OT But Very Important: Photoshop CS Analyzing Image Content, CannotOpen Scans of Currency

[Brian Pylant]

Much more information, insight, a single post from Adobe, etc. at
Adobe's forums, but this is my original post that started it all.


We received a TIFF image from a customer, of a $20 bill. The image does
*not* violate any laws regarding reproduction of currency (it's not even
close to actual-size, and it's not a "flat" portrayal - it's wavy, as if
it's fluttering in the wind. Nor is it real-color.

However, Photoshop CS refuses to open the image, and provides an error
message regarding the (il)legality of currency reproduction and an
"information" button that takes you to the web. (Photoshop 7, of course,
has no such qualms).

What the hell is this? In my book this is completely unacceptable -
Photoshop is an image editor, not a censor, government policy enforcer
or anything else.

Adobe, you've got some explaining to do.

Brian

[maxman23 webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Something fishy there. How does P-Shop CS know the nature of the scan? That sounds bogus. However, if there was a bit of OCR code written into the app, it might be smart enough to detect such-and-such serial nos. or something else unique to American currency and red-flag it... I guess. But if the image were wavy or bent as you suggest, then how could it 'read' that it's legal tender? What the hey...

In Canada it's illegal to duplicate money, for obvious reasons. As a graphics specialist in TV & film art departments, I often work closely with props masters and set decorators who want me to make some money for an upcoming scene. Legally I can do so only if I make the bills much larger or smaller than the real thing, or radically change the colours, etc. In other words, I can only make fake money provided it looks fake. The law tends to take counterfeiting very seriously, especially in this digital era we're now in. I'm not into running the risk, but some individuals in my situation just look the other way, scan the bills then gang them in FreeHand or Illustrator and run off sheets of them from a large-format ink-jet... the TV & film camera can't tell the difference anyway unless they are really amateurishly designed. That may change as we go more and more to HDTV, which is far less forgiving.

At any rate, if someone wants me to make as exact a copy of legal tender as possible, I invariably tell them that I won't do it - simple as that. If it's a small amount of money a character is supposed to have in their hands or their wallet, I simply recommend that we use real money on set. Sometimes they want scads of bills, however, in which case use of real cash becomes a concern for production insurance. Tricky, isn't it?

This Photoshop CS issue is intriguing, though. I'd like to hear more specifics on the matter.

Max
____________
Max MacDonald
Toronto

[Bobby Henderson]

"Brian Pylant" <nofreakinspam@nofreakinspam.com> wrote in message
news:3FFF3785.2000305@nofreakinspam.com...

> What the hell is this? In my book this is completely unacceptable -
> Photoshop is an image editor, not a censor, government policy enforcer
> or anything else.

IMHO, we're lucky Photoshop was ever legal to use in the first place. Think
about it. If the average dim-witted politician knew what people would be
able to do with this program back when it was being developed the government
probably would have tried to step in and outlaw it. A photograph used to be
able to stand up as evidence in court. These days we have to ask if it was
"Photoshopped." As advanced as other programs like After Effects are
becoming it won't be long before we'll start questioning video evidence.

In recent years Photoshop has been one of the primary tools used in
counterfeit operations. Affordable flatbed scanners are now boasting
optical resolutions up to 3200 X 6400 ppi. With that technological
situation, it is relatively easy for someone to create funny money, all
complete with different serial numbers etc. Sure, the new money has
additional security features to it (watermarks, color changing ink, UV
security strips, etc.). But the older money lacking all those features is
still legal currency and is getting more and more easy to counterfeit.

I'm not sure I agree with Adobe's actions on this, particularly since images
of money are commonly used as graphic design elements in a lot of
illustrations for articles dealing with business or the economy. Also, my
understanding is that it takes producing a two sided bill to actually break
counterfeiting law. But I can understand them taking a stand on it.

[Bill]

[url]http://www.boston.com/dailynews/009/wash/Graphics_company_admits_using_:.shtml[/url]

" WASHINGTON (AP) Adobe Systems Inc. acknowledged Friday it quietly added
technology to the world's best-known graphics software at the request of
government regulators and international bankers to prevent consumers from
making copies of the world's major currencies. The unusual concession has
angered scores of customers... 'We sort of knew this would come out
eventually,'' Adobe spokesman Russell Brady said. 'We can't really talk
about the technology itself.'"

Seems genuine. Makes you wonder what other content, if any, they are
quietly monitoring us for...
--
Bill
FHMX/Win98/Athlon2100+/512M
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 18:21:41 -0500, Brian Pylant
<nofreakinspam@nofreakinspam.com> wrote:

> Much more information, insight, a single post from Adobe, etc. at
> Adobe's forums, but this is my original post that started it all.
>
>
> We received a TIFF image from a customer, of a $20 bill. The image does
> *not* violate any laws regarding reproduction of currency (it's not even
> close to actual-size, and it's not a "flat" portrayal - it's wavy, as if
> it's fluttering in the wind. Nor is it real-color.
>
> However, Photoshop CS refuses to open the image, and provides an error
> message regarding the (il)legality of currency reproduction and an
> "information" button that takes you to the web. (Photoshop 7, of course,
> has no such qualms).
>
> What the hell is this? In my book this is completely unacceptable -
> Photoshop is an image editor, not a censor, government policy enforcer
> or anything else.
>
> Adobe, you've got some explaining to do.
>
> Brian
>

[Rich Hudgins]

[url]http://news.com.com/2100-1012-5138816.html[/url]



Brian Pylant wrote:

> Much more information, insight, a single post from Adobe, etc. at
> Adobe's forums, but this is my original post that started it all.
>
>
> We received a TIFF image from a customer, of a $20 bill. The image does
> *not* violate any laws regarding reproduction of currency (it's not even
> close to actual-size, and it's not a "flat" portrayal - it's wavy, as if
> it's fluttering in the wind. Nor is it real-color.
>
> However, Photoshop CS refuses to open the image, and provides an error
> message regarding the (il)legality of currency reproduction and an
> "information" button that takes you to the web. (Photoshop 7, of course,
> has no such qualms).
>
> What the hell is this? In my book this is completely unacceptable -
> Photoshop is an image editor, not a censor, government policy enforcer
> or anything else.
>
> Adobe, you've got some explaining to do.
>
> Brian
>

[karyew webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

dear all, well just use PH7, cover with a layer, just make it look like the money is not there, and the preview doesn't look like one too, see what happen.