I'll show you a good example of a ripped sig, those aren't pre-existing signatures. Most signatures are just renders that are taken from other work in the first place, almost always without the original artist's knowledge or permission.
sec, uploading a rip so you can see the difference
/e: This is a rip:
What you described/posted is a typical signature. you take a render, crop it down to the desired size, add some aftereffects and BOOM. sig. For example, my sig is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Am I Arnold? No. Did I call his personal office and request his permission to use his picture in my sig? No. Did I fly to California and personally take this picture of him smoking a sweet-ass cigar? No, but I wish I could've. I found a stock photo I really liked, had someone fade it to a dull sepiatone and crop it to 400x150. Besides not having any afteraffects, this is a pretty typical signature. Under your definition, almost all sigs are rips. Stop crying already. Ahhhnold out.
This post was edited by BMNation on May 17 2015 11:42pm