Completely Erasing Content from an Image

[DoubleDee]

I just bought SnagIt for Mac a few weeks ago.

One of the things I use SnagIt for is taking screenshots of e-mails that I wish to post on my website.

Because these e-mails are sent to me, I need a way to complete remove my PERSONAL E-MAIL before I either save the screen-capture as an Image (e.g. .png) or as a PDF.

Is there a way to be 110% certain that some whiz cannot reconstruct the original screen-shot using something like Photoshop, and thus exposing my e-mail??

I played around with SnagIt's Erase and Pen tools, and then used "Flatten", but I am uber paranoid that my e-mail is still hiding underneath things somewhere...


Sincerely,


Debbie

[DaveMaxwell]

If it's saved without layers, there's no way of recovering the original image without having access to your machine (assuming you never closed the application and still had the image open)

[DoubleDee]

If it's saved without layers, there's no way of recovering the original image without having access to your machine (assuming you never closed the application and still had the image open)

Some more questions...

1.) Have you ever used SnagIt before?

2.) Would it be fair to assume that choosing "Flatten" would remove the layers and make it just one image?

3.) And would the be some way I could check the saved image just to be sure? (I don't have PhotoShop, but maybe I could try it in something like GIMP?)

Sincerely,


Debbie

[DaveMaxwell]

Some more questions...

1.) Have you ever used SnagIt before?

For several years. I've since found other options to perform the same functionality now, but I used it for a number of years...

2.) Would it be fair to assume that choosing "Flatten" would remove the layers and make it just one image?

That's exactly what it means. It takes the overlaid layers and forms one solid image.

3.) And would the be some way I could check the saved image just to be sure? (I don't have PhotoShop, but maybe I could try it in something like GIMP?)

If you really want, but unless you've got an image editor that can open the proprietary format (which is the only place the layers are actually preserved), you're not going to see them (if they're not flattened out). And even then, you may not see them - for example, Paint.net can save layers to pngs (it's ugly but it works), but they are not visible in the adobe products.

I wouldn't worry about it. If you're that worried about it, then make sure you crop out the identifying portions. Or make sure the identifying portions aren't visible before using snagit.

[DoubleDee]

For several years. I've since found other options to perform the same functionality now, but I used it for a number of years...

Okay.

Off Topic:

SnagIt for Mac is a real letdown... They charge $50 for an app that has 1/3 of the features as the Windows version has...

That's exactly what it means. It takes the overlaid layers and forms one solid image.

I have heard from someone else that using things like the "Blur Tool" can be reverse engineered...

If you really want, but unless you've got an image editor that can open the proprietary format (which is the only place the layers are actually preserved), you're not going to see them (if they're not flattened out).

Wait, so you are saying that if I blur out some text, and save it as a PNG - but I don't flatten it first - then I wouldn't see the blur effect?

I wouldn't worry about it. If you're that worried about it, then make sure you crop out the identifying portions. Or make sure the identifying portions aren't visible before using snagit.

I'm that worried about it.

I want to take an e-mail I received and put it up on my website, but I don't want my PERSONAL EMAIL to get displayed, or hacked some way!!!

Someone mentioned it might be better to use the "Cut Tool" in SnagIt so I remove the email and corresponding pixels. But, again, I fear that things could be reverse engineered...

(I'm really paranoid about Photos and Images, because I don't understand the technology well, and because they can contain hidden data like Malware, GPS Info, possibly Layers, and so on...)


BTW, would it be safer to do editing in something like GIMP or PhotoShop, which are probably more robust than SnagIt?

Sincerely,


Debbie

[DaveMaxwell]

Off Topic:

SnagIt for Mac is a real letdown... They charge $50 for an app that has 1/3 of the features as the Windows version has...

Personally, I think SnagIt is overpriced period.

I have heard from someone else that using things like the "Blur Tool" can be reverse engineered...

If you blur it once, possibly - if the person knows what they're doing. Blur it multiple times, probably not.

Or just don't blur - crop...

Wait, so you are saying that if I blur out some text, and save it as a PNG - but I don't flatten it first - then I wouldn't see the blur effect?

No, I was talking about the layers.....

I'm that worried about it.

I want to take an e-mail I received and put it up on my website, but I don't want my PERSONAL EMAIL to get displayed, or hacked some way!!!

