When You Find A Picture Taken by You ...

Shaktipalooza · Dec 29th, 2007, 06:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by machadinha

Just out of interest, aren't those watermarks quite easily removed with a decent photo editor? I reckon publishing your pics on the web in a low resolution is the more sure-fire solution indeed.

I'd have to see the watermark but generally no, it can't be removed without obvious degradation of the image. Unless of course your referring to technology only available to the CSI crime labs

machadinha · Dec 29th, 2007, 06:24

LOL OK, I'm not much into the field. There was some recent case involving a heavily scrambled pic being unscrambled by some secret service or somesuch yes; but I reckon this isn't available at the cornershop yet. (But then you never know, do you

)

PeakXV · Dec 29th, 2007, 07:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by machadinha

There was some recent case involving a heavily scrambled pic being unscrambled by some secret service or somesuch yes; but I reckon this isn't available at the cornershop yet. (But then you never know, do you

)

Well Interpol caught that Canadian pervert in Thailand - so they are doing so great work with digital sleuthing.

Shaktipalooza · Dec 29th, 2007, 07:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by machadinha

LOL OK, I'm not much into the field. There was some recent case involving a heavily scrambled pic being unscrambled by some secret service or somesuch yes; but I reckon this isn't available at the cornershop yet. (But then you never know, do you

)

It's not really a matter of unscrambling anything. A watermark is an inexorable part of the image file. There is no image 'behind' a watermark, the watermark IS the image.

machadinha · Dec 29th, 2007, 08:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeakXV

Well Interpol caught that Canadian pervert in Thailand - so they are doing so great work with digital sleuthing.

That's probably the case I was referring to yes. The thing is I can think of wider applications.

btw Thanks for insights Shakti. Clarifies it.

mridula · Dec 29th, 2007, 11:04

I know this will sound incredibly dumb but what is a water mark?

machadinha · Dec 29th, 2007, 11:34

Um, traditionally, (good) paper has a "watermark" embedded in it; an emblem and/or phrase identifying the maker. It's usually barely visible, you need to hold it against the light or so. I guess this stems from the days when the art of making paper had been reinvented and was really quite something (or less favorably: When it was deemed desirable to be able to retrace the origins of messages written on such paper. Did you hear the story about some printers having a unique tag to identify the [make of the] printer?)

The name has been extended to techniques to add a digital signature to pics, in an attempt to render them unique (if my explanation is correct). See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterma...ambiguation%29

LilyB · Dec 29th, 2007, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaktipalooza

I'd have to see the watermark but generally no, it can't be removed without obvious degradation of the image.

Actually, in the hands of an experienced Photoshop user, almost anything can be removed from a photo without any noticeable degradation of the image, including watermarks, eyeglasses, wrinkles, extra pounds...

It helps to have a high resolution image to begin with though.

Mridula, I'm glad to hear that you managed to work out a satisfying conclusion to the miscredit of your photo.

Shaktipalooza · Dec 29th, 2007, 13:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilyB

Actually, in the hands of an experienced Photoshop user, almost anything can be removed from a photo without any noticeable degradation of the image, including watermarks, eyeglasses, wrinkles, extra pounds...

It helps to have a high resolution image to begin with though.

Mridula, I'm glad to hear that you managed to work out a satisfying conclusion to the miscredit of your photo.

That would mean you started off with a very poorly designed watermark.

LilyB · Dec 30th, 2007, 01:39

Some make it difficult, sure, to the point where it wouldn't be worth the effort to most people, but many watermarks I've seen are fairly useless anyway, because they were not applied to the important part of an image or were not large enough. And, like I said, it helps (necessary, actually, if you want a good final product) to have a high resolution image to start with any time you start retouching.

Anyway, I agree that a properly applied watermark is a good deterrent to theft and anyone who is worried about having their pictures stolen should think about using one.

Disclaimer: I don't make a habit of stealing other peoples photos but as a graphic designer and former employee of a photo studio who specialized in rebuilding heavily damaged photos, I've been doing photo retouching for a lot of years and know my capabilities.

karuna · Jan 6th, 2008, 01:29

mridula,

I just wanted to post in support and solidarity here because a few days ago I discovered that somebody had ripped off my entire website. I don't mean they stole a bit of content without referencing it, I mean they copied and pasted all the source code, the whole design and content, hotlinked my images and changed the name and one photo to their own.

How much time and effort and energy did I, a complete novice, put into that stupid site? And it's copied and pasted in the blink of an eye. Someone else's face peering out at me from my own website made me feel physically sick. I couldn't bear to look at it. BTW, how dumb must you be to steal a website and then publish your own name and photo on it?

An email to the offender's webhosting company seems to have done the trick for now. But looking into other similar cases it's a really difficult area it seems, and there's little you can do to protect yourself. So be warned, there are some completely unprincipled people out there.

