The story...

Enlarged and cropped images from the WTC7 collapse show the clear sign of demolition squibs.



http://st12.startlogic.com/~xenonpup/Flashes/squibs_along_southwest_corner.htm

Our take...

Note the key word here is “enlarged”, which means pixels are being added that didn’t exist in the first image. Mathematics are being used to create the appearance of more detail. There are no guarantees that this is correct, though, especially when the detail you’re enhancing is so small. Here’s what a zoom on one of the stills from the video looks like, for instance.


http://www.wtc-terrorattack.com/wtc7/collaps_wtc7.htm

Note that our image shows the “squibs” are flat, just a few pixels. Please try this out yourself with other images from the above link to confirm we’re not being selective.

Then we tried taking an AVI of the original footage, cropping and resizing it, but the end result still looked relatively flat to us. No significant puffs of smoke or dust.

To make this clear, we’re not suggesting that the top image and associated video is “fake”. Maybe we’ve made mistakes, maybe they’re using different or better tools, we don’t know. But the point remains the same: resizing and enhancement is a subjective process. You are attempting to add detail that wasn’t in the original footage, and there’s no way to confirm that your finished work is accurate.

Of course because this is all so subjective, and we have no special qualifications to analyse images, it’s particularly important for you to check this out for yourself (don’t rely on us, or anyone else to do your thinking for you). Find an online copy of the collapse footage, or buy a copy of the DVD for a full-resolution version, and take a closer look.