Protecting Graphics

[orianag]

I'm an artist who sells my work online; in my own sites I have disabled right click and the annoying Internet Explorer image bar, so those pages are safe. But I also offer free e-cards on my site through Bravenet & want to add others. MY PROBLEM is when users click on an image to see it enlarged, it brings up a page from my website where the image is hosted, but I can't figure out how to protect it, because the format for the image source is: www.mysite.imageNAME.jpg

These aren't pages in the usual sense, just a blank page with an image on it. IS THERE ANY HTML I can put on my INDEX page to protect all images accessed from my site? (Or any other method!)

If you want to see an example of what I mean, click here:

http://pub25.bravenet.com/postcard/post.php?usernum=2141716547


Lest you think I'm paranoid, I've learned the hard way about putting my work out for all to steal!

Thanks for any bright ideas you may have.
Oriana:confused:

[nkaisare]

What if someone takes screen shot and the uses an image editing tool to get your image. You may find ways to prevent other stuff, but how will you prevent this?

In your current method, I can still read your source code, get the url of the image and use that to obtain the image. Besides, the image will be stored in my browser's cache.

Probably the best way to protect your work is to have a digital watermark. That way, you can know for sure if someone uses your image.

[jdavia]

Originally posted by orianag
I'm an artist who sells my work online; in my own sites I have disabled right click and the annoying Internet Explorer image bar, so those pages are safe.
Lest you think I'm paranoid, I've learned the hard way about putting my work out for all to steal!

Thanks for any bright ideas you may have.
Oriana:confused:
Do you really think your pages are protected!
If you value your work so much, do not post it on the web. There is no other way to protect it, Period. This has been answered so many times on this forum.
I've been in your code. You have no Mets tags in the head. Right! And I can get at your images and cards if I wanted to. That's how unsafe the Web is.

[pyro]

The best way to "protect" you images is with a watermark... Easy to overlay, hard to remove...

[jdavia]

Originally posted by pyro
The best way to "protect" you images is with a watermark... Easy to overlay, hard to remove...
Right, It cuts down the odds. But it can be done, and it is not so hard. Print Screen.

[pyro]

Even if your print the screen, the watermark will still be there... I know that they can be removed, but it might make it not worth the time.

[jdavia]

Originally posted by pyro
Even if your print the screen, the watermark will still be there... I know that they can be removed, but it might make it not worth the time.
I forgot how I done that but someone had a site with a watermarked image and dared anyone to steal it. He took all possible means away from view so I printed the screen and pasted it in a program than copied it to another name. I don't remember doing anything else. (even though I might have)??

[pyro]

You must have done more, if the watermark was overlayed on the actual graphic. The only way to remove it is to time-consumingly brush over the image removing it...

[jdavia]

Originally posted by pyro
You must have done more, if the watermark was overlayed on the actual graphic. The only way to remove it is to time-consumingly brush over the image removing it...
Yes, you are right. I did do a clone over it. Better than the brush. You get close to the actual texture. Thanks for refreshing my mind. It is getting a little slow.

[nkaisare]

A digital watermark is very difficult to remove. I dont know how its done, but there is a way. Unsuspecting plagiarists will just use your image (why screen shot and edit image when you can right click and save it?). You know the watermark exists and you can identify it. But again, its a enormous task to keep tab on who might have possibly downloaded the image.

[jdavia]

Originally posted by nkaisare
A digital watermark is very difficult to remove. I dont know how its done, but there is a way. Unsuspecting plagiarists will just use your image (why screen shot and edit image when you can right click and save it?). You know the watermark exists and you can identify it. But again, its a enormous task to keep tab on who might have possibly downloaded the image.
I don't think you read the whole thread. There was a no right click.

[starrwriter]

How about having a java applet display the image? Never saw that discussed before. Would the image still be placed in the browser cache? I know you can't run an applet without having the supporting .class file(s) and I don't think they are cached.

[jdavia]

Originally posted by starrwriter
How about having a java applet display the image? Never saw that discussed before. Would the image still be placed in the browser cache? I know you can't run an applet without having the supporting .class file(s) and I don't think they are cached.
If you can see it you can have it.
As a last resort, you can go to where the site is stored with a downloader program and get everything, images and all. As it was said before, if it is on the web it can be had. PERIOD.

[Robert Wellock]

I've seen Java Applet Image Protection being sold as product and I easily managed to bypass that form of security.

The site owners reckoned it couldn't be done if you used their product so I proved them wrong with the sample image they protected.

All I needed to grab and download the real images directly from their site was the Mozilla Browser.

[nkaisare]

I was suggesting enable right click and have a digital watermark. People will do the easiest thing available to them: right click -> save. This way, the full image including the watermark is saved and you can recognize the copyright violation.

Another related question I have is that if someone sends e-greeting to himself and then "steals" the image... how do you propose to stop that.

In a nutshell, web is a free world. Trying to stop individuals from "stealing" is impossible. You could protect against commercial copying by recourse to the law :confused:

[orianag]

Thanks to everyone for so many quick replies. I do watermark my images on my site, I was just hoping for a magic bullet for when they are less in my control.

Oriana:(