I have been posting pictures for a while now and realized that there is really no way for me to prove that they are mine if someone tries to copy them. I was wondering if there is an easy, efficient way of putting a signature watermark on your pictures, and which programs people are using for the signatures. Thank You,
My watermark signature is added in Photoshop. It's a vectored .eps file that I place on my photos, and then screen back as to not be distracting. Each one is placed by hand.
If you google you can find a way to make a signature into a brush in PS then you just add it to each shot wherever you want & can change the opacity & fill each time!
I hate how these look, and you know they can be cloned out? If someone wants to take and use your photo they will, watermarks is a futile deterrent which spoils the look of your photos IMO.
I've been wondering about watermarks - and, indeed, have started adding them - this last week. Not because it adds any 'security' to an image (it doesn't, clearly) but rather that in the spectacularly unlikely event that somebody bothers to 'steal' one of my photos at least it's got a built in credit. Unlikely, I know, and trivial to remove, but people are lazy and it's a single click in LR's export dialog....
I'm with @chewyteeth and @5unflow3r I think they really add an unwanted element to a photo. Unless of course the image is for sale and then a single discreet watermark is not enough - it really does need to cover a lot of the photo and be removed for the purchaser.
i'm in the no watermark camp with @monika64@5unflow3r and @chewyteeth ... it is often distracting and i'm not convinced that it provides any real protection against the improper or unapproved use of a photo...
i'm not sure i'd put a watermark even if i was having a print done up for sale... altho' i've been wondering how to "sign" a photo as my mom has made some noises about getting some of my prints framed and hung in her office (where she meets with clients)... it would be nice to put my name to them somewhere :)
I use a watermark just to show its my work, not so much for real protection because we all know that your photos are not really safe by doing so. The only real protection you can use if you don't want your images stolen is to only post them in low res so that the quality is not good enough for reproduction.....that being said, personally I like to think my fellow photogs are trustworthy and not capable of such a thing! Am I being naive? Well, maybe, but if you are really worried about images being reproduced without your permission perhaps its a good idea not to post high res images? I think , the fact that you have a watermark, suggests you are serious about your images, and invites any prospective client or anyone wanting to use them for their own purpose to contact you and ask for your permission or pricing information first.
I water my photos with my website, I am really unconcerned what others think of it, I am proud of my work and want my name on it. If someone likes it they know where to find me.. All my clients facebook sized images are watermarked and they sign a contract not to use the unwatermarked print size images on social networking sites.
My watermark in small and discrete in the corner.
An artists signs their paintings a photographers also signs their work.
@mummarazzii
Yeah but think of the scale, a rothko painting 6 foot by five with a tiny signature, a photo on here with jimmy Thompson photography copyright 2009 and the website below. I've seen watermarks on here obscuring a third of the picture. And many artists don't, or they sign the back.
@chewyteeth Regardless of size the meaning behind it is the same. As I am said I am proud of my work I want my name on it...especially with sites like pintrest that anyone of our images could be floating around on.
I think each to their own :)
@kietosbilder Like most have mentioned you can have Lightroom and the like auto insert your sig on save, I got to the point where I found it just distracts from the image I know if and when I post an image. As for it protecting your work think again... any one with some skill would just remove it in PS :)
Thanks for the tip about Digimark. Had a quick look at their site - the basic service allows you to watermark up to one thousand images per year at a price of $49.00.
The professional service is for two thousand images and allows you to search for your images as well.
there are other levels of service for more images and more devices.
What i would do, for what it's worth, is to share my images online to generate publicity and generate traffic to my site with a discreet watermark, and use the digimarc service to keep track of where the images travel.
If you don't want to use Photoshop, U can use a watermark software, such as U-Mark aPhoto, etc.
aPhoto is a full-featured and easy-to-use software that allows you to add text and image watermarks to your photos. Protect your copyrights with a copyright notice or your logo. Or just add text comments to your photos.
www.acein.cn/p/aphoto
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http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/protect-your-images-with-information-08-09-10.html
but for no reason it shows that this is yours !
i do mine with photoshop =] its more artistic =]
i'm not sure i'd put a watermark even if i was having a print done up for sale... altho' i've been wondering how to "sign" a photo as my mom has made some noises about getting some of my prints framed and hung in her office (where she meets with clients)... it would be nice to put my name to them somewhere :)
My watermark in small and discrete in the corner.
An artists signs their paintings a photographers also signs their work.
Yeah but think of the scale, a rothko painting 6 foot by five with a tiny signature, a photo on here with jimmy Thompson photography copyright 2009 and the website below. I've seen watermarks on here obscuring a third of the picture. And many artists don't, or they sign the back.
I think each to their own :)
The professional service is for two thousand images and allows you to search for your images as well.
there are other levels of service for more images and more devices.
What i would do, for what it's worth, is to share my images online to generate publicity and generate traffic to my site with a discreet watermark, and use the digimarc service to keep track of where the images travel.
Having said all that, here is an article about digimarc - http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/digimark.htm
The truth about digimarc.
aPhoto is a full-featured and easy-to-use software that allows you to add text and image watermarks to your photos. Protect your copyrights with a copyright notice or your logo. Or just add text comments to your photos.
www.acein.cn/p/aphoto