What are some common pitfalls to avoid when working with file uploads and image manipulation in PHP?

One common pitfall to avoid when working with file uploads and image manipulation in PHP is not validating the uploaded file type properly. This can lead to security vulnerabilities such as allowing malicious files to be uploaded and executed on the server. To avoid this, always check the file type before processing it.

// Validate the file type before processing it
$allowedTypes = ['image/jpeg', 'image/png', 'image/gif'];
if (!in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], $allowedTypes)) {
    die('Invalid file type. Only JPEG, PNG, and GIF files are allowed.');
}