Same old question - I'm sure....

LisaCadwell · Oct 9, 2012

Just trying to my way around here seems daunting. AND as the newbie... I'm sure to ask a hundred and one questions that you have all answered before. Sorry to sound rather stupid.

BUT... lol... Watermarks... I was starting to think that maybe I need to apply watermarks on my photos. For the most part I only take family pictures (IE: Daugthers senior pictures, etc). But as I move more into the landscape photos, I wonder about it. Good idea or not. Also, just playing with the Canon DPP and the windows Photo Gallery, I haven't seen a place for watermarks. Is that something that you have to cut and paste on - or am I not looking at the right place.

Is it easier in Lightroom?

Lisa

imagemaker46 · Oct 9, 2012

A lot of new camera owners feel that it is important to have their images watermarked to avoid people stealing and using them. Truth be told, the majority of people that add watermarks really have nothing to fear. It seems to be that most add these huge watermarks that state the name of their new found photographic business. I wouldn't worry about adding them, unless you honestly feel that your images are at risk of being stolen. I wouldn't worry about asking questions on the forum, it is a good place to find answers.

There are lots of tutorials on how to make simple watermarks online. My watermarks are added when my photos are uploaded to my server. I have a simple cut and paste one that I use when sending out low res photos directly.

MLeeK · Oct 9, 2012

It's a phase. You'll get over it-for the most part.
I do watermark all of my sports images that go on facebook, but that's just to encourage them to purchase the full image. Otherwise? Eh.
I don't watermark client portraits that I put on facebook as they are getting the images anyway and a facebook screen capture or right click save is so tiny it's essentially useless anyway.
They do have a usage terms that automatically shows up when I upload that I put in my exif data that says they're free to use as a profile or cover photo, but please do not edit in any way.
Landscapes, etc are a dime a dozen and if yours gets used I guess I'd call it a form of flattery?

Yes, you need to be able to paste a watermark on, but lightroom does allow you to watermark even though it's not an editing program. It's developing, which is very different.

480sparky · Oct 9, 2012

If you post it online, it will get stolen. Watermarked or not. That's the facts of life.

Either live with it, or don't post your work online.

imagemaker46 · Oct 9, 2012

480sparky said:
If you post it online, it will get stolen. Watermarked or not. That's the facts of life.

Either live with it, or don't post your work online.

This is very true, if someone wants a copy watermarks are pretty easy to remove.

LisaCadwell · Oct 9, 2012

Thanks guys. That's pretty much what I thought. Unless I'm selling something... eh... and since I'm just a amateur who's going to steal it anyway! LOL.

MLeek - you made an interesting point... editing verses developing. Care to go into that a little more - Since I am new at editing. I used to take the picture and either be happy with it or delete it. Now, I'm playing with it a little bit. I am using Windows Photo Gallery for the touch ups (retouch) and red eye corrections, etc. And then I go into the DPP for the contrast, etc.... Or open the RAW photo (which I just started to do) and adjusted it and then go into PG to do the retouch.

I would love to have one program that does it all. SO - what exactly is the editing verses developing?

Lisa

Big Mike · Oct 9, 2012

I would love to have one program that does it all.

Adobe Lightroom.

LisaCadwell · Oct 9, 2012

OK - Lightroom is definitely on the shopping list! There are bundle packages with Lightroom and Photoshop. Why would you want to do that?

MLeeK · Oct 9, 2012

Lightroom doesn't do IT ALL, that's photoshop. Lightroom is a parametric editing program or a developing program.

Parametric image editing is a class of non-destructive image editing in which the editing software does not alter original files, but instead records changes to images as sets of instructions or parameters. Software that adjusts images in this way — like Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Aperture, Bibble, and Capture One — is particularly well suited to the challenges of digital photography, as we’ll see. And because you can save your work as a set of instructions,

(DP Bestflow)
The 'edits' you make to the images in LR do not actually change the pixels in the original image, but are saved in either a sidecar file (.xmp) or a database. It does not change your raw or jpeg image at all. You can use either raw or jpeg in LR, although it's made for raw. It has huge benefits for both.
You can't remove a person from the photograph, cut and paste things, etc. It is only for changing the curve, exposure, sharpening, color, shadows....

