wiki spread around this false

information and it still persists to

this day unfortunately this is more or

less where the search currently stands

every lead so far has been debunked and

a good lead still has yet to pop up the

only useful thing that has been found so

far is a slightly earlier for champ post

from another curs images thread

containing the image from April 8th 2018

a full two weeks before what we thought

was the oldest post but even this find

doesn't contain any new information we

don't already know so with all that

being said now that we're up to speed

let's jump into the search ourselves the

first thing I did to look for the back

room's image is probably the first thing

everyone to participate in the search

did I loaded up Google to run an image

back search on the back room's photo

which will show you visually similar

images doing this bombarded me with a

ton of 3D renders and back rooms edits

which made the search feel a little

daunting but after a finding my search

parameters and then trying a few

different search engines I was able to

find a ton of uncannily similar photos

but after looking at all of these

nothing quite matched the background's

image the closest match I found was this

Japanese art gallery but there's no

wallpaper and the lights on the ceiling

don't match I spent quite a bit of time

doing reverse image searches and while

it was fun I didn't really have a whole

lot to show for it so at this point I

tried a new tactic I started looking up

stuff on YouTube a neat trick if you

want to search for old content on

YouTube is to put it before search

parameter and YouTube will only show you

results uploaded before a certain date I

tried a few different search queries and

time ranges but it didn't result in any

good leads I stopped doing this not

because I wasn't finding anything but

because I took a closer look at the

original photo and I realized that if it

were a screenshot from an old YouTube

video it would be way more compressed

than it currently is I'm confident that

this is an actual photo and not just

some screen grab from a video I was

inspired by using search parameters on

YouTube so I decided to try some on

Google I tried narrowing down the

results by the dimensions of the photo

and I was also able to add a color

parameter as well well so the search

would only show me yellow results doing

this brought up the back rooms photo

basically right away there were a few

leads here like this house in Ohio with

pretty unusual looking rooms but again

nothing quite matched the back room's

photo I tried a bunch of different

search queries like basement renovation

store renovation Furniture Store empty

office office renovation and I actually

ended up scrolling to the end of the

search results multiple times it seemed

like no matter what I did nothing

brought me closer to finding anything

related to this photo my last hail

memory was to look through old 4chan

archives that are available to download

but aren't live on the internet this

also didn't yield any results and

according to the official lost media

Google doc many online and offline

archives have been fully searched and

any Manpower that I can contribute here

probably isn't a much use after 2 months

of searching I came to a conclusion any

possible origin for the back rooms

picture or any pictures of the same

space don't exist on the surface web if

they ever did in the first place I'm

pretty confident at this point that just

doing internet searches is a dead end

with all that being said though let's

switch gears a bit just because we can't

find an earlier upload than 2018 doesn't

mean we can't learn something new about

this picture a lot of people have

theorized over the years what this space

could be but there's never been a

consensus today though that's going to

change we're going to figure out what

the backs photo is most likely depicting

and being able to label what the space

is might help narrow down the search

effort in the future I think the first

thing to tackle here is to make sure

this photo hasn't been edited in some

way I took a bit of time to learn about

photo for n6 unfortunately the really

good tools for this are only available

to law enforcement services and some

private companies but luckily there are

still plenty of free tools out there

that still work pretty well the

technique we're going to use to analyze

this photo is called error level

analysis or Ela for short jpegs are a

lossy compressed image format and

because of this artifacts from the

compression process will remain after an

image gets encoded for the first time

but each subsequent time that picture is

encoded the amount of total errors will

be reduced so if you download a photo

from Twitter and send it to someone over

signal you're re-encoding the image and

decreasing the amount of Errors when

analyzing an image with Ela errors and

high contrast edges will show up as

bright spots and spots without errors

will show as black so an image that's

been encoded many times will appear to

be mostly black during error level

analysis however if you were to

photoshop that photo and add something

to it whatever new stuff you add will

have been through the encoding process

less than the rest of the photo and when

looking at it in airor level analysis

these Photoshop adjustments will show up

as bright spots if we analyze a photo

