Should I Watermark my images?

Buckster · Jul 14, 2013

Benco said:
timarp000 said:

Well, Even if i watermark my images, anyone can just crop out the watermarked bit and act as if THEY took the image. Since I have never done something like that and a whole lot of people have not, Im sure that not everyone is going to try that. I would understand if anyone would take my images from my facebook page and use it as their desktop backround. But what i wouldnt like is them claiming that they themselves took the picture. Since I upload all my good Images on my Facebook Page, Should I upload at a lower Resolution? But If i do that, the image wont be as effective to the viewers.
I upload in 'High Quality' with a resolution of 2048x1365

Click to expand...

But how many viewers have a monitor capable of viewing an image of that size without scrolling? some will but most, I suspect, won't.

Exactly. My screen resolution on all my screens is 1920 x 1080. Anything taller than about 850 causes me to scroll up and down in my browser, so that's the number I use to resize for others to view my images online. How well that works out for them depends on their screen resolution, browser, tool bars, etc. All I know is, it works great for me.

Posting giant images like the size OP mentioned seems like a giant waste to me, unless it's for the purpose of someone being able to download it for a specific purpose. Like, around here, someone might want others to try their hand at editing it and posting results, and that would be a good reason to post a really large, even full size, image. Or there's a question of the details that pixel peepers might be interested in viewing and possibly discussing. But just for viewing in a browser? I think it's way overkill, and wouldn't do it myself.

molested_cow · Jul 14, 2013

Watermark to let people know that you shot the photo... fine, but do it tastefully please.
For anti-theft? You may just need to consider quitting the internet.

danielklaer · Jul 15, 2013

I don't water mark any on here or flickr as they are only 1000 wide anyway. At that size they would only really be useful for online stuff and I would be ok with someone using them for their website or whatever (most of the time). I would still like them to tell me though and wouldn't want them to claim the images. I use a heap of gifted and public domain images on my website and without them I would definitely be worse off. The only time i do use a watermark are some downloadable wallpapers that I put on my website (parrot stuff) and then it is only the website logo in the corner as a form of advertising.

AceCo55 · Jul 15, 2013

Should you watermark? I don't know - depends on your purpose.

Do I watermark? Yes. Why?
I want to make it obvious that it is my image - not yours. If you decide to take it/screenshot it, I want to make it obvious to you and everyone that subsequently sees it, that it is not your image ... it is mine.
When someone sees my image I want them to know where they can go to see my images.

So I put my watermark slap bang dead centre. "Oh they look hideous and ruin the image - don't do it".
If you don't like it ... fine don't you put a watermark in the centre.
My images? I decide what MY needs are and my watermark goes dead centre.
Do what you want.

So watermark for me satisfies a number of needs/wants:
1. theft deterrent
2. educate - photos on the web are not all free
3. advertising me
4. path back to my website

These are sufficient reasons for ME to watermark.
They may not be sufficient reasons for YOU to watermark. That is fine.
You do what you feel is right and I will do what I feel is right for me.

timarp000 · Jul 15, 2013

Here is the issue I face. I Have already uploaded about 90 images on my facebook page! None are watermarked and all in high quality. What do I do? I dont want to re-upload all the images with watermarks for advertising and at lower resolutions so nobody can take large prints of them. So what so i do now?

12sndsgood · Jul 15, 2013

even at facebooks highest quality uploads, it still compresses them to look bad, I honestly wouldn't worry about the photos you have up there. if your super concerned pull them off and watermark them and put them back up. But to be honest I wouldn't worry. Only thing I watermark is photos I post up on facebook. and that is just so people see my name. or my website where people purchase their photos. other then that its not a big deal to me.

cgipson1 · Jul 15, 2013

timarp000 said:
Here is the issue I face. I Have already uploaded about 90 images on my facebook page! None are watermarked and all in high quality. What do I do? I dont want to re-upload all the images with watermarks for advertising and at lower resolutions so nobody can take large prints of them. So what so i do now?

Nothing if you don't want to! But in the future, I would recommend not uploading large, high quality images... why waste the bandwidth? Watermark?? That is up to you too.

timarp000 · Jul 15, 2013

I only want to watermark my images for Advertising. Thats all. I have no problem re-uploading images! But I will lose all the Likes and comments that I have! Thats the only issue... Do I have a way around that?

vintagesnaps · Jul 15, 2013

It depends on what I'm going to do with a photo but I make copies as needed to resize and/or watermark. I put the watermark thru the significant portion of the photo. I customize them for specific uses.

I read Terms & Conditions for websites and social media sites before I consider posting anything, and the terms usually determine and limit what I'd post. I know photographers who put a link to their website and only display select photos on their FB page.

I don't know once photos are posted if you can delete them and keep any comments or likes or not. If I post a photo I remove it later and it seems to remove the comments as well.

Sparky, I don't see a watermark on any of your three photos, how did you watermark it? And then how do you know which one you watermarked?! LOL