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Recovering Blurred Text Using Photoshop and JavaScript

Posted by timothy on from the careful-how-you-hide-stuff dept.

An anonymous reader writes "There's been a lot of talk about recovering blurred or pixelated text, but here's an actual implementation using nothing but Photoshop and a little JavaScript. Includes a Hollywood-esque video showing the uncovered letters slowly appearing."

23 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 4, Funny

    From TFA:

    The most important feature is the JavaScript scripting environment built into Photoshop, which is far more powerful than the AppleScript environment (and a much nicer language, in my opinion).

    Hey Timothy, are you trying to get the mac fans riled up?

    I'd try this myself, but I stopped pirating PS at version 6. Be interesting to see what other Slashdotters make of this.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    1. Re:Interesting by caffeinemessiah · · Score: 5, Funny

      There's another easy way to recover blurred text in Photoshop: Ctrl+Z.

      --
      An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
    2. Re:Interesting by DreadPiratePizz · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm on a mac you insensitive clod! It's command-z for us!

    3. Re:Interesting by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny

      Is there any way to change that? I use a mac at school, but I'm not dropping $1000 on a laptop with 1 gig of ram.

      Nope there's no way to change it but you cheapskates can just use Ctrl-Z instead.

  2. Oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now for all of the other pixellated stuff...

    Bwahahahaha.

    1. Re:Oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm off to ebay to try it on all those XP serial numbers.

    2. Re:Oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Nah, he modded as AC, too.

  3. Computer... magnify and enhace by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    20x zoom. Mr. Data, what does that look like to you?

    1. Re:Computer... magnify and enhace by gardyloo · · Score: 5, Funny

      BIG squares.

  4. OR Japanese pr0n? by DrPeper · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wouldn't it be cool if you could use this technique to clear up the fuzzies on censored Japanese pr0n?!

    1. Re:OR Japanese pr0n? by moderatorrater · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're on the wrong forum for that line of reasoning. You'll want to find a site that's either anti-censorship or pro-porn. Good luck finding something like that on the internet.

  5. Old tech by Glith · · Score: 5, Funny

    Jeez. Hasn't anyone seen CSI?

    1. Re:Old tech by mpaulsen · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was going to watch it online, but they created a GUI interface in Visual Basic to track my IP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni_rAamVP2s

    2. Re:Old tech by cheesy9999 · · Score: 2, Funny

      If you want to learn how to be leet like that CSI chick, just head on over to StackOverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/177541/how-do-i-create-a-gui-interface-using-visual-basic-i-need-to-track-an-ip-addres

      --
      -tom
    3. Re:Old tech by guyminuslife · · Score: 4, Funny

      Writer: Hey, how would you find someone over the Internet?
      IT Guy: You mean, like, track their IP address?
      Writer: IP address. That sounds good. Okay, how would you do it?
      IT Guy: Well, working here, my dumbass manager would insist that I write a stupid GUI interface in Visual Basic, but---
      Writer: Awesome! We'll put that down. *click*

      --
      I don't believe in time. It's a grand conspiracy designed to sell watches.
  6. Re:So... by sexconker · · Score: 2, Funny

    You can do the exact same thing in GIMP rather easily.

    Get some image with blurred text.
    Try blurring some letters to match up with the blurred text.
    Fail.

    See? You've already done what this guy did with javascript, photoshop, and who know how much wasted time.

  7. Re:Just ovveride? by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heck, forget the plugin, these would be pretty simple to automate these within Photoshop.

    This is gimp country. On a quiet night, you can hear adobe squeal like a pig.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  8. Re:slashdotted after 9 posts by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 2, Funny

    He's ****, Jim

    There. Fixed that for you.

  9. Re:Failure by finiteSet · · Score: 3, Funny

    But unless you have inside info about how the text was rendered and obfuscated, you're better off taking a step back and squinting.

    Little Girl: "Wow! It's a schooner!"
    Willam: "You dumb bastard! That's not a schooner, it's a sailboat!"
    Little Boy: "A schooner is a sailboat, stupidhead!"
    Willam: "Well you know what? THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY! OVER THERE, THAT'S JUST A GUY IN A SUIT!!"

    --
    If we start buying CDs then the terrorists have already won.
  10. Re:Just ovveride? by lostmongoose · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm gonna go with 'funsturbing'

  11. Re:So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And thus began GFree678's spiral to trolldem.

    At first, it was a mistake: "Hey, that wasn't flamebait!" Yet, through a series of bad moderations and various other mistakes he was modded down, further and further. His karma sank to unfathomable depths, his soul crushed with defeat.

    But then, one day in the not to distant future, the final straw snapped. He became unstoppable . "AARGGGGGHH GNAA" he bellowed. Entire cities crushed beneath his ever growing girth. "GGGOOOOAAATTTSSSEEEEEEE," he raged.

    Mods, you have no idea what you have unleashed on the world.

  12. Re:General case != this by MadKeithV · · Score: 2, Funny
    The ????? is finally revealed!
    1. - Get frustrated at blurred text
    2. - Fail to write unblur filter
    3. - Post to slashdot
    4. - PROFIT!!!!
  13. Re:Just ovveride? by thepotoo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, I'm really crying over not having to track down a keygen every time I reinstall my photo editor.

    --
    Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase