Prime Minister Scott Morrison has poked fun at himself while denying any knowledge of a dodgy Photoshop job which saw his weathered tennis shoes replaced with clean, white ones in an official photo.

Key points: The PM said he would prefer if his lack of hair had been Photoshopped instead of his shoes

The PM said he would prefer if his lack of hair had been Photoshopped instead of his shoes A spokesperson said Mr Morrison prefers his own shoes to the replacements

A spokesperson said Mr Morrison prefers his own shoes to the replacements The website is now showing the real sneakers

The banner for the Prime Minister's official website features a photo of Mr Morrison and his family, but Twitter user Luke Martin noticed on Tuesday that the PM's white shoes were clearly a pasted-in addition.

Further investigating by the Twitterverse revealed an original version of the picture, showing Mr Morrison wearing a pair of well-loved K-Swiss sneakers instead of the Photoshopped crispy white Common Projects in the doctored version.

It was also pointed out by another user, Andre Serna, that the shoe on Mr Morrison's right foot was actually a left shoe.

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After the revelatory tweets went viral, the Prime Minister sent out a tweet of his own saying he did not request the photo doctoring, and expressing pride in his off-duty sneakers.

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A spokesperson for the PM said the Photoshopped image had been replaced by the original version on the website.

"The photo was doctored by the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet without the knowledge of, or authorisation by, the PM or the PM's office," the spokesperson said.

"The PM much prefers his own shoes."

K-Swiss is a Californian tennis shoe brand which says its products, "took inspiration from leather ski boots to create a court shoe that supported the aggressive side-to-side movement of tennis".

Its website says it aims to "outfit and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs".

"These young leaders are at the forefront of today's culture, influencing and inspiring young people around the world."

Mr Morrison has found himself in the spotlight before over his online activity while in the top job.

In September he was forced to remove a video, tweeted from his personal profile, dubbing some of his antics to a song by US R&B star Fatman Scoop, after criticism the lyrics were inappropriate.

He was also criticised for a tweet of a video suggesting drought was "a necessary evil".