Thats why i stopped buying online, always see in person before purchasing.
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I think it depends from whom you buy from. Each online vendor is different but if it looks fake then it probably is. Hobbyists who run online sales run the gambit on accurate colors.
I take pictures of my coral all the time because I enjoy it so much. Some pictures are spot on and some I can't get right no matter how hard I try. I wish I could get it right every time.
But heck, every store, vendor , hobbyist has a different lighting scheme. Whenever I make it to a RAP or coral show, I need sunglasses to get away from the blue glow. But if you want coral that glow, turn up your blues.
I started out in reefkeeping with bulbs that were power compacts. Moved to metal halides and then metal halides with t5's. A few years ago added XHO's for dawn dusk pop. I now have seen some very cool G4 radions that seem to cause corals to fluoresce without turning the water and room all blue. If the lighting keeps getting better, who knows what fluorescence and colors will come out.
The LE (limited editions) were all about getting a coral that would look like the photograph. Photoshop and lighting schemes have impacted what you may or may not get in the coral photo. Checking out photos is still fun. Is it real still remains a mystery. I have seen my LFS get incredible pop from one of their well lit, latest leds display tank and I don't expect those corals to pop colorfully in my tank because of the different lighting schemes. Maybe I need to update my lighting.