Watermarking photos

Hi Guys, was looking through the forums and noticed that quite a lot of you guys have watermarked (if that's the right term) your pictures. So just wanted to know your reasons for doing so, and do you advise everyone to do the same?

I started doing it for the rat website, so no-one would steal the ratty pics, and now do it almost as a force of habit! It's so easy for people to steal your photos, especially if you're not overly computer savvy like me, so that's my reason!

xx

Do you add yours in Photoshop then, Z?

Nope, Paint Shop Pro I hardly use photoshop, though I've been trying the last few days, gotta keep up with the times...

The last few days my routine is as follows:

• Preliminary edits and crops done in Picasa
• Extra editing done in Photoshop, stuff I can't do in Picasa
• Resizing done in Irfanview
• Borders and copyright added in Paint Shop Pro
• Sharpened again in either Picasa or Photoshop before uploading

xx

I am wanting to do this as two of my photo's at least are being used on the internet without me allowing them to be.

Also, check out this thread Eileen:

How do you watermark pics/images

Thanks Azz, will go look now.

I never watermark, for 2 reasons the size of the pic posted isn't really much use to anyone and unless you splatter the mark across the pic easy to get around. Even with a little work a mark across the pic is easily removed.

If they are nicking the pic, they will put a few mins in to remove the watermark you put in so not really much use. If you are worried about a pic being nicked, embed a copyright in the exif as easily removed I know but more likely to be missed.

Spot on Ste - that's exactly what I do. In the D300, as you know, you can add copyright details to an image in-camera. I do that and also add my contact telephone number.

I agree about the exif data.

here's a shortened copy of the exif data in my images

# xmpRights:WebStatement = "www.steveloveridge.com"
# photoshop:AuthorsPosition = "Photographer"
# photoshop:LegacyIPTCDigest = "C90FC399476D6DA2652AFE4F482B458B"
# photoshop:ColorMode = "3"
# photoshop:ICCProfile = "Adobe RGB (1998)"
# dc:format = "image/tiff"
# exif:ISOSpeedRatings

* rdf