If You Dont Copyright Your Art and Post It Online Can Someone Use It
A lot of artists I speak with are uncertain well-nigh whether or not their images are condom online—and truthfully, information technology's a valid business organisation. However, there are a few ways you can protect your images (and your copyright) if you lot decide to put your artwork photos on the internet.
Here are 8 of the well-nigh mutual ways to prevent image theft online:
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1. Start with depression resolution images
The net is set up to handle high and depression resolution images. If you lot put up high resolution images, not only are you lot increasing the loading time for your pages but you're also inviting the unscrupulous to download and impress your images.
The all-time resolution settings are from 72 to 96 dots per inch (dpi). These images load quickly, look swell, and print poorly.
two. Proceed your images small
Image size is determined by pixels. (For case, an image that'due south 300 pixels wide is smaller than an paradigm that's 800 pixels wide.)
The reward to smaller images is that they load faster and print small. When they're enlarged, they become pixilated and grainy, which makes them unsuitable for printing for resale (or annihilation else for that affair).
3. Use portions of images
You can always crop your image to show just a portion of the overall blueprint. Depending on your artwork, this may or may not exist an option. The cropped version may even so be bailiwick to copying, and so I don't find it to be a very workable choice for anything but thumbnails.
Hither'south an example of how that looks. This is 1 of my full images:
And here's a cropped version:
Yous can either do the cropping yourself using photo editing software, or let whatever website architect you employ do it. Many platforms at present provide at least three standard size options and automatically calibration or crop your images depending on the size you choose.
4. Add a copyright observe
Granted, this will only stop the people who already obey the laws. Anyone determined to steal your work will steal it no matter what type of copyright detect you use. Just if yous include a copyright notice on each prototype and make it prominent enough, people who might not exist aware of the law might take a second to rethink what they're about to practise.
The text in white at the bottom of the image are my copyright find:
I used to include simply my name, but added my web address after finding images copied with the copyright discover intact. This doesn't keep people from stealing, just at least other people know where the images came from and tin can find me if they wish!
5. Utilise a watermark
Your watermark could exist a copyright notice or a simple logo. Usually, a watermark covers much of the image with a semi-transparent logo or give-and-take that makes the image less useful without totally obscuring it. You tin add watermarks with most photo manipulation programs, similar this:
In the illustration above, I've set the watermark to bear witness up in red and so you lot could see information technology, only almost are either white or blackness.
6. Make it easy for people to contact y'all
This might seem counter-intuitive, merely if yous brand it easy for people to contact you, they're more than likely to ask for permission to use your work. Even if you don't want to requite permission, reject politely and without creating barriers between you and a potential customer.
NOTE: You could also brand low resolution images available at a low toll for people who want things similar desktop or screen saver images. Non only does this give you another artery of possible income; y'all may gain a auction of original work down the road.
7. Take action when you find a violation
Whenever yous find someone using your work without permission, send them a polite email explaining who your are, that they're using your work without permission, and asking them to take the work downwards. Most of the time, they will not be aware that they've done annihilation wrong and will do as you ask. At least that has been my experience.
Give them a chance to comply earlier hitting them with both barrels and a nasty, legal-sounding electronic mail. 24 to 48 hours is a good time catamenia, since many people many not have direct admission to their websites.
If that doesn't work, take a lawyer transport a notice. Most of those who don't respond to your polite email or alphabetic character volition almost likely respond to a letter of the alphabet written on legal letterhead.
8. Disable the correct-click role
If you manage your own website, and especially if you use WordPress or another popular platform, you may have the option to disable right-clicking on your images. This makes it a flake harder for people to relieve your images to their devices. (They tin still save it using a screenshot, however.)
Unfortunately, the people who are near adamant to steal from you volition find a way to steal from yous no matter what yous do. I encourage you to practise everything you can to protect your images online, but be aware that some people will find a way effectually your safeguards. If that'due south more than y'all want to bargain with, you may want to keep your work offline, or simply make sure that your images are small plenty that those thieves can't sell your artwork themselves, fifty-fifty if they exercise steal it.
We live in a earth in which people think anything that's online is complimentary of accuse and tin be downloaded and used for whatsoever they want. Equally artists, I believe information technology's part of our calling to educate the public to at to the lowest degree enquire kickoff, earlier turning your beautiful painting into a "free" greeting carte or wallpaper.
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Source: https://emptyeasel.com/2017/07/31/8-ways-to-protect-your-artwork-images-from-being-copied-online/
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