Protecting your photos

lambad

When I load photos to my smugmug site I click "on" the 'right-mouse-click' and 'proof' features. This smacks a little of unearned photo-pride to me (can't think of the correct term) since I'm only a beginner. So... what size should I make my photos before I upload them to smugmug so that they can't be copy/pasted successfully from my smugmug page to someone else's computer software such as MS Word? And if I do load them to smugmug after resizing them to a very small pixel size on my photo-editing software first, how could someone order a print of the true original size (since the original size wouldn't be uploaded to smugmug)? Do you see my dilemma? Thanks.

landrum

lambad wrote:

When I load photos to my smugmug site I click "on" the 'right-mouse-click' and 'proof' features. This smacks a little of unearned photo-pride to me (can't think of the correct term) since I'm only a beginner. So... what size should I make my photos before I upload them to smugmug so that they can't be copy/pasted successfully from my smugmug page to someone else's computer software such as MS Word? And if I do load them to smugmug after resizing them to a very small pixel size on my photo-editing software first, how could someone order a print of the true original size (since the original size wouldn't be uploaded to smugmug)? Do you see my dilemma? Thanks.

The size you have uploaded right now won't print well if someone orders anything. You have a Pro account, so you can turn off access to original and large file viewing. You have the right click disabled and the watermarking on, so you are pretty safe there with uploading your original images. Your images are on everyone's computer who looks at your page...you can't avoid that. Prints worth anything can't be made, however, with all the safeties on.

Laurie

lambad

Laurie, the sizes I have now won't print well if someone orders them? Arrggh! I have some photos in my galleries that state on smugmug "Original size: 1528x1218. Current: 800x638". 1528x1218 won't print well for orders???

What size should I download to smugmug to have my "Original" size large enough for quality prints (at minimum 8x11 size approx) and yet turn off access to Original and Large for viewing (and have the photo pixels small enuf to prevent someone from copy/pasting?) As I understand it, when someone orders a print, the company prints it from the "Original". (?)

My goal: to put photos up for sale, pixel small enuf so that the photos wouldn't be worth their salt for theft, yet have an Original size large enough for quality prints if someone orders them. I'm :confused at this point.

Thanks, Beth

GREAPER

lambad wrote:

Laurie, the sizes I have now won't print well if someone orders them? Arrggh! I have some photos in my galleries that state on smugmug "Original size: 1528x1218. Current: 800x638". 1528x1218 won't print well for orders???

What size should I download to smugmug to have my "Original" size large enough for quality prints (at minimum 8x11 size approx) and yet turn off access to Original and Large for viewing (and have the photo pixels small enuf to prevent someone from copy/pasting?) As I understand it, when someone orders a print, the company prints it from the "Original". (?)

My goal: to put photos up for sale, pixel small enuf so that the photos wouldn't be worth their salt for theft, yet have an Original size large enough for quality prints if someone orders them. I'm :confused at this point.

Thanks, Beth

I dont know if you are not understanding, or if I am not...

Upload the largest highest quality file you can and still be under the 8MB per file upload limit.

go to customise gallery and turn original and large images off.

A visitor to your site will be able to see a 400 by xxx image, and no larger.

If they like it and order a print, smugmug will use the original full size image to make the print. Visitors to your page will never see the full size one or have the chance to save it. If they want to print a postage stamp with PROOF written on it, they can save the medium one, otherwise they are SOL.

I hope this clears it up.

landrum

GREAPER wrote:

I dont know if you are not understanding, or if I am not...

Upload the largest highest quality file you can and still be under the 8MB per file upload limit.

go to customise gallery and turn original and large images off.

A visitor to your site will be able to see a 400 by xxx image, and no larger.

If they like it and order a print, smugmug will use the original full size image to make the print. Visitors to your page will never see the full size one or have the chance to save it. If they want to print a postage stamp with PROOF written on it, they can save the medium one, otherwise they are SOL.

I hope this clears it up.

Thanks Greaper...you put it much better than I did!

lambad

Thanks. Makes sense. ....and i'm sure it was me not understanding.

lambad

GREAPER, i'm really sorry but hafta ask a couple questions still... you mention that if i upload the highest quality photo i can, and turn original and large images off, then a visitor will only be able to see a 400 by xxx image -- that if they want to print this it will be the size of a postage stamp.

:confused Couldn't the visitor copy/paste the Medium photo to their printer (with good quality photo paper in it) and thus obtain a decent quality photo?

:confused And clarification... i currently have a photo on smugmug, for example, that is 181KB, and I have "large" and "original" turned off, but the "current size" is 800x544. How would I keep the visitor from seeing the 400 by xxx you mention above?

:confused An aside, I'm beginning to realize that an 8MP photo upload is quite large. Guess I'd need to put my camera on "Fine" setting? Or even "Raw" -- to obtain that large a photo file?

Thanks again for your help.

landrum

lambad wrote:

:confused Couldn't the visitor copy/paste the Medium photo to their printer (with good quality photo paper in it) and thus obtain a decent quality photo?

