Copyright infringment/photo's

[reuben_j_cogburn]

I've been reading a few threads here and there lately about copyright, etc...
And it got me to thinking. I see people post very good work online with no watermarks.
My family on FB is very bad about that. Especially with FB's open policy on claiming user rights to anything you post there.
So I tend to not post my best stuff, and then I make sure the pics are fairly low rez and of a small size.

However...

If you do want to post pics that have relevancy to you, or have monetary value, I highly recommend learning how to add a watermark to the photo's you post. It's not perfect, but it's a good start.

I recently downloaded "Gimp" photo editing software. It is as exasperating to use as photoshop, but once you learn a few things it's not so bad..
I recently began practicing with adding watermarks..

Here is a sample I thew together quick. I'm not sure this is what I'll use as standard, but it gets the point across...

 

[Pat-inCO]

Don't forget that you can post the link to the original.

Any that I am not sure about I post a link in to the original site rather
than the copy. :D

 

[Jim Puke]

Looks handy...'cept when I put that on my desktop...it has that writing in the middle.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

Looks handy...'cept when I put that on my desktop...it has that writing in the middle.

Just put a piece of electrical tape over it.................

 

[Jim Puke]

Looks handy...'cept when I put that on my desktop...it has that writing in the middle.

Just put a piece of electrical tape over it.................

Good idea...that should cover it right up...

 

[wheelgun1958]

Looks handy...'cept when I put that on my desktop...it has that writing in the middle.

Just put a piece of electrical tape over it.................

Don't you know you should use camo duct tape? That way you won't see it.

:roll:

 

[redhawker]

I've got a small stand alone program just for watermarks that works great and is easy to use. Its called Visual Watermark and the basic program is $19.95.

Example...


(Its in the lower right corner. I made this one kind of light but you can make them as dark as you want).

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

I've got a small stand alone program just for watermarks that works great and is easy to use. Its called Visual Watermark and the basic program is $19.95.

How does it work? Can you prefab the mark then just paste it into the photo? The only trouble with the way I do it, is that I have to format each photo individually.... It is rather slow if you have a lot of material to mark...

 

[blume357]

It's not that hard to remove a simple single watermark like that ... takes 30-40 minutes but can be done.

 

[redhawker]

I've got a small stand alone program just for watermarks that works great and is easy to use. Its called Visual Watermark and the basic program is $19.95.

How does it work? Can you prefab the mark then just paste it into the photo? The only trouble with the way I do it, is that I have to format each photo individually.... It is rather slow if you have a lot of material to mark...

I haven't had it too long but it looks like once you make one you can just use it over and over. Seems pretty easy. They do have a free trial on the software if you want to try it.

 

[Cooperhawk]

I have been using the "Gimp" http://www.gimp.org
for years now and you can do some incredible things with it.

Another free program is "Paint. Net" It's also free.
http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

Both of these programs are free but do ask for a small donation if you like and use them. They are developed by colleges and Universities as an ongoing project.

 

[bobski]

ehhh it ruins the moment.
its sorta like seeing a beautiful vista on a road trip....and in the middle of the roadside overlook, someone puts a billboard.
at least real artists try to hide it or make it inconspicuous.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

It's not that hard to remove a simple single watermark like that ... takes 30-40 minutes but can be done.

perhaps.. but if I had my choice to steal a nice photo with or without a watermark, I'll choose the one without..
And it's another reason I stay with a small image size...
Not that I have done any serious or even semi serious photography in a long time, but still.. I made the image... It's mine...
If someone wants to use it for a business purpose, then buy a user right.. that's the way it has always been done.... Just don't steal it like FB does...

 

[ArmedinAZ]

Digital photography and the internet have changed photography. Spent 17 years in the profession. An image belongs to the person who made it from the moment it was made and it does not need a copyright mark to make it enforceable and the photographer doesn't need to be a professional. In '89 US Copyright laws changed and the copyright symbol became optional.

If you get your son's senior photos shot and decide the photographer charges too much and make copies you're stealing exactly the same as if you steal a 6 pack from the store. If you "borrow" a nice image you see online somewhere and use it on your website you stole it. If you erase (real well I bet) a copyright mark and make a print you're stealing and it's not accidental. People are used to the idea that anything on the internet is free to do with whatever you want. Not so.

If you copy/paste a photo from one place on the internet to another, like into a post here, it's mostly seen as fair use and OK. I could go on and on but you get the idea. This is one of the reasons we left photography in '05 and never looked back.

Good to see you get it Reuben.

 

[cas6969]

Wouldn't take me long to remove your watermark and add my own. ;)

 

[redhawker]

As with locks watermarks only deter most people. Anyone who's really determined will get in (or steal the photo).

 

[Kevin]

I keep my pictures on line in Picasa Web. I have my settings so nobody can download them from my site. Yes they can download a screen resolution sized copy but that is not high enough resolución to do anything with.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

If you "borrow" a nice image you see online somewhere and use it on your website you stole it. If you erase (real well I bet) a copyright mark and make a print you're stealing and it's not accidental. People are used to the idea that anything on the internet is free to do with whatever you want. Not so.
Good to see you get it Reuben.

I was never a pro, but back in my younger years I did a lot of photography, and shot a lot of weddings and stuff for local regional print.
If someone borrows a photo to use on their desktop I don't mind.. It's kind of like advertizing for me in a way...
But to have my (or your) pics used commercially is another thing. So my thought is to just do what you can to protect your investment...
As I said, I see a lot of really exceptional photography online... When outfits like FB, say they have a right to use your images (especially images of you, or family members) in advertizing and claim rights.. I'm sorry.. that is wrong.....

regards.....

 

[Jeepnik]

Perhaps I have the wrong idea. But, I take photos (or today we really should say images) to enjoy and share with others. If someone comes across one of my images either on the web, or because I've sent it to them, they are free to use it.

Now, I understand that a professional would want to protect their work. Heck, it's how they make a living. But me, I do it for fun. And, a good part of the enjoyment I get is from having others enjoy them.