that hasn't been modified you can see

that the bright spots and the black

spots more or less just follow the

patterns and edges that exist in the

photo there aren't any surprises so with

all that being said let's analyze the

back room's image we're using the April

8th version from 4chan which is the

earliest known upload loading it up it

doesn't actually look as compressed as I

might have thought it would be there

aren't really many pitch black areas I'm

noticing a few concerning things like

look at this bottom light here you would

expect the edge of the light to show up

as bright since it's a high contrast

Edge but it looks like a large space

below the light is also bright looking

at this spot closely I noticed something

kind of weird it seems like the wall

actually dips down around this cluster

of errors in a pretty unnatural way I

have a hard time believing this wall

actually looks like this in real life

look I don't want to make you guys think

the back room's picture was photoshopped

or anything in my opinion I would chock

this up to an issue with the camera that

took the photo what be the purpose of

going through the effort to make such a

small edit anyways and besides we're

going to get to something in a minute

that's going to pretty much rule out the

idea of Photoshop here one thing I

noticed is that there are really a lot

of jpeg errors in this photo which leads

me to believe that it hasn't been

encoded many times if we compare it to a

later upload of the backs photo you can

see just how much darker it is which

means that there are far fewer AEG

errors I actually had a hard time

finding an image on the internet that

had this sort of error pattern in fact I

even tried resizing a photo that came

straight out of an old digital camera

that I had laying around and even that

was way darker than the back rooms photo

if just a process of resizing a photo

was enough to show a completely

different error pattern does that mean

that the April 8th version of the back

rooms photo is an original copy straight

out of the camera all right we're going

to do a little experiment so I've got

this pretty old digital camera here you

might recognize it from my linal Space

video it's a 3.2 megapixel camera but it

also has the ability to take pictures in

the same resolution as a back rooms

photo 0.3 megapixels so I went to a sort

of darkish area in my house and I took a

few pictures the first picture I took is

in the same resolution as the back room

0.3 megapixels and the air level

analysis of that photo looks something

like this and as you can see the errors

here look very much like the errors of

the back rooms picture there's not many

black spots it's mostly just darkish

purple there's a lot of very small

errors it's very detailed the second

picture I took in the native resolution

of the camera 3.2 megapixels but after I

put it on my computer I resized it down

to match the resolution of the other

photo 0.3 megapixels so the two photos

are of the same scene the only

difference is that one of them was

resized so one picture is an original

encode the other picture has been coded

one time after being taken by the camera

and as you can see the errors here are

completely different this error level

analysis is much darker there's much

less fine grain errors the errors here

are much bigger and you know what that

means the April 8th version of The Backs

photo is an original incode it hasn't

been modified in any way which means

that if it was uploaded anywhere before

the 2018 date it would have only been on

a site that doesn't modify or compress

photos like 4chan let's look at it like

this both of these photos came from the

same camera the darker one was merely

resized to match the backs a 0.3 megap

resolution whereas a purplish one was

originally taken in 0.3 megapixels if

merely resizing a photo without

compressing it was enough to change the

aor pattern so drastically then any sort

of encoding or compression added by a

website would likely change it even more

to really make sure I was right about

this I even tried merely encoding the

image without actually adding any

compression or Chang changing anything

visually and there are still way less

errors here than both the original photo

and the back rooms photo combining this

information with the unix's timestamp we

can deduce that this photo most likely

only ever lived on 4chan before 2018

it's not a real estate MLS photo or a

picture from some kind of home

renovation site or an urban exploration

blog it was a photo taken by a forchan

user there's one more thing we can tell

by doing error level analysis and that

is that this photo was not computer

generated

when analyzing a rendered photo for

errors you'll find what's called rainbow

errors which are much simpler and bigger

bright spots in the back rooms photo

though there's nothing like that this is

a real

space okay so what else can we tell by

looking at the photo well we already

talked about the type B Outlet the

general consensus I see in the Lost

media Community is that this Narrows

down the location to countries I use

type A or B Outlets but we can easily

narrow down this list even further a lot

of people bring up Japan as a possible

location but in reality almost all

outlets in Japan are type A type B plugs

with the grounding pin are incredibly

uncommon so that just Leaves North