Yes, a visitor could copy a med photo to print, but it won't turn out that well unless printed quite small. Log out and try copying one of your own photos and then print it to see how it turns out. If you have the right click protect on then they have to go thru quite a bit if they want to copy it, but if you have "Proof" written across it then there really isn't anything worth printing anyway.

lambad wrote:

:confused An aside, I'm beginning to realize that an 8MP photo upload is quite large. Guess I'd need to put my camera on "Fine" setting? Or even "Raw" -- to obtain that large a photo file?

With a 5mp camera (5700, right?) you probably won't be uploading any 8meg jpegs. You just need to upload the best quality photo you have and then use the security precautions provided by Smugmug. Don't worry so much...the options that smugmug provide are very good.


Hope that helps!

Laurie

GREAPER

lambad wrote:

GREAPER, i'm really sorry but hafta ask a couple questions still... you mention that if i upload the highest quality photo i can, and turn original and large images off, then a visitor will only be able to see a 400 by xxx image -- that if they want to print this it will be the size of a postage stamp.

:confused Couldn't the visitor copy/paste the Medium photo to their printer (with good quality photo paper in it) and thus obtain a decent quality photo?

:confused And clarification... i currently have a photo on smugmug, for example, that is 181KB, and I have "large" and "original" turned off, but the "current size" is 800x544. How would I keep the visitor from seeing the 400 by xxx you mention above?

:confused An aside, I'm beginning to realize that an 8MP photo upload is quite large. Guess I'd need to put my camera on "Fine" setting? Or even "Raw" -- to obtain that large a photo file?

Thanks again for your help.

You are right about the size of the medium being 800 x xxx but go into your software and look at what size that will print at 300 dpi, roughly 1.5"x2", even if they decrease the dpi to 200, making the print quality marginal at best, they will only get a 2.5"x3" image. The resolution is too low to get a quality print, or even to use as a desktop background.

If you have a 5 mega pixel camera, the 8 megabyte upper limit on smugmug upload sizes will not affect you. You can upload your full size highest quality jpg without a concern.

I wont get into raw vs jpg, but you at least be shooting at your HIGHEST quality jpg setting. Memory cards are cheap and if you get the shot of a lifetime at a low res setting, it wont be good for anything but sticking in your album at home.

at your highest quality jpg at 5 mp you can make a fairly large print, 11x14 or so anyway.

lambad

Landrum and GREAPER, thanks for your responses. They are helpful. Yes, I should not worry so much, especially for someone who doesn't know how to shoot yet. Kinda makes me ! Guess i only ask my brain says i won't ever take a shot as good as the last one, so gotta remember a joe farace comment that went something like "...doesn't really matter what you do--someone will always find a way to outsmart online photo protection; I don't worry about it since I know my best shots haven't yet been taken!"

I'll put these questions to bed now.

yvonne

landrum wrote:

Yes, a visitor could copy a med photo to print, but it won't turn out that well unless printed quite small. Log out and try copying one of your own photos and then print it to see how it turns out. If you have the right click protect on then they have to go thru quite a bit if they want to copy it, but if you have "Proof" written across it then there really isn't anything worth printing anyway.Hope that helps!

Laurie

What? I thought with right-click protect you can't copy files??? So they can still nick my photos? How? I don't really want to put "proof" all over them, as I think it looks c*rp.

Actually, an aside to this, and I know it's been asked elsewhere, but can we have a facility to choose our watermark text please? I.e. not "proof"?

mercphoto

Copy protection

yvonne wrote:

What? I thought with right-click protect you can't copy files??? So they can still nick my photos? How? I don't really want to put "proof" all over them, as I think it looks c*rp.

Fundamentally, if it is on their screen (even in the web browser) its already on their computer. All they need to do is find a way to save it to a file. Screen snapshots, disabling Java script, several different ways to approach this.

This is why software, music, movies, etc. are so hard to keep from being pirated once they are in digital form. Photos are no different.

I use right-click protection, I disable original and large files, but I don't watermark. Its the best compromise I see, as the "medium" picture size isn't good for much anyway.

landrum

yvonne wrote:

What? I thought with right-click protect you can't copy files??? So they can still nick my photos? How? I don't really want to put "proof" all over them, as I think it looks c*rp.

Actually, an aside to this, and I know it's been asked elsewhere, but can we have a facility to choose our watermark text please? I.e. not "proof"?

If Java Script is disabled, then the right click protection doesn't work. Most people don't disable it because there are some sites that won't work without it, or they don't know about it or how to do it. Everything that you view on your computer is saved in the cache (all graphics, photos, etc). So even without bypassing the right click protection, someone can go into their cache and find the photos they viewed. That is why restricting the output size is very important. With the largest view possible being medium, they can't get much from it anyway. If you have large image viewing blocked you're okay. Try saving one of your own medium photos and then print it. You'll see that it doesn't come out all that great.

Now, that being said... The majority of people don't know about this or how to find the cache even. Someone has to REALLY want the pictures to do this because it isn't just a super quick thing. I have disabled original and large viewing, and enabled the right click protection on my site. I don't us the watermarking because I too think it's a little obtrusive. The other measures are plenty...so no worries! Smugmug has done a great job to give us the tools we need to protect our work.