It is highly likely the brightness of the image is from digital manipulation. If it was a photograph, I would say it was "over exposed". This is easily done with Photoshop or the settings on the scanner. It is a good way to hide imperfections like creases. I personally never purchase any notes on Ebay that are over exposed; for me it's a red flag. I am NOT insinuating that the note you are looking at is anything other than what the seller claims.