I’m going to deviate a bit from the actual mechanics of photography and talk instead about protecting your artwork on-line. There’s a conundrum that all visual artists face when we decide to share our work with the on-line community: how do we post our images without running the risk of having our art stolen (thought right-click downloads, high-quality screen shots, etc)? I’ve read a number of posts in the Etsy forums about this very topic – new artists always want to know how to protect their work.
Tip #1: Only upload small files at 72 dpi for use on the web.
While it is frustrating for photographers and other visual artists to see the low-resolution files on a monitor that don’t completely convey the true crisp images and saturated colors of the original file, it will prevent potential art thieves from printing your work in large format (the quality will be too low).
Tip #2: Watermark your images.
Another conundrum: do we ruin our work with a huge watermark splashed across the center of our image? One solution is to make your watermark very subtle:
or to move your watermark to the lower corner of your image:
Both styles allow the viewer to see the central image, but it requires some serious Photoshop skills on the part of a thief to remove or obscure the text.
Tip #3: Do not sell digital files of your original artwork.
I see this question frequently: people ask if they should offer digital files as an option for customers to purchase. Unless you are licensing or selling the rights to those images, do not sell digital files of your work. Once a high-quality, un-watermarked digital file leaves your computer, you no longer have control over the reproduction or distribution of the image.
If anyone has other advice to offer on this topic, I welcome everyone to post the information in the “comments” section – the more information we can share with each other, the safer it will be for artists to display and sell their work on-line!
1 week ago
