Your opinion wanted on web article about image manipulation

Meister · Oct 14, 2014

I read this article:

http://contrariansview.org/Site/About_Me_files/Obama_LFBC_Report_final_draft.pdf

So a call to all graphic experts: What do you think about that article?
Is that womans analysis nonsense or is it correct?
Please mind you that I am soley interested in the technical part of it.
Ignore any non technical comments in that article please.
Please make no political comments. They would be off topic.

Here is the original:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf

Also: Do you know a graphics experts forum that is more active than this one?

rantingrich · Nov 3, 2014

Layers!!!!!!

When this document came out on the Whitehouses very own website a fellow Designer told me I had to go down load it and look it over.

It is in PDF format so I loaded it in Illustrator and wouldn't you know it. IT WAS and to this day is IN LAYERS.

Not even a half way good forgery.

The people who manufactured this lie either are too incompetent to do it right or don't care. I think they want you all to know its a fraud, cause they can get away with it. and want you all to know they can get away with it..

heehee · Nov 3, 2014

rantingrich said:
When this document came out on the Whitehouses very own website a fellow Designer told me I had to go down load it and look it over.

It is in PDF format so I loaded it in Illustrator and wouldn't you know it. IT WAS and to this day is IN LAYERS.

Not even a half way good forgery.

The people who manufactured this lie either are too incompetent to do it right or don't care. I think they want you all to know its a fraud, cause they can get away with it. and want you all to know they can get away with it..

It's from a OCR software.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/birthcertificate.asp

rantingrich · Nov 3, 2014

Then

1) Then why is there no OCR data in the document?

2) Why would anyone want to OCR a document like this?

3) Snopes are ringers always have been always will be!

• The OCR software compares each character on the page to an internal database, matches them when possible, and separates everything that it can match into another layer for potential editing.
• Optimization software tries to ensure that the images are as clear as possible.
• Most scanners are set to scan either with or without OCR as a default for each scanning job.
President Obama’s birth certificate was created on a Mac, in Quartz PDFContext, and clearly has a number of layers. It is impossible, however, to determine whether the layers are solely the result of OCR software during the scanning process coupled with optimization after the fact, or if additional layers were created at some later point.

Why was it OCRed except to manipulate the document

rantingrich · Nov 3, 2014

Duck duck

if it walks like a duck. if it sounds like a duck flys like a duck it must be OCR software

citizenzen · Nov 4, 2014

The greatest waste of time in my life would be reading that report.

Added: It would be (relatively) easy and more scientifically sound to export Obama's birth certificate as a PDF and also—using the same settings—export 100 PDF birth certificates from randomly chosen people born roughly at the same time as Obama in the same hospital.

Examine those 101 birth certificate PDFs.

If Obama's is different than the others, then you may have a case.

Call me when someone does that.

Meister · Nov 4, 2014

citizenzen said:
The greatest waste of time in my life would be reading that report.

I understand that you don't want to waste your time on this.

It would be nice if you could take a look at it anyway and tell me what you think about it. (Provided you are an expert in graphics design) I have my share of Ps work done similar to the one mentioned in this article, but I do not consider myself a specialist. What this woman is claiming does sound conclusive to me, but it might be total horsesh*t. I would really like to hear a second opinion, also on rantingrichs post.

citizenzen · Nov 4, 2014

Meister said:
I understand that you don't want to waste your time on this.

It would be nice if you could take a look at it anyway and tell me what you think about it. (Provided you are an expert in graphics design) I have my share of Ps work done similar to the one mentioned in this article, but I do not consider myself a specialist. What this woman is claiming does sound conclusive to me, but it might be total horsesh*t. I would really like to hear a second opinion, also on rantingrichs post.

I have over 20 years experience as a graphic designer, working with Photoshop. But I don't claim to be an expert.

I'm not going to waste my time reading her analysis because it's fault lies in how it's conducted. There is no control. She can point all day long at this spot or that spot and imply that it means something mysterious or sinister.

If she really wants to prove anything, then export a number of birth certificates made out at the same relative time from the same hospital. Then if she can point to spots on Obama's BC that are different from the other BCs, then she has a case for manipulation.

But without something to compare Obama's BC to, all she has is speculative and (IMO) dubious evidence ... evidence not worth my time to look into.

Sound science is sound science. I'd suggest she start with that.

Meister · Nov 4, 2014

citizenzen said:
I have over 20 years experience as a graphic designer, working with Photoshop. But I don't claim to be an expert.

You are being overly humble. In my book (and most peoples opinion) this makes you an expert.

----------

citizenzen said:
I'm not going to waste my time reading her analysis because it's fault lies in how it's conducted. There is no control. She can point all day long at this spot or that spot and imply that it means something mysterious or sinister.

If she really wants to prove anything, then export a number of birth certificates made out at the same relative time from the same hospital. Then if she can point to spots on Obama's BC that are different from the other BCs, then she has a case for manipulation.

But without something to compare Obama's BC to, all she has is speculative and (IMO) dubious evidence ... evidence not worth my time to look into.

Sound science is sound science. I'd suggest she start with that.

Thanks for your opinion.

happyfrappy · Nov 4, 2014

I've done design work and used a bunch of OCR software, unless someone attempts a FOIA of people born within the same year as Obama in that state it'll remain one of the crazy foaming at the mouth conspiracy theories like the Skull & Bones Club of Yale connections of many politicians(or any elite underground club of Ivy League universities).

Chances are the base layer is just the default birth certificate template and the OCR-ed text is just slapped on top when archived/digitized. You have to remember Hawaii was the last territory to gain statehood, most "US territories" never fully had detailed birth certificate formats as each territory/state varied quite a bit. Standardized birth certificates started sometime in the mid-60s to early 70s from a more professional typography/higher quality state seal markings, even drivers/state ID cards were up to "states" to design until 2000. My old 1999-2000 era state ID was ugly plain like Washington DC until 2002 when GWB pushed for "RealID" to make state names in big bold text at the top of each card with state/territory hologram & seal.

Just remember people love screaming "fake" for the most crazy reasons, heck to this day people don't believe "District of Columbia" ID cards are legit and it can mean getting detained from flying/buying alcohol until police can scan/verify your ID card

/I know a few DC residents, it has lead to some wild/awkward experiences

Meister · Nov 4, 2014

happyfrappy said:
Chances are the base layer is just the default birth certificate template and the OCR-ed text is just slapped on top when archived/digitized. You have to remember Hawaii was the last territory to gain statehood, most "US territories" never fully had detailed birth certificate formats as each territory/state varied quite a bit. Standardized birth certificates started sometime in the mid-60s to early 70s from a more professional typography/higher quality state seal markings, even drivers/state ID cards were up to "states" to design until 2000. My old 1999-2000 era state ID was ugly plain like Washington DC until 2002 when GWB pushed for "RealID" to make state names in big bold text at the top of each card with state/territory hologram & seal.

Thank you for your valued opinion!

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