watermarking?

the supervillainthe supervillain Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
edited February 27, 2009 in SmugMug Pro Sales Support
hey all
whats everyones thoughts on watermarking. maybe i am being paranoid about people stealing my images, but i know how easy it is

so i have a watermark. i want it to be subtle but still discourage people from 'print screen'ing my images.

maybe a few of you can check out my gallery and tell me what you think??

thanks alot!
craig 'paranoid' gosling :)
--Craig...
shoots things with a D80, an F1, and a Diana F+

My Gallery
Sign the guestbook :)!!

Comments

  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    Yes, I asked more-or-less the same question.

    Thing is if someone did "steal" an image, what would they do with it? The quality they would have would only be good for showing small on the internet, not for printing, or at least not for saleable printing. So, how could it be of any benefit?

    Nice stuff in your gallery.
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    I use one like this:

    111118721_jGuWQ-X3.jpg

    LOTS of help & ideas in this thread:
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=71862
    Andy

    Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    Andy wrote:
    I use one like this:

    That's a family resemblance flying in from camera right, unless I'm mistaken?
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    the supervillain wrote:
    hey all
    whats everyones thoughts on watermarking. maybe i am being paranoid about people stealing my images, but i know how easy it is
    Back in 2005 I did an experiment. This was back when Smugmug only had the "PROOF" watermark, which is a bit invasive, and some customers complained. So I shot two kart races and two motocross races one month and did not watermark any photo. Sales plunged more than 90%. Yikes! So yes, people will screen grab. Its works well enough to put on their cell phone, their Facebook, and honestly the 4x6 print isn't that bad. ESPECIALLY IF ITS FREE!

    The following month all photos got watermarked and sales for the new races jumped right up to where they belong.

    I had a teenage kart racer once ask me how he could get his photos without the "PROOF" across it. Honestly, he bascially admitted to screen capturing. When I mentioned he could buy them off that very same website he just walked away. A parent thought he was honestly paying me a compliement when he mentioned he screen grabbed an image and used it as a transparent background for his custom stationary. The list goes on. :(

    I don't trust people not to screen grab because too many of them have shown me they can't be trusted not to.
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
    Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
    My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    NeilL wrote:
    Yes, I asked more-or-less the same question.

    Thing is if someone did "steal" an image, what would they do with it? The quality they would have would only be good for showing small on the internet, not for printing, or at least not for saleable printing. So, how could it be of any benefit?

    Nice stuff in your gallery.
    For one, its not "stealing", it really honestly is stealing. No quotes! How could you consider it otherwise? As far as it being of benefit to the person who did the stealing, they are using it for something, to it obviously has some benefit to them. Lastly, the real problem is the photographer is not getting compensated for the equipment, the skills, the time involved with the capture.

    All of that is just wrong.
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
    Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
    My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    NeilL wrote:
    That's a family resemblance flying in from camera right, unless I'm mistaken?
    nod.gif my youngest boy.
    Andy

    Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    @ mercphoto

    Bill, good to get some "facts of life" talk!thumb.gif
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • the supervillainthe supervillain Registered Users Posts: 177 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    thanks for the replies!

    i am of the same mind mercphoto, the watermark may be a bit 'invasive', but this is my work and i put a lot of time and effort into it, i dont want someone just screengrabbing it and off they go.

    so my next question is, what do you think of my watermark, i am basically concerned with it detracting from the image at all. some of the shots its okay, then others i look at, it seems to be a bit overpowering.

    on a side note, i use the watermarking feature in smugmug, and leave my originals without it on my computer, is there any advantage either way, or is it 'six of one, half a dozen of the other' :)
    --Craig...
    shoots things with a D80, an F1, and a Diana F+

    My Gallery
    Sign the guestbook :)!!
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    the supervillain wrote:
    so my next question is, what do you think of my watermark, i am basically concerned with it detracting from the image at all. some of the shots its okay, then others i look at, it seems to be a bit overpowering.
    I like it. I might change mine as a result. Mine is more like the "X" in Andy's photo.
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
    Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
    My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    Andy wrote:
    nod.gif my youngest boy.

    Trust, for your sake, you're at least the next belt up! mwink.gif
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
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