For photographers and designers, Adobe Photoshop is an indispensable tool. However, a growing concern is Adobe’s implementation of currency detection, which seems to be impacting even legitimate uses of Photos Of Money. Users are finding themselves unable to edit images containing even incidental depictions of currency, raising questions about whether Adobe’s approach is overly restrictive.
The issue stems from Adobe’s attempt to comply with laws like the Counterfeit Detection Act of 1992. This US law is designed to prevent the creation of counterfeit currency. It permits illustrations of currency under specific size restrictions (less than 3/4 or more than 1.5 linear dimension) and one-sided depictions. However, the law doesn’t prohibit opening or editing images that contain money. The problem lies in Adobe’s interpretation and implementation of a Counterfeit Deterrence System (CDS) within Photoshop. Users are reporting that even images where currency is a minor, incidental element are triggering CDS restrictions.
Consider a photographer who specializes in product shots for e-commerce. If they photograph a wallet with a banknote partially visible inside for a realistic touch, they might now be unable to edit their own product photos in Photoshop. This extends to everyday scenarios too – family photos, street photography, or any image where money might be present in the background. This broad-stroke approach of blocking edits on virtually any photo of money goes far beyond the legislative intent of preventing counterfeit bills.
A more sensible and user-friendly implementation would be to focus on detecting and restricting actions specifically related to creating high-resolution, isolated images of currency intended for illicit reproduction. Targeting incidental depictions of money in broader photographic contexts is an overreach that negatively impacts legitimate creative and commercial workflows. The current implementation of Adobe’s CDS in Photoshop appears to be overly broad, impacting users who work with photos of money legitimately. While preventing counterfeiting is important, the current system disrupts workflows and limits creative freedom unnecessarily. It’s crucial for Adobe to reconsider its approach and refine the CDS to distinguish between actual counterfeiting attempts and legitimate uses of photos of money in diverse contexts.
