protecting digital content

[gizmo]

Subject: ownership protection for both, online and printed photoshop images

First of all, is it even possible? This is my first time posting here. Before showing PS images online, I would like to know if there is a standard method (watermark, etc) the forum members depend on to help protect digital content ownership? Is there a recommended step-by-step tutorial available? My mission is to find the most effective way to do this. Thanks for replies.

 

[IamSam]

Hello and welcome.

You can watermark any work but the only way to truly protect your work will be to NOT post it on the internet at all. Most watermarking can easily be defeated if someone wants to do so.

I would like to know if there is a standard method (watermark, etc) the forum members depend on to help protect digital content ownership?

Not really. Some watermarks can take longer to erase, but overall it's not that effective. I don't want to discourage you at all, you should at least make the effort to watermark your work so that only the truly relentless will make the effort to photoshop out the watermark and "borrow your work".

This style requires some work to defeat, but it would be fairly simple to remove.....


But this one makes it almost impossible to remove. It does distract from the image but it's very effective.


It's said that stroking your watermark makes it much harder to remove. I'm not sure it helps much.


Some suggest this style. With reduced opacity and strategic placement, it's considered to be hidden. But it's one of the easiest to remove.


Watermarking is not a guarantee that your work is protected.

 

[IamSam]

You could watch these videos and learn what watermarks would be harder to remove: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Photoshop+removing+watermarks

I think that semi-effective watermarking interferes too much with the image and can still be removed. The best solution is to not post any images larger than 500 pixels in either dimension and lower resolution. In that size, it's too small to reproduce effectively.