Copyrights on Photos

[dukedogsmom]

I've got a few questions about this. I've decided to start putting one on my pics, as well. I'm thinking about selling some on Ebay and also want to get my own website with the same name. Also, I'm putting it on my pics I post on different forums. I've noticed a few others doing it and thought it was a good idea. Now, do you put that on all your pics or just the ones you think are really good? Not that it will keep people from taking the image if they like it. I honestly don't mind unless it's being used for their profit. How does everyone else handle it?

[kittycats_delight]

I put it on any and all pictures I post online for the most part unless I am too lazy to do it.

A watermark is the best method in my opinion as it is across the center of the entire photo and is harder to remove.

Like this:

[Alysser]

Personally, I only put a copyright on the ones on my website. I've had a person once steal a picture(a good picture) of Sassy and post it on a website that said they took it, so after that I copyrighted all my GOOD pictures. If you want to take a look, you can see them on my website(in my siggy!). As Michelle said, if I use a watermark, and it's better across the center since they can't just crop it out of the corner.

[Riptide]

I copyright the majority of the photos that I post online (although sometimes here on PT, I get a little lazy!). But yes, normally it's a good idea to place a copyright or watermark across your photos when you plan on sharing them online, like on forums or services like Flickr. There are a lot of people on the web who do not know all of the rules about using images, but usually having a visual copyright ON the image itself will deter most people.

[jennielynn1970]

How do you do that watermark?

[Catlady711]

I make a point to just never post my really good pix online only my so-so pix.

Even with a watermark or copyright pasted directly over the image, someone really good with photoshop and alot of time on their hands can remove that, steal the pix, pass it off as their own and potentially make small amounts of money from the pix without you ever knowing it. Fighting a copyright battle in court is expensive and frustrating, and if you win you can't collect back your court costs or any income the picture would have generated unless you are a professional and can prove that you lost money in business because of the photo theft.

In my opinon posting your best pix online just isn't worth it.

Side note* Flickr does have some semblance of a protection feature a person can enable that if someone tries to save your pix to their cpu it just saves a strange icon instead of the pix. But I suppose someone out there had figured out a way around that feature (probably the same person that's good at photoshop with lots of time), plus since it's Flickr's servers I suppose they could do with it whatever they want to without your permission.

[kittycats_delight]

How do you do that watermark?

I think that really depends on the program you are using. I use photoshop so I could tell you how I do it with that. There are several ways of doing it I just found what was easiest for me.

[kittycats_delight]

Even with a watermark or copyright pasted directly over the image, someone really good with photoshop and alot of time on their hands can remove that, steal the pix, pass it off as their own and potentially make small amounts of money from the pix without you ever knowing it.

Of course this is true but I find most people won't bother especially if it means a fair amount of work as there are so many other pics online they can access and not have to do work on to remove a watermark. I know a lot of people put a small copyright on the bottom of photos and it is so much more simple to just crop than to go to all the work of removing and fixing a photo with a watermark. And there are others that use nothing at all. From what I know a watermark is the best method of protecting your pictures online. While it is not 100% it does offer a decent amount of protection for your photos and it a deterent for anyone wanting to steal them.