Protecting images

[bitsnstuff]

Does anyone know how to protect your images?

I have created a very simple showcase website for my brother's travel photography and need to protect his photographs in some way, so that noone can steal, print or use them without permission.

Is there a way of disabling the right-click?

Thanks,

Kate.

[Richard Conyard]

There is no way to disable right click that anyone wouldn't be able to get passed in a couple of minutes.

You might want to put a watermark on the images diagonally with the site address.

[bitsnstuff]

That is not encouraging!!! I can't even work out how to put the right-click disable on, never mind take one off!!! :oops:

I don't want to use anything which spoils the look of the image, as apart from his showcase website, he also wants offer prints on my site, so the images need to be clear.

Is is possible to do anything to stop them saving or printing the image, as the watermark is just a deterrent, isn't?

Kate.

[Richard Conyard]

Truthfully, there is nothing you can do to 100% stop them. Barriers like disabling right click (listen for the right click event I believe ), are simply mild hurdles.

[epiphany]

It's easy to add right click protection but also fairly useless.

check out this link for a small tutorial
http://www.allwebco-templates.com/support/S_add_rightclick.htm

My advice would be,

use watermarks on the diagonal (a decent photoshopper can get rid of these)

Add right click protection (file>save as gets past this)

Make sure all your pictures are low res (this might make them look less good but it will stop a lot of people trying to nick them)

all those little things combined should help your cause :)

[Richard Conyard]

I was thinking about this a little more - although screen grabs are possible what about embeding them in flash or a java applet?

Not a cure, but an extra step

[epiphany]

You can rip flash with freeware programs, convert them to .fla's and then extract all images :( I have had to do it legitimately a few times for clients that lost contact with their original web designer and no longer had the source files.

[Rob Holmes]

Just a very light, semi-transparent watermark with your web address should do it..

Have a look at how iStockphoto does it..

http://www.istockphoto.com

Unfortunately where theres a will theres always a way.

Rob

[Webstuff]

If they can see the image, they can take it. The basic methods (most mentioned before) are:

-Don't provide full-detail (resolution) images
-Watermark images (a small logo in a corner is both un-obtrusive and helps protect your image

Taking it a step further:

-Specify the META "cache" tag as "don't cache"
-Disable right click
-Disable context menu key
-Embed image in a .fla (that fetches the image at run-time, if possible; this will mean that downloading the flash file won't fetch the image as well)

[bitsnstuff]

Blimey this has got technical!! A little out of my comfort zone. :oops:

Thank you for all your suggestions - I will go off and try to decipher them.

Thanks,

Kate.

[Rob Holmes]

Kate speak to your web site programmer he'll be able help :)

Rob

[bitsnstuff]

I make this site myself, but I may have a word with lovely David Lowe :D

Kate

[Rob Holmes]

I may have a word with lovely David Lowe :D

Thats who I meant ;)

Rob

[bitsnstuff]

Ah!!! :oops:

By the way, thank you very much for the recommendation, he is already sorting out all the problems I had with www.bitsnstuff.co.uk now that I have managed to get my site from the other designer.

I really appreciate the help. :lol:

Kate.

[Rob Holmes]

Anytime :)

Rob

[Doctor-Webby]

At the end of the day the internet works that if someone wants something they can steal it, i would advise a watermark or just put you copyright on it, if you put a terms and conditions of use page on your site and say anyone found using these images without permission is liable for prosecution that will deter most people - but there is no fool proof method anyone with a half decent understanding of PS will be able to get round them