Someone mentioned it might be better to use the "Cut Tool" in SnagIt so I remove the email and corresponding pixels. But, again, I fear that things could be reverse engineered...

(I'm really paranoid about Photos and Images, because I don't understand the technology well, and because they can contain hidden data like Malware, GPS Info, possibly Layers, and so on...)

Are you talking about screenshotting (is that even a word) your email? If so, why not just copy the content as straight text over to your site instead of hassling with creating screenshots? A lot less effort, and gets rid of all this stuff you're paranoid about.

Or if you crop the image (cut out anything which is not needed for your screenshot), there's nothing to reverse engineer.

BTW, would it be safer to do editing in something like GIMP or PhotoShop, which are probably more robust than SnagIt?

Not necessarily safer, but easier for sure - the editing tools in SnagIt suck, to be honest. There are numerous image/photo editing software packages out there, so don't limit yourself to GIMP (which I think is more difficult to use than it needs to be) or Photoshop (which is overpriced anymore).

[logic_earth]

If you are that concern use a PNG optimizer after editing the images. That will remove anything useless from the file. However, I don't believe it is common for PNG files to store a thumbnail like is it for JPEGs from cameras which is common.

[DoubleDee]

Are you talking about screenshotting (is that even a word) your email?

Yes.

If so, why not just copy the content as straight text over to your site instead of hassling with creating screenshots? A lot less effort, and gets rid of all this stuff you're paranoid about.

Certainly a backup option.

I was just hoping to use SnagIt so that I could capture the e-mail in it's native formatting (i.e. HTML) without tons of work on my end. (This e-mail I received is just funny - and a scam - and I'd like to share with people exactly what I saw when I opened said HTML e-mail.

Or if you crop the image (cut out anything which is not needed for your screenshot), there's nothing to reverse engineer.

Yes, another option. Except I want to capture the sender's e-mail in the screen-shot - to make a point - and since the e-mail follows the standard format...

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

...then if I crop out my e-mail then I'd have to crop out the sender's e-mail too.

Not necessarily safer, but easier for sure - the editing tools in SnagIt suck, to be honest. There are numerous image/photo editing software packages out there, so don't limit yourself to GIMP (which I think is more difficult to use than it needs to be) or Photoshop (which is overpriced anymore).

Okay.

Sincerely,



Debbie

[DaveMaxwell]

Yes, another option. Except I want to capture the sender's e-mail in the screen-shot - to make a point - and since the e-mail follows the standard format...

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

...then if I crop out my e-mail then I'd have to crop out the sender's e-mail too.

Be VERY careful. Just because that email is listed as the from doesn't mean that's who actually sent it (if you look at the Reply-to, it most likely is different....). You might be better off just cropping both the from and to out of the email.....

[DoubleDee]

Be VERY careful. Just because that email is listed as the from doesn't mean that's who actually sent it (if you look at the Reply-to, it most likely is different....). You might be better off just cropping both the from and to out of the email.....

How do I view the Email Header info to see who actually sent an e-mail and what the reply-to address is as well?


------
You know, I was just thinking...

Another option would be to hit "Print" in my Yahoo Mail, and then do "View Source", and copy and paste the actual HTML into NetBeans, edit out any references in the HTML to me, and then I could either...

- Save the HTML and provide a link to that new page on my website

- Use SnagIt to create a cleaned up screenshot

- Use SnagIt to convert it to a PDF

You could argue that is a lot of work, but that would give me the best of both worlds, right?

(Or is there still some way people could find out my info, say from the embedded JavaScript in the cleaned up HTML I created?)

Sincerely,


Debbie

[DaveMaxwell]

How do I view the Email Header info to see who actually sent an e-mail and what the reply-to address is as well?

Would depend on the client (I haven't used Yahoo mail for a couple years), but there's usually some way to "see original"

------
You know, I was just thinking...

Another option would be to hit "Print" in my Yahoo Mail, and then do "View Source", and copy and paste the actual HTML into NetBeans, edit out any references in the HTML to me, and then I could either...

- Save the HTML and provide a link to that new page on my website

- Use SnagIt to create a cleaned up screenshot

- Use SnagIt to convert it to a PDF

You could argue that is a lot of work, but that would give me the best of both worlds, right?

But if you put in on your site, why screenshot it?

(Or is there still some way people could find out my info, say from the embedded JavaScript in the cleaned up HTML I created?)

Not if you delete the embedded javascript.....