I just started a blog and when I post an image I reduced the size incase someone wanted to cut and paste an image at least the quailty wouldn't be that great. Unfortunatly I'm concerned that people will think the quaility level overall is weak. I notice some sites such as this one (NPN) people are blocked all together from coping an image. How is this done? Is it through software, the website itself and can the same block be used on a blog format? Any help would be great.
Thanks, John Kerr
There is a way to overlay a transparent GIF, which is what NPN does, but I don't know how to do it. There are scripts that will disable 'right click' context menus, too. These will prevent the casual user from copying images, but they can be easily circumvented.
The best way to prevent images from being copied is to not post them to the Web, but that's not a solution for photographers. The best we can hope for is to keep the resolution as small as possible, keep the images small in size, and have a copyright notice within the image area. I keep my files for Web use at 72 px/inch and no larger than 720 px on the long side.
My method doesn't prevent someone from swiping my stuff, but if they show up in a site that I did not post them too, or give permission for use, I can at least ask that they be removed. By having small files at low resolution, I know that if someone tries to print it at a large size, it's not going to look very good.
I used to worry about this a lot, but I figure it's not really worth stressing out over. If I do see unauthorized use, I will get on it, though.
--P
Posted by Richard Ditch on July 10, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Any image posted on the web can be taken, including those on NPN "covered" by a transparent gif. PPI is meaningless for web posted images; only total pixels matters.
Your "the photo that started it all" has apparently already been hi-jacked: http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=203320 (at least a version with a twig not cloned out and at larger size so it came from somewhere else). I found this by running the small image on your blog at http://www.tineye.com/
I place a visible copyright on the images on my web site and blog, and I put my name, copyright, and url in the metadata of them as well. I have set up google alerts on variations of my name and url that occasionally finds stolen images. Once in a while I use tineye on images that have proven popular with image thieves in the past.
I keep my files for Web use at 72 px/inch and no larger than 720 px on the long side.
Preston - The "px/inch" or ppi (or dpi) setting has absolutely no bearing on anything. It's only used by your printer software or some other software. The image itself isn't affected by it at all, nor will someone copying it be affected.
I also wouldn't worry about the transparent GIF or right click disable John. No matter what you do, copying a web image is as simple as pressing the "print screen" button. Once the data is there to be displayed on the screen, it can be saved in any number of ways. There's nothing you can really do - and I personally find the transparent GIF thing annoying.
Even then, Preston, the setting you save your image at has no bearing. Once I've downloaded the image from the web, I can change the DPI all I want. It just tells the print driver what to do. It doesn't actually change the image file or anything. So whether or not you post an image with 72 dpi saved in it's EXIF info, or 72,000,000 dpi... it doesn't matter. Once I go to print it, I can type in whatever DPI I want.
Actually, David, DPI has absolutely nothing to do with a digital image. DPI stands for 'Dots per Inch', it's a property of your printer, and determines how many 'dots' will appear on the paper in every inch. You're referring to the PPI, 'Pixels per Inch', which is a property of the image. Not that it really matters.. but it's worth getting the terms right to prevent confusion
True Floris, but most people, for better or for worse, use them pretty interchangeably. (I.e. I usually see people say, as Preston mentioned, that they post an image at a certain DPI.) And I think the same correction was made in the discussion I linked above! :) So mea culpa on that - I should be more clear.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on July 11, 2011 at 10:40 PM
If I remember correctly, one way to do the transparent GIF overlay is to create a 1 cell x 1 cell table and set your image as the background to the table. Then use the GIF as the contents of the table.
I started doing it when I first set up my website and found it too much of a hassle to deal with. You have to assume that your images will be stolen. Spend some time reading about how to file a take down notice. You'll need it at some point in time and they are generally effective if the offending party isn't as cooperative as you would prefer. Of course, if the site is hosted in Russia... (don't ask)
Discussion
10 repliesThanks, John Kerr
There is a way to overlay a transparent GIF, which is what NPN does, but I don't know how to do it. There are scripts that will disable 'right click' context menus, too. These will prevent the casual user from copying images, but they can be easily circumvented.
The best way to prevent images from being copied is to not post them to the Web, but that's not a solution for photographers. The best we can hope for is to keep the resolution as small as possible, keep the images small in size, and have a copyright notice within the image area. I keep my files for Web use at 72 px/inch and no larger than 720 px on the long side.
My method doesn't prevent someone from swiping my stuff, but if they show up in a site that I did not post them too, or give permission for use, I can at least ask that they be removed. By having small files at low resolution, I know that if someone tries to print it at a large size, it's not going to look very good.
I used to worry about this a lot, but I figure it's not really worth stressing out over. If I do see unauthorized use, I will get on it, though.
--P
Your "the photo that started it all" has apparently already been hi-jacked: http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=203320 (at least a version with a twig not cloned out and at larger size so it came from somewhere else). I found this by running the small image on your blog at http://www.tineye.com/
I place a visible copyright on the images on my web site and blog, and I put my name, copyright, and url in the metadata of them as well. I have set up google alerts on variations of my name and url that occasionally finds stolen images. Once in a while I use tineye on images that have proven popular with image thieves in the past.
Preston - The "px/inch" or ppi (or dpi) setting has absolutely no bearing on anything. It's only used by your printer software or some other software. The image itself isn't affected by it at all, nor will someone copying it be affected.
See this discussion.
I know that px/inch or dpi has no bearing on screen. I was referring to printing an image copied from the Web...
"By having small files at low resolution, I know that if someone tries to print it at a large size, it's not going to look very good."
I probably should not have written 'px/inch' at all, and simply said DPI.
--P
Thanks, I've got it now.
--P
I started doing it when I first set up my website and found it too much of a hassle to deal with. You have to assume that your images will be stolen.