Protecting Your Images on the Web

Smart photographers never put a picture on the web without an embedded copyright. Though all art is considered copyrighted at the time of creation, it saves having to suffer at the hands of the ignorant opportunist who thinks if it's on the web, it must be free. And the photography forums are filled with stories about how unprotected images are borrowed and used by people for everything from a web site image to an international company's advertising.

I've written about this many times for my web site and for Shutterbug Magazine:
http://www.bermangraphics.com/tips/sizing.htm
http://www.bermangraphics.com/tips/copyright.htm

Never upload full size images. I keep all my web images no larger than 500 pixels long dimension and I add a copyright to all my web images as a text layer in Photoshop before saving as a JPEG for the web.

And don't forget the orphan rights bill they keep trying to pass where if someone comes across an image and the owner can't be identified, it's considered an orphan and is fair game to use without credit or compensation to the owner.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Replies

Linda Anderson April 9, 2011 at 1:40pm

Very right Larry. In addition to including the data within Photoshop (which can sometimes be lost once on the web) I also go into the saved file and add my information in the summary area of properties. To do this, I click on My Computer - go to one of the drives I keep pictures on - right click on the file (ie: photo123.jpg) - select PROPERTIES - select SUMMARY and add my info. In the comments area I will include my copyright verbage as well as my website and phone number. Once stored and either sent out or downloaded, it cannot be changed and is permanent with the file. I just started doing this in the last year or so and am sorry I was not doing it initially.

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