This page is an entry in the Key.
“Arbitrary” limits
. . . and the challenge of making a less-strict standard than TTG
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1. What does “arbitrary” mean?
“Arbitrary” is a description of decisions that are made when there is no arbiter (rinairs is the arbiter for TTG-related issues).
• “Arbitrary” is generally defined as “based on random choice or personal whim rather than any reason.”
• An example of an arbitrary limit would be “Not one degree more nor one degree less, because I said so.”
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2. What does that have to do with setting limits on manipulations?
Not having an arbiter to serve as a reference standard presents a big problem when setting limits.
TTG uses rinairs as its reference standard when setting limits.
But when there is no respected “reference standard” like rinairs to refer to for a particular manipulation, then any limits that are set will be arbitrary.
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3. What's an example of the problem?
The two most prominent examples are non-optical bokeh blur and non-optical perspective correction.
It is very easy with a program like Photoshop to carry either of those procedures to wild extremes.
But rinairs doesn't allow either of those manipulations (TTG doesn't allow them either).
Thus anyone who wants to create a TTG-like label that does allow those two manipulations has no reference standard to rely on for setting limits.
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4. So what are the options when making a less-strict standard for things like “non-optical bokeh blur” and “non-optical perspective correction”?
There are two options. Neither is ideal:
1. Set an arbitrary limit —“Not one degree more nor one degree less, because I said so”
(in which case viewers won't trust the “less strict” label, because they'll know it's based on an arbitrary limit)
2. Set no limits at all
(in which case viewers won't trust trust the “less strict” label, because many of the labeled photos will be wildly untrustworthy).
“Nothing about TTG is arbitrary”
Creating a less-strict standard than TTG