America and some of South America but in

Latin American countries wal toall

carpets are very rare this means that

the back room's picture most likely

comes from one of two countries the USA

or

Canada another thing I and many others

have noticed about the photo is the

color temperature the white balance is

really off here and this room most

likely doesn't look this yellow in real

life if we adjust the Hue and the white

balance to be more neutral the photo

comes out looking like this this looks a

lot more like a real place now but just

what kind of place could this possibly

be the first Seri passed around online

as to what the back room's photo might

be depicting is that it's the back room

of a Sears hence the name this isn't a

bad Theory but every picture I could

find of a back or meta Sears or any

other department store for that matter

don't have wallpaper on the walls no

matter which era the photo was from and

SE stores all seem to have very high

ceilings judging by these pictures which

contrast with the low drop ceiling of

the back room's photo some people have

theorized that this photo could be

depicting the basement of either a house

or a church but personally I don't think

so if you look closely by the right hand

wall you can just make out two other

walls poking off from behind it which

would give the room a layout sort of

like this and I've never seen anything

like this in any house or a church

before this strange floor plan would

also remove an old Conference Center

from the list of possibilities because

they all seem to have large open rooms

without permanent interior walls the

most plausible but still likely wrong

theory of read online is that this space

could be an office under renovation this

seems to be the most popular theory of

right about the back rooms online and I

think a lot of the search effort seems

to either focus on browsing 4chan

archives or looking up old office real

estate listings it's not a wild Theory

these walls could be cubicles that

ceiling with the fluorescent lights

looks like something you would seen in

office and some people say that the long

wooden pieces on the walls could be

chair bumpers but I still don't think

this theory is correct for a couple

reasons for one thing those bumpers are

way too low for any office chair that

I've ever seen and I haven't been able

to find a single picture of an office

with permanent dividing half walls the

modern office cubicle was invented in

1967 and they've always been movable

dividers that aren't permanently fixed

in place and before office cubicles most

offices typically had open floor plans

without divider

and there's also only one power outlet

that we can see in this entire room even

an old office would have had power

outlets every few meters for lamps or

typewriters and probably the most

damning of all is the wallpaper I don't

know about you guys but I've never seen

any office have wallpaper I searched for

pictures of office baces in every decade

for the last 100 years and not a single

one of them had wallpaper at all

nonetheless five different kinds which

is also kind of weird isn't it why would

someone go with the trouble putting up

so many different kinds of wallpaper in

the same room well that's actually going

to lead us to the most likely solution

but before we get there I decided to

learn how to use blender so I could

recreate this space in a 3D environment

huge thank you to inward 3D on YouTube

for his great back rooms blender

tutorial I was able to replicate almost

all the image without having to do much

guess work except for the space on the

green step and this is what it looks

like most of the reason I did this was

so I could see those walls on this

previously unseen side of the room what

could possibly be the reason for these

funny little spaces well the reason is

because the back rooms was most likely

part of an old furniture store what

other kind of place would have five

different kinds of wallpaper in one room

except for a furniture or Home Decor

store the spaces between the half walls

probably would have contained different

pieces of furniture and the bumpers on

those walls were likely there to protect

the wallpaper from the backs of couches

and

armchairs most furniture stores tend to

have these little half walls for the

purpose of containing display rooms and

the walls are either painted different

colors or more commonly in older

furniture stores they're Dawning

different

wallpapers it's also worth mentioning

that there's no discolored or marked up

areas in the walls which means nothing

must have hung on or covered them for

very long which is unusual considering

these wallpapers look like they're from

the' 60s or even the 50s but in the

context of a furniture store display

rooms would be getting constantly moved

around as old furniture gets sold and

new furniture gets stocked so this might

actually make sense and that little

green step it's possible that it could

be part of some big rais display room

which aren't uncommon in furniture

stores I really think the backs are part

of a furniture store I can't think of a

better explanation I thought maybe it

could be part of some art gallery like

that Japanese lookalike photo we talked

about but I couldn't find a single art

gallery that had wallpaper on the walls

and also how would we explain the wooden

bumpers in that case no a furniture

