Watermark or not?

[Ladislav]

I finally decided to start my own web gallery. When preparing my initial images I started to ask myself a question: watermark or not? I understand that this is very subjective but I would like to know your opinion why you choose to visually watermark your picture or not?

I've already read multiple blog posts about this topic and so far my thoughts are:

Pros:

• Even a less technical person sees who is the author and can search for other photos from the same person
• Kind of self promotion - I'm just enthusiast and I don't plan to sell my photos so yes, it is about ego

Cons:

• The copyright is already in EXIF
• After trying multiple images I found that watermark is sometimes very disturbing for the whole atmosphere of the image

One question for people who use watermarks: Do you consider watermark during composition or post processing? I found that sometimes my existing photos are not "ready" for placing a watermark to bottom corners.

 

[Ladislav]

Some examples of photos where I think watermark actually "damages" the atmosphere:

 

[Ladislav]

Example of photo where I really didn't think about space for watermark:

 

[beforeEos Camaras]

your water marks are not that disturbing as in all water marks it will detract some. on some websites if you want to water mark example Deviantart they will put a huge water mark in the center of the art work as a overlay that is distracting infact so much some of the clubs ban water marks altogether. one note on corner water marks art thieves can and will edit them out.

 

[Ladislav]

your water marks are not that disturbing as in all water marks it will detract some. on some websites if you want to water mark example Deviantart they will put a huge water mark in the center of the art work as a overlay that is distracting infact so much some of the clubs ban water marks altogether. one note on corner water marks art thieves can and will edit them out.

I don't expect watermark to protect my images. The person who wants to steal the image will do that unless I really put huge ugly message or logo across the whole image. The protection against thieves requires some invisible watermarks encoded directly into image data but those can be still probably removed or damaged by simply saving the image as JPEG again.

 

[beforeEos Camaras]

your water marks are not that disturbing as in all water marks it will detract some. on some websites if you want to water mark example Deviantart they will put a huge water mark in the center of the art work as a overlay that is distracting infact so much some of the clubs ban water marks altogether. one note on corner water marks art thieves can and will edit them out.

I don't expect watermark to protect my images. The person who wants to steal the image will do that unless I really put huge ugly message or logo across the whole image. The protection against thieves requires some invisible watermarks encoded directly into image data but those can be still probably removed or damaged by simply saving the image as JPEG again.

my first remarks was to the water marks on your photos as they are fine for your use but like all water marks they will detect some. the last remarks was on the subject of web site added water marks. I used to use water marks but stopped for some of the very reasons you posted

 

[sunnyVan]

I think social media (fb, tweeter) is a great platform to promote your work. And authorship/ownership should be pretty clear so watermark would be redundant. If you're concerned about images being stolen that'd be a different issue but watermark won't help.

 

[LDS]

visually watermark your picture or not?

I do not find small watermarks in a corner disturbing, actually they can tell good users the work is copyrighted without looking at EXIF data - but they won't protect your images from illegal use either, nor EXIF data will. They only way to protect them is digital watermarking like Digimarc.

 

[LDS]

I think social media (fb, tweeter) is a great platform to promote your work. And authorship/ownership should be pretty clear so watermark would be redundant. If you're concerned about images being stolen that'd be a different issue but watermark won't help.

You should read the TOS of those services carefully. Usually, on most of those site just uploading an image you're giving them very broad rights to use them whatever they like - and watermarks are pretty useless then. It's up to you to decide what the best way to promote your work, and what images you're ready to give away for free...

 

[Halfrack]

Watermarks on social media are a must, since a lot of images are reposted without any historical context. It's a good way to grow a following. I'm pretty sure 98% of the world doesn't know how to read EXIF info off an image.

If putting the mark in the image is of concern, do a white/black boarder and put it there. Just don't be surprised if someone crops it off and posts the image as their own.

 

[kaihp]

Watermarks on social media are a must, since a lot of images are reposted without any historical context. It's a good way to grow a following. I'm pretty sure 98% of the world doesn't know how to read EXIF info off an image.

+1 I'd watermark too.

An alternative to an "in the corner" WM is to have a fairly light watermark stamped across the image. Here's an example of what I mean:

 

[Ladislav]

Watermarks on social media are a must, since a lot of images are reposted without any historical context. It's a good way to grow a following. I'm pretty sure 98% of the world doesn't know how to read EXIF info off an image.

+1 I'd watermark too.

An alternative to an "in the corner" WM is to have a fairly light watermark stamped across the image. Here's an example of what I mean:

My goal is to have an unobtrusive watermark so this is not an option - ever

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Since you want to advertise, and not protect your images from being stolen, then a elegant and readable watermark that reflects your own taste, and does not interfere with the main part of the image works for me.

 

[RobertG.]

I watermark almost all pictures I post online. Only the ones I don't care about are published without a watermark. But most of my photos cost me a lot of effort, time and money. They can be stolen with just a few mouse clicks. Some were stolen and used without permission. That's why I watermark them.
The EXIF data don't help you at all. Upload a picture to facebook and download it again to see that the EXIF data are gone. It is the same with a re-sized flickr image. The EXIF data are lost.

 

[SalAlexander]

Personally I don't watermark any photos I post on my own website, and usually when using facebook I'll link the image from the website rather than post a new one on my timeline.
But if for some reason I'm uploading to social media, and I know the photo is the kind that people might want to download and use as a wallpaper or something, then I'll watermark it.
Quite a few times I've had people asking me to send them a hi-res version of a photo they saw on my instagram or website so that they can use it as their wallpaper, and then asked me if they could send it to their colleague at work too, etc. I don't really like sending hi-res photos to anyone to be honest, but if I am, I'm going to make sure it has at least my name and website on it.

 

[StudentOfLight]

I watermark almost all pictures I post online. Only the ones I don't care about are published without a watermark. But most of my photos cost me a lot of effort, time and money. They can be stolen with just a few mouse clicks. Some were stolen and used without permission. That's why I watermark them.
The EXIF data don't help you at all. Upload a picture to facebook and download it again to see that the EXIF data are gone. It is the same with a re-sized flickr image. The EXIF data are lost.

If someone crops your image or uses a clone tool to remove the copyright watermark then it shows malicious intent. They knew they were doing something wrong and can significantly increase your payout.

 

[matze2ooo]

As your main goal is having a non obstrusive signature on your image I suggest the following:

1) add a broad white border around your image
2) add another very thin black border
3) place your signature somewhere within the white area

This can be done with ImageMagick and gives the Image a professional look. Of course your mileage may vary regarding border colours...

 

[monkey44]

I watermark almost all pictures I post online. Only the ones I don't care about are published without a watermark. But most of my photos cost me a lot of effort, time and money. They can be stolen with just a few mouse clicks. Some were stolen and used without permission. That's why I watermark them.
The EXIF data don't help you at all. Upload a picture to facebook and download it again to see that the EXIF data are gone. It is the same with a re-sized flickr image. The EXIF data are lost.

If someone crops your image or uses a clone tool to remove the copyright watermark then it shows malicious intent. They knew they were doing something wrong and can significantly increase your payout.

This one ^^^^ intent, damages, important ...

The rest makes little difference as WM can be gone with a few clicks, and EXIF data too.

 

[kaswindell]

I started watermarking when I set up my Smugmug site. I have settled on a moderately sized watermark in the bottom left corner. The basic intent is to discourage theft. Of course, someone needs to go to the site first and there is little indication that that is happening, so I guess the site and watermark is just for my vanity.

Here is an example

 

[Zv]

I used to watermark in the beginning, mostly because I thought it looked professional and for self promotion. About two years ago I just stopped doing it for a number of reasons.

1. It distracts from the image and doesn't create a positive viewing experience for the viewer
2. It's surprisingly easy to remove a watermark (unless it covers the whole image in which case see above) so it prevents nothing.
3. Waste of time, always constantly trying to make it better
4. Copyright info already in EXIF so steal away I don't even care. Must be good enough to steal in the first place which is just a form of flattery!

A photograph should be viewed without watermark as you would a print.