"protecting" images from download?

[jimhanus]

joscari,
I've had a lot of images "stolen" over the years. I watermark the best ones or ones that have been previously stolen. I've also had people actually link to the original file and use it as a page background or in a blog. When I find those I change the image on the server (keeping the same file name) to something that says "This image stolen" or with a copyright notice over the whole image. They eventually get changed and it makes me feel slightly better. I did have one image from Alaska used in a news article about an earthquake in Alaska without my permission. The newspaper pulled the photo when I informed them the photo was taken over 1,000 miles from where the earthquake happened, and had nothing to do with the area in question.

Jim

[gwpriester]

The utility I use is Encrypt Web Pro. Unlike simple scripts that disable right button clicking (you can usually still drag the image off the page onto the desktop), you can disable right button, image caching, printing, text selection, Acrobat web capture, print screen (though I do not recommend this because it brings up a warning that may scare users off your site). You can make your page expire immediately to prevent disc caching and you can enable Kill Frame which prevents people adding your site to an iframe on their website. And for all the good it does, you can add a warning message and a copyright notice that appears if someone attempts to right click on an image.

Of course as was demonstrated several years ago when I tried to add this to my stereograms website, those who want to get around this, can and will. But like a lock, it keeps most honest people from stealing your images. But the bottom line is, if you put it on the web, it can be stolen.

Some things you can do. If you post JPEG images, use a fair amount of compression (say 50-70%). This makes the images all but impossible to scale upwards. Don't post really large images. An image at 6 inches at 96dpi will reduce down to a commercially printable image of 3-4 inches. And as Jim suggests, add a faint watermark to your images.

[jimhanus]

Gary,
That software sounds interesting. Do you have a site that is currently using it?

Jim

[scruffy.thedog]

It look likes it protects on the page or can be it applied at the server side to a whole site gary rather than individual pages?

[edm3]

Good pile of info there folks!

I've decided to only use small, low-res images for the most part.

Cheers!

[gwpriester]

That software sounds interesting. Do you have a site that is currently using it?

I have used it on my wife's painting website http://www.mary-carter.com/ The copy is not locked down. I would think this makes it easier for search engines to find it though I may be full of bologna.

[gwpriester]

Ack and double ack and %^$%$#@!@#$@!!!

This site too http://www.ortega-wine-label-design.com/index.html

I checked after I posted my response because I know that this client specifically did not want their label designs to be copied. And I had recently migrated this site to Designer from NetObjects Fusion. I found that I had not copy protected the images. Then I found that I had deleted the site files!!!

I was able to go back through the backup files and find the most recent version. But then I had deleted the file with the flash files. And when I published the site using FTP it looked like a real dog's breakfast.

Fortunately I was able to find the flash files and I think all is back in order.

I need a drink.

[Deltapete]

Hi Gary, sorry but it was 5 seconds work to copy a picture from the wine site, via the snipping tool that comes as standard with Vista & Win7.
I was going to attach the pic but thought better of it
I think as everyone else has said, it's impossible to stop people who want to, from copying and using your web content. All you can do is make it unusable in anywhere else, with a watermark or low resolution.
Regards,
Peter

[pauland]

Beautiful labels. I think I might start collecting the Marilyn wines..