Protecting Images

**gwpriester** · 10 January 2013, 10:37 PM

Ingenious (and cheap) method!

**ckh** · 10 January 2013, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by pauland

I think the right mouse click thing is pretty pointless. Anyone who might use your images for commercial gain/as their own/whatever in such a way as to cause you financial loss, is also most likely savvy enough to know where those images are and how easy it is to get them (either from the browser cache, or via the direct link in the HTML, or a screengrab, or .. ).

There are solutions out there that use PHP to watermark images "on the fly" so that the end user can't get at the non-watermarked version. I think that's a far better solution.

Alternatively, it should be possible to batch-edit (outside Xara) a group of source photographs to add a watermark before you add them to the site.

I agree, watermarking is the best solution. It's simple enough to grab an image even if there is an invisible image overtop. Regarding the hotel, 16526.jpg, took less than 10 seconds in FireFox, so rightclick enabled or not isn't truly effective.

Encrypting html is pointless, which is more obfuscating than encrypting. Even if the html was truly encrypted, in order for your browser to display the page properly, it would need to be decrypted. Rather than spend the money on something to obfuscate the html, purchasing a program that does mass watermarking, IIRC, some will watermark, create thumbnails, and resize in one package.

**trukkerz** · 11 January 2013, 12:51 PM

i didnt say it was unbeatable - it only helps with the right click - just out of interest what did you do in firefox to get the image ??

cheerz

**pauland** · 11 January 2013, 01:45 PM

If you right-click over the hotel, and then choose "view image info", you will see your transparent image displayed and a list of every other image loaded on the page. The actual hotel image is the next one up on the list. It even lets you save it..

**trukkerz** · 11 January 2013, 02:37 PM

ah well back to the drawing board lol :-)

Cheerz

**ckh** · 11 January 2013, 02:54 PM

In firefox all you need to do is rightclick, then select view page info and click on the media tab which will list all the media on the page individually. You can click on each image link and it displays the image and allows you to copy the url or save the image to your computer.

**pauland** · 11 January 2013, 03:13 PM

The main message is that anyone with plain old firefox has immediate access to any image loaded by the browser, regardless of whatever protection scheme you might try and apply to a web page.

Batch processed watermarks and server-side automated watermarking don't have this vulnerability.

Personally, I think to worry about people running away with your artwork is mostly unfounded.

Just show images on the page that are at resolutions that make them unusable for most commercial practices. Most people grabbing images wouldn't be buying them in any event, nor are they using them for commercial gain, so in that respect they should have no impact on anyone.

If the images really are valuable, watermark them properly.

**Egg Bramhill** · 11 January 2013, 06:38 PM

It's easy enough to watermark your images as you create your site. Just create your watermark, place it over the image, select both and group.

See attached xar

**Coastguard** · 11 January 2013, 06:57 PM

Hi

You could ghost your url over the picture, light enough not to ovet power the subject image but enough to spoil a copy.

This is a way of protectin your work and promoting your website at the same time.

Mike.

**MLong** · 20 June 2014, 05:46 PM

If interested, I just wanted to add that you can batch process and copyright images using Adobe Lightroom or Paint Shop Pro Photo. Both of these programs are reasonable to purchase and both will batch process the image. I typically use Lightroom to watermark because I can also reduce the size and quality of the image while saving the copyright onto the image all at the same time. Very quick and simple. I just make sure that I have it save the new set of images in a new folder (typically named Web Ready Images). Any time I post an image to the web, I resize it and copyright it. I figure if people do right-click-save the image it isn't going to give them a very nice print if that is what they are going for. If they just want to post it on their blog or facebook, etc. it will be promoting my business by the copyright on the image.

I just thought I would share. Now, if I could only get busy and finish my darn website so I could get it live on the web. ;-)