So you want to protect your art/photography from theives and rippers?

It's a sad truth: they are everywhere. Both the young child who hasn't been taught about the rules and laws surrounding artwork and copyright, and the malicious thief who hacks a server to access a picture and claim it as his own. We must start by educating the young.
"But where to go from there?" you ask.

I have some suggestions. With questions and answers.

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1. FULL LEGAL COPYRIGHT
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Q. But I thought anything I thought up is already legally mine?

A. It is, but if you have no proof that you are the one that thought it up that means nothing. Proof is everything.

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Q. I've uploaded my art/photographs to a site that displays a copyright mark. Isn't that enough?

A. It's a start, but it gives you no true legal rights. You can use it as evidence if it has a date associated with it. If it doesn't have a date, it doesn't mean anything legally.

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Q. So how do I get a full legal copyright?

A. You can usually send in a CD with a copy of your art/photographs with a common "theme," which can be anything from a particular shoot, day, subject matter, or year. Exaclty how depends on the country. You can usually search for "Copyright Application," "Copyright Laws," or something along those lines and find a government site.

Some examples: Canada, USA

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Q. So what rights does this actually give me?

A. It will give you FULL legal rights. If someone tries to take your work or do something unauthorized with it your government will back you up in your effort to get compensation.


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2. MARKING
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Q. Won't marking my image ruin it?

A. Some types of markings can detract or distract from the focus of the picture. But there are many ways in which you can do it and it will be tasteful.

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Q. What are some of the ways to mark an image, and what are their downfalls?

A.
a) Signature - Your basic either penned signature, Stylized name, or a trademark logo in a corner where it is out of the main view. This one is the most commonly used. It is not actively drawing the attention of the viewer, but it can easily be cropped out and only people familiar with your work will know it's been ripped. Best for both digital and physical copies of your work.

b) Embedding - This is the process of taking the information about the picture (and you) and encrypting it into the actual file, and it can be read by increasingly more photo programs. Some cameras do it automatically with the camera information, and you can then go into PhotoShop and add your information. Only problem with this is it is not readily viewable: you must open the file in a program that will read it to view it, and it can potentially be changed.

c) Watermarking - This is the least-liked way, but it the most effective. It lets whoever see the image know that this is a copyrighted image and who it belongs to. There are tactful ways of doing it so it is not overly distracting. You can place the text over a textured area of the image, and decrease its opacity to the desired level. I recommend textured because it is harder for a potential thief to rub it out. (For more information on watermarking, please see [link] by =Elandria.)

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Q. Can't my markings be removed? So what's the point?

A. Yes they can, but it means that effort must be placed into the stealing/ripping of your photo. Most theives and rippers want something quick because they don't have the time, patience, or talent to create the image themselves. The more effort you make them put into claiming your work, the less likely they are to try.


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3.SMALL RESOLUTION FILES
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Q. You don't want to see my best?

A. We want to see your best, but in reality, anything biger than the size of the screen can be awkward to view. And bigger files lend rippers (false) legitamacy if there hasn't been a copyright placed on it. If you and someone else have the same size file unedited who can say who truly created it?

Save work in progress (WIP) when editing a photo, or drawing your own picture. That shows you were the one doing it. If you show your WIPs, mark them, and save more then you show.

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Q. What's the average screen size?

A: 600 x 800 is the standard.




Thanks to =Elandria for her To Watermark or To Not Watermark.....; *Elvandia to submit to my questioning; and ~skyfiery for overlooking, editing, and adding to it.