Disable the filter that prevents you from working with banknote images

[hartpaul]

I did it two ways
1. Right clicked and saved the image in the first link that Jean-Luc gave.
Loading that into PSP there were no problems
The name of that file was
fin-des-billets-de-500-euros-696x379.png
I also did a print screen and loaded the screenshot into Irfanview and cropped just the banknote and saved that image.
It would only open in PSPX2 and gave the error mentioned in PSP8 and PSP X3 to PSP2021.

I also tried a screenshot of the whole page and again in PSP 2021 right clicked and pasted as new image and that gave the error as well.

[Ken Berry]

Interesting. I just opened the image in the Photos app of Win 10, copied it and then in PSP 2021 pasted it as a new image as hartpaul did, and got the message saying it was not supported as it was currency. Just to be sure, I went to File > Open, and the image opened as it had before with no warning message.

I then did a screenshot just of the note itself and saved it as a jpeg. When I tried to open it in PSP 2021, I got both the warning message and a message from PSP saying the image could not be opened and to verify it was valid. Very curiously, though, when I saved the same screenshot as a png, it opened in PSP 2021 without any problem or message.

[JoeB]

Interesting. I just opened the image in the Photos app of Win 10, copied it and then in PSP 2021 pasted it as a new image as hartpaul did, and got the message saying it was not supported as it was currency. Just to be sure, I went to File > Open, and the image opened as it had before with no warning message.

I then did a screenshot just of the note itself and saved it as a jpeg. When I tried to open it in PSP 2021, I got both the warning message and a message from PSP saying the image could not be opened and to verify it was valid. Very curiously, though, when I saved the same screenshot as a png, it opened in PSP 2021 without any problem or message.

While it's obvious that there could be a lot of stuff in the banknote to make it difficult to open in image editors, having read your post is it possible that there's some little bit of a change in the Exif or other embedded data of the PNG that made your experiment work that is different from the data in jpg or perhaps other formats? If so, it might provide a clue to fixing the issue. Just a thought.

[migf1]

I tried everything I could think of, to no avail. PSP X7/2020/2021 do not open the banknote no matter what.

Gimp and XnView open the backnote just fine, so does Ps 2015 but NOT Ps 2018. So I tried printscreen & paste, copy & paste, adding random text in the middle of the backnote, removing exif/xmp data, changing size and save format (.jpg, png, ppm, .psd). Nothing worked.

Then I added a black layer ontop of the backnote in Gimp, and saved it (the format doesn't matter, as long as it is a flat format) . This time PSP opened the image, which was of course just solid black. This could be a strong hint that there is an algorithm going on, instead of just checking meta-data.

PS1. Interestingly enough, when I exported as .psd from within Gimp, then Ps 2018 did open the image (how odd is that?) Morever, the same .psd was triggering the block in PSP!
PS2. Too bad Gimp doesn't have a .pspimage export option.

[migf1]

Ok, I just managed to bypass it for PSP! I opened the backnote with XnView, I exported it as .webp and this time PSP opens it
PS. Exporting as .webp from Gimp does NOT work (PSP says it's Invalid format)

EDIT: Just discovered that the XnView exported .webp keeps triggering the backnote block in PSP X7 (PSP 2020 and 2021 opens it fine).

[lata]

In the UK, using 2021
1 / Copy Image then Paste as New Image does not open giving the warning message
2 / Drag and Drop image from windows explorer folder, image opens ok
3 / File Open, browse for image opens ok
4 / Right click image in folder for open with – choose psp2021, launches PSP and opens image.

Post updated "500-euros.pspimage" attached

[migf1]

In the UK, using 2021
1 / Copy Image then Paste as New Image does not open giving the warning message
2 / Drag and Drop image from windows explorer folder, image opens ok
3 / File Open, browse for image opens ok
4 / Right click image in folder for open with – choose psp2021, launches PSP and opens image.

2,3 and 4 assume the image is already saved (I mean the sample image given by Jean-Luc on the previous page). In my tests, no matter how I save it from Firefox (right click -> Save image as../Save link as...) I cannot open it directly into PSP. How did you save it in the 1st place?

[lata]

Yes I saved both images as png and Jpg that included the one provided by Ken in his reply
From the forum I also used Copy Image and Paste as New Image in PSP, that option always fails.

I updated my previous post to attach a pspimage, if that is of any use?


Post edited
To save the image from the forum, I right click for “Save Image As”, that opens a windows Explorer allowing me choose a folder and save

[migf1]

Things are really-really wonky over here!

1. The zipped .pspimage (Ken's edited version) from lata's post opens fine.
2. "Save Image As..." directly from Ken's post WITHOUT zooming the image first ===> PSP does NOT open it
3. Zooming first the (edited) image from Ken's post, then 'Save Image As..." ===> PSP opens it fine

4. No matter how I save the ORIGINAL UNEDITED image from the link in Jean-Luc's post ===> PSP does NOT open it

[lata]

Jean-Luc Image, I right click for Save Image

Opened in PSP by right click image Open with
Then saved as Jean-Luc image.pspimage

attached

Jean-Luc image.zip

(1.12 MiB) Downloaded 53 times

[migf1]

I really don't know what's going on lata.

1. Your zipped .pspimage (from Jean-Luc's post) opens fine
2. "Save Image As..." from original link WITHOUT ZOOMING the pic first ==> Fails in PSP (and also fails after converting it to .webp from XnView)
3. Zooming first the original pic from Jean-Luc's list, then "Save Image As..." ===> Fails in PSP (but succeeds after converting it to .webp from XnView)

All in all, quite an erratic behavior!

[Jean-Luc]

Continuing my testing...

My CorelDraw X5 opens the 500 euro banknote.
I cut/crop the image in four pieces and save each 1/4 image in lossless format PNG (see attached).
The first and third images open in my PSP 2021.
The second and fourth don't open.

I think the embedded Digimarc (or similar) invisible watermark preventing from open the complete image will be disabled or enough altered to permit the opening.
I suppose that slicing the image in many parts (more than 4) will permit bypassing the protection.

[migf1]

Jean-Luc,

when I "right-click->Copy Image" those 4 pics directly from your post, WITHOUT ZOOMING them first, then only the 1st pic gets successfully pasted into PSP. However, for each of those 4 images, when I ZOOM IN and then "right-click->Copy Image", it then gets successfully pasted into PSP.

PS. Didn't bother saving them first (I think the whole thing is too messy for safe conclusions)

[Jean-Luc]

for each of those 4 images, when I ZOOM IN and then "right-click->Copy Image", it then gets successfully pasted into PSP.

Me too.
It is related to the way the enlargement modifies or "corrupts" the protection watermark. The zooming is is also related to your screen size.

EDIT :
I tried to recombine them in PSP 2021 but as soon I tried to paste the second image on the right of the first (I drag from the Layers Palette), I get the warning message!