Hello everyone...I have recently been updating and reworking my website and thus the thought of someone being able to steal and use my photos without permission has crossed my mind. I use 200 x 133 thumbnails that, if clicked upon, can enlarge into 900 x 600 pics....is 900 x 600 small enough to ensure protection? I used to add my small logo to the bottom corner of the shots but I found it a bit obstructing. I have been doing all of my website creating/editing myself (I do not have money to hire a professional as my funds are all tied up in travel at the moment!) and I have been using Microsoft Expressions. Thanks- Brandon Sideleau
Nine Hundred pixels is a pretty good size image. Personally, I don't think an image for the web need be that large. First, they take up lots of screen realestate. For a person with a smaller monitor/screen, that size image may not be completely visible. Second, images that large, assuning they are of good quality, will be a large file size. While broadband is getting out there, there are still many folks on dialup. I can pretty much assure you that those folks won't wait for big downloads: they want content. Therefore I suggest you use smaller images. I usually use the ones I post here. They are about 720px on the long side @ about 200KB.
If you decide to keep the larger images, I suggest you mark them somehow. However, images (or anything else on the Web, unless its encrypted) can be copied. Yes, there are ways that will make it more difficult, but if someone really wants an image, they will get it, I'm sad to say.
I use Expression Web myself (and Front Page when needed). I have version 2, and will likely upgrade to version 4, which came out a couple of weeks ago. If you already own Version 3, you can upgrade to 4, for free. See the EW Forum for more info.
Brandon, without a doubt any image placed on the internet these days is subjected to being hijacked. Although using smaller sizes and low resolution limits the usage per se, but they are still open for the taking. For example, a few years back there was a lady taking images and making small note cards to be sold on-line. To be honest I was quite surprised at the quality of the cards she had made up, including of course one of my own images being used on one. It does not hurt to include a watermark, but that is no guarantee as many are placed in an area that can be cloned or cropped out too. Sadly, it's just a fact of life on the net.
I would definitely use smaller images and try to include a watermark, though as it's been pointed out - it can still be cloned or cropped.
I was recently the victim of image theft. (see my thread about this issue.)
I posted a shot of a cave (which won a Weekly Pick here back in November) on my blog. The photo is also on my web site but has a watermark there. On my blog it didn't, and I'm pretty certain that's where they lifted it from. I posted a small image (720 pixels or so) but it was large enough for them to use it 1/4 page size in the newspaper supplement. Even though the image itself was not watermarked, there are clear notices on my blog that all text & images are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. The newspaper claimed it was totally unintentional and we have agreed on a price to settle the infringement issue. I never thought someone would steal MY image, but I guess people will steal anything
Protect yourself as much as you can and include watermarks and copyright notices on your web site, blog, etc. It will only position you better to get the settlement you want should the image be stolen. It also doesn't hurt to Google yourself once in a while - that's how I found out my cave image had been stolen.
At 900x600 pixels, this will make a nice 3x5 print, or a quarter page photo in a magazine. Beyond the reasons already given above, if you are concerned about image theft, I'd really reduce the size to maybe 600 or 700 on the longest size.
Also, register your images with the United States Copyright Office. It is cheap, can be done by the disk, and gives you a much strong position if there is an infringement.
Discussion
4 repliesNine Hundred pixels is a pretty good size image. Personally, I don't think an image for the web need be that large. First, they take up lots of screen realestate. For a person with a smaller monitor/screen, that size image may not be completely visible. Second, images that large, assuning they are of good quality, will be a large file size. While broadband is getting out there, there are still many folks on dialup. I can pretty much assure you that those folks won't wait for big downloads: they want content. Therefore I suggest you use smaller images. I usually use the ones I post here. They are about 720px on the long side @ about 200KB.
If you decide to keep the larger images, I suggest you mark them somehow. However, images (or anything else on the Web, unless its encrypted) can be copied. Yes, there are ways that will make it more difficult, but if someone really wants an image, they will get it, I'm sad to say.
I use Expression Web myself (and Front Page when needed). I have version 2, and will likely upgrade to version 4, which came out a couple of weeks ago. If you already own Version 3, you can upgrade to 4, for free. See the EW Forum for more info.
--P
I was recently the victim of image theft. (see my thread about this issue.)
I posted a shot of a cave (which won a Weekly Pick here back in November) on my blog. The photo is also on my web site but has a watermark there. On my blog it didn't, and I'm pretty certain that's where they lifted it from. I posted a small image (720 pixels or so) but it was large enough for them to use it 1/4 page size in the newspaper supplement. Even though the image itself was not watermarked, there are clear notices on my blog that all text & images are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. The newspaper claimed it was totally unintentional and we have agreed on a price to settle the infringement issue. I never thought someone would steal MY image, but I guess people will steal anything
Protect yourself as much as you can and include watermarks and copyright notices on your web site, blog, etc. It will only position you better to get the settlement you want should the image be stolen. It also doesn't hurt to Google yourself once in a while - that's how I found out my cave image had been stolen.
Also, register your images with the United States Copyright Office. It is cheap, can be done by the disk, and gives you a much strong position if there is an infringement.