ColinT · Jan 6th, 2008, 01:47

That is incredible Karuna. If the person who did that isn't going to make money from stealing your work (maybe they are, I don't know) then why would they do it? Where is the satsfaction in putting forward someone else's work as your owm?

"So be warned, there are some completely unprincipled people out there." -

you're not kidding!

Nick-H · Jan 6th, 2008, 02:35

Karuna... that is a pain.

You might like a story from BoingBoing.net a few weeks back --- same thing happened to a guy, and they even linked to the graphics on his server.

So he subtly replaced some of the graphic devices with penises --- and it was several days before they noticed.

karuna · Jan 6th, 2008, 02:48

I did consider it but unfortunately my coding skills weren't up to the job.

And this guy DID want to make money from it. Whilst researching what I could do about it, I came across someone whose entire website was stolen by a web design company and passed off as their own work- so it doesn't matter if your site is commerical or not, it could just be stolen because it looks nice. Scum scum scum.

Nick-H · Jan 6th, 2008, 03:05

Yep.

The guy I read about was a pro... it was a commercial site that was ripped off for commercial reasons!

Dec 29th, 2007, 06:24	#62
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,357	LOL OK, I'm not much into the field. There was some recent case involving a heavily scrambled pic being unscrambled by some secret service or somesuch yes; but I reckon this isn't available at the cornershop yet. (But then you never know, do you ) __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Dec 29th, 2007, 11:04	#66
mridula Sair Kar Duniya Ki Galib , Jindagani Fir Kahan ... Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 2,586	I know this will sound incredibly dumb but what is a water mark? __________________ Mridula Travel Tales from India

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Dec 29th, 2007, 11:34	#67
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,357	Um, traditionally, (good) paper has a "watermark" embedded in it; an emblem and/or phrase identifying the maker. It's usually barely visible, you need to hold it against the light or so. I guess this stems from the days when the art of making paper had been reinvented and was really quite something (or less favorably: When it was deemed desirable to be able to retrace the origins of messages written on such paper. Did you hear the story about some printers having a unique tag to identify the [make of the] printer?) The name has been extended to techniques to add a digital signature to pics, in an attempt to render them unique (if my explanation is correct). See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterma...ambiguation%29

Dec 30th, 2007, 01:39	#70
LilyB Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Washington State, USA Posts: 61	Some make it difficult, sure, to the point where it wouldn't be worth the effort to most people, but many watermarks I've seen are fairly useless anyway, because they were not applied to the important part of an image or were not large enough. And, like I said, it helps (necessary, actually, if you want a good final product) to have a high resolution image to start with any time you start retouching. Anyway, I agree that a properly applied watermark is a good deterrent to theft and anyone who is worried about having their pictures stolen should think about using one. Disclaimer: I don't make a habit of stealing other peoples photos but as a graphic designer and former employee of a photo studio who specialized in rebuilding heavily damaged photos, I've been doing photo retouching for a lot of years and know my capabilities.

Jan 6th, 2008, 01:29	#71
karuna Just a big girl with a small dream Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A little town you've probably never heard of Posts: 2,976	mridula, I just wanted to post in support and solidarity here because a few days ago I discovered that somebody had ripped off my entire website. I don't mean they stole a bit of content without referencing it, I mean they copied and pasted all the source code, the whole design and content, hotlinked my images and changed the name and one photo to their own. How much time and effort and energy did I, a complete novice, put into that stupid site? And it's copied and pasted in the blink of an eye. Someone else's face peering out at me from my own website made me feel physically sick. I couldn't bear to look at it. BTW, how dumb must you be to steal a website and then publish your own name and photo on it? An email to the offender's webhosting company seems to have done the trick for now. But looking into other similar cases it's a really difficult area it seems, and there's little you can do to protect yourself. So be warned, there are some completely unprincipled people out there.

Jan 6th, 2008, 01:47	#72
ColinT Future Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: UK Posts: 334	That is incredible Karuna. If the person who did that isn't going to make money from stealing your work (maybe they are, I don't know) then why would they do it? Where is the satsfaction in putting forward someone else's work as your owm? "So be warned, there are some completely unprincipled people out there." - you're not kidding!

Jan 6th, 2008, 02:35	#73
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,173	Karuna... that is a pain. You might like a story from BoingBoing.net a few weeks back --- same thing happened to a guy, and they even linked to the graphics on his server. So he subtly replaced some of the graphic devices with penises --- and it was several days before they noticed.

Jan 6th, 2008, 02:48	#74
karuna Just a big girl with a small dream Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: A little town you've probably never heard of Posts: 2,976	I did consider it but unfortunately my coding skills weren't up to the job. And this guy DID want to make money from it. Whilst researching what I could do about it, I came across someone whose entire website was stolen by a web design company and passed off as their own work- so it doesn't matter if your site is commerical or not, it could just be stolen because it looks nice. Scum scum scum.

Jan 6th, 2008, 03:05	#75
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,173	Yep. The guy I read about was a pro... it was a commercial site that was ripped off for commercial reasons!