Image Protection?!

[rwpuk]

Hi all,
I was just wondering what the general concensous is on protecting images from being copied. I'm a photographer and have just built my own site and can not decide on whether to emblazen each image with a copyright or to disable the right click facility. Both do the job in hand just fine, but the copyright over the image kind of ruins the image and I know that disabling the right click is annoying.
Oh and I don't want to lower the image resolution; as a photographer the image quality must look good.
I would appreciate any opinions- what, as a viewer is the lesser of two evils.
Thanks Rob

 

[dave111]

Lowering the res is the only real way, i mean no right....big deal there are easy ways around that if people want your image.

And the copyright embed would really spoil the image.... just make the images like less that 600x400 or something. Then the pictures are still good size for viewing, but no one can really print and sell them.

 

[kw31]

you can do it like corbis.com

make a small preview, then the users get the option to view a bigger one, but with a watermark on it

 

[r22pl]

yeah, i would do the watermark

 

[webdome]

1. Digital marking -- DigiMark.
2. Get a copyright for you images.

 

[FleZ]

I'd say, put them in Flash, it disables the right-click without being annoying, the only problem, as disabling the right-click is that someone can use the print screen key.

 

[primacomputer]

If you're looking for a technical solution try wrapping them in Flash or Java is probably your best bet. It won't stop someone who really wants it, but it will stop more people that the right click script, which doesn't even stop me right clicking.

Alternatively give them access to the images only after registering, and then digitally watermark each picture with their user ID. Doesn't stop them, but makes them easier to catch.

 

[Virgil]

I use a little script in PHP I made; I just pass the image along with height and width, and it outputs what looks like the image, but is in fact a table with the image as background, and a transparent 1x1 pixel gif resized to cover it. Therefore, when a user saves the "image" he's really saving a 1x1 pixel gif. It's annoying enough for most people to desist. But no solution is perfect, there will always be a print screen shortcut .

 

[Jarrid]

man virgil, That is a good idea hah.....

 

[primacomputer]

I use a little script in PHP I made; I just pass the image along with height and width, and it outputs what looks like the image, but is in fact a table with the image as background, and a transparent 1x1 pixel gif resized to cover it. Therefore, when a user saves the "image" he's really saving a 1x1 pixel gif. It's annoying enough for most people to desist. But no solution is perfect, there will always be a print screen shortcut .

That won't help against a leaching application though.

 

[Brian]

That won't help against a leaching application though.

Very true. But also if you don't want anyone stealing the images, just don't put them online, there are always ways for people to get something that they really want.

Regards
Brian

 

[PsychoMatt]

theres also the problem of the Internet Explorer's ability to mouse over and press save while over the image if your not protecting it i find the best way is to disable right click with a javascript and encrypt your html containing the url to your image. but yesh there will always be print screen... if only there was a way to make a image act like windows Media player... when you try to take a screenshot of anything on that it shows as a transperent movie image... its wierd..

 

[Brian]

if only there was a way to make a image act like windows Media player... when you try to take a screenshot of anything on that it shows as a transperent movie image... its wierd..

theres even 3rd party programs that will let you take screen shots of them

 

[Ben42]

Just disabling the right-click is usually enough to stop 95% of people who'd happen by and want to grab it.

That really may be all you need.

 

[Petter]

Watremarking all images are a pain in the ass and for viewsers it really sucks.. IMO i don't care if people take my images..

 

[Raf]

But there's no thing you have to understand even if you use Flash the images, text, actionscript and so on can easily be decompiled meaning it can easily be retrieved. I would recommend you make a small preview and then when they click it it shows a bigger image with a watermark.