store is the the only explanation that

makes sense in the original draft of the

script this was going to be where the

conclusion was but as I was writing it

something kind of interesting happened

while I was getting ready to film this

video a user in the back room subit

would post what is probably the best

lead to date it's a photo that looks

really similar to The Back rooms the

general layout appears to be the same

with the doors back walls lights and

left corner all being in similar spots

and what do you know it's a furniture

store this was an exciting lead and many

people thought that the back room's

location had finally been found the Reit

post led me to the virtual carbon

Discord server which is the place where

the back room search effort mainly

congregates as well as the C pixels

Discord server where the photo was

originally posted only a few people had

the actual address to the store in the

photo and they weren't sharing with

others to avoid Another cullins Cold

Storage situation but I was able to

figure out the location through a bit of

online detective work I began doing some

research on the store where this photo

was taken and that's when my excitement

died down a bit the store first opened

up in 1999 and they obviously didn't put

up the ' 60s wallpaper that you SE in

the back rooms photo but the

semi-permanent half walls in the new

picture were obviously set up by a

furniture store they wouldn't serve any

other

purpose so the only way that this could

be the back room's photo would be if

this store just so happened to open up

in the same building where a different

furniture store used to exist while

keeping just some of the display walls

and not others obviously this is POS

ible but I couldn't find anything online

about a different furniture store ever

existing in this building there were

also numerous inconsistencies between

the two photos discovered by others

everything seemed similar at first

glance but when you would look closer

you would see that pretty much nothing

was really in the same spot at all

between the two photos while I and the

other Searchers were discussing all of

this in the virtual carbon server a back

rooms YouTuber named brle uploaded a

video telling the world that they found

it obviously referring to the back

room's location in this video brookley

shows his audience the Reddit post with

the furniture store picture and then

speculates for 10 minutes about which

store the photo could be showing even

though in his video he scroll past a

comment by the guy who took the photo

saying that he doesn't want the location

to be public now if brookley really

wanted to know the location for himself

he could have just asked a photographer

on Reddit but instead in his video he

showed off a store called Sam's carpet

Furniture as a potential location for

this new lead which is not the right

place at all it's a completely different

store while Brook ley's video was

exposing this new lead to hundreds of

thousands of people me and the rest of

the search team were working to verify

if the lead was valid or not we sent a

couple emails that went unanswered so we

instead decide to organize a call with a

business which would hopefully give us

an answer once and for all I ended up

being the one doing the talking on

behalf of everyone else and this is how

it went okay yeah now um unfortunately

this doesn't resemble any one of our

stores at all any of our eight locations

none of them look any similar to this

all right yeah that's fine that's all I

need thank you very much thank you uhhuh

byebye bye this was a pretty confident

and definitive no there wasn't any

contemplation or consideration it was no

none of her stores look like this at all

not now or ever after this we updated

the Lost media document with the new

information and I did my best to spread

the word on Reddit that the furniture

store lead was a dead end but my efforts

didn't accomplish very much brookley

video continued to Rak in views and

people began investigating Sam's carpet

Furniture which I will remind you is not

even the store in the picture one Reddit

user even visited the store saying they

couldn't find where the photo was taken

I wonder why while this video has a

conclusion it doesn't have a definitive

one I do personally think the back rooms

are part of a furniture store and I have

quite a few reasons to back that up but

it's still not a definitive answer

because we still don't know where this

photo came from it certainly didn't come

from this store nonetheless Sam's carpet

Furniture currently the search effort

remains Rife with misinformation and

false leads but some people are still

doing their best to find out where this

picture came from the overall effort at

the moment is focused on searching

through unexplored 4chan archives to

find an earlier upload of the photo and

while this furniture store lead may have

been debunked I hope it puts a larger

focus on looking into furniture stores

in general there are currently 60,000

such establishments right now in the US

and I can't look all of them up on my

own but what do you guys think do you

agree with my deductions am I totally

off base if you want to contribute to

the back room search yourself I

recommend joining virtual carbon's

Discord server and talking to the people

there all right guys that's it for today

thanks for watching

[Music]