In the past several years LR has added some things such as a healing/clone tool for removing blemishes and changing things that will change the pixels upon export-but it never changes the raw or base image. One of those is placement of a watermark.

PhotoShop and EDITING programs allow you to totally manipulate the image in any way including that of the parametric editing AND Pixel Editing (actually changing the pixels of the image.) It is a "destructive" form of editing in that it completely changes the image (unless you learn good editing practices that works in layers.) DPBestflow's information for editing properly in a Pixel Editing Program.

A little more on DPBestflow-It was a study that is funded by the Library of Congress on the preservation of photography. I have taken a class on it and it's something I recommend to EVERYONE interested in photography. It is all about workflow and all of the tools and proper actions from capture to output to archive. I HIGHLY recommend spending some time on the website beginning with the START HERE page. It's incredibly in-depth with so much information it could be months and months to absorb it, but I'll try to sum it up in a nutshell:

The concept is one that can apply to photography and any photo shoot too: Plan your shot, shoot your plan. For example if you are shooting to create an album, plan the album before you even go to the shoot. Then you will shoot exactly what you need for that album to be perfect. MUCH easier than taking 25 images and trying to make an album flow together around them. It's the same with workflow. You know what you want to produce, now plan how to produce it properly through every step of the capture to archive process and what the best practices are to safeguard that whole workflow.

Done on my tangent! Hope it helps!

LisaCadwell · Oct 9, 2012

MLeek - That was a lot of information and it seems that I have yet WAY more reading in my future. I already have the Canon XS for dummies so I know my camera the best I can. Now I need Editing for dummies... Taking pictures for Dummies and basically What the h#*& do you think you are doing for dummies!!! LOL.

MLeeK · Oct 9, 2012

LOL! It'll be ok! You'll get there!
Start just with the foundations of photography and don't worry about editing at first. Then add in little by little! It's a many layered and many faceted education that continues on forever!

paigew · Oct 9, 2012

I am not a 'die hard' watermarker, but I do use it. I use it for client photos on fb (advertising) and I use it on flickr. I sometimes watermark personal images too, it depends on the image. I mainly watermark so people can recognize who took the photo rather than fear of my image being stolen. Yes it is easier with LR. There is a setting that you click and it automatically puts a watermark on all the photos you are exporting.

KmH · Oct 9, 2012

Here in the US, copyright only has teeth when your images are registered with the US Copyright Office.

Registering Your Copyrights Using the eCO System
How to Add Copyright Management Information to Your Photos Updated! | Photo Attorney

Fie · Oct 27, 2012

I never used watermarks or my name on pictures.
But just recently I started using them, as someone came to me asking if I could do a family shoot. I did. Some of the kids, some of the parents, some all together. They were really happy with the pictures! So, that made me happy

But what I didn't kept in mind is that the father of that family has shown an interest in photography, and bought a great DSLR. When I got on facebook that night, my photos were on their profiles, but they were claiming THEY took the photos. I don't mind them saying that actually, maybe a bit

I know I have taken that shot, but they were using them to find "paying customers" for his own photography. To me, that's lying.

Since then, I started to use my name on my pictures.

KmH · Oct 27, 2012

I would love to have one program that does it all.

Lightroom has a minimal selection of editing tools, tool options, functions. Lightroom cannot edit pixels.

While Lightroom can do a lot of the editing photographers may need to do, lightroom can't 'do it all'.

Lightroom's image editing function is it's Develop module. Lightroom's Develop module uses Adobe Camera Raw or ACR to do the edits. Photoshop also has Adobe Camera Raw, as a plug-in. Photoshop then has all of Photoshop's editing tools, features, and functions.

ACR cannot edit pixels.

Lightroom was designed as a compliment to Photoshop, not as a replacement for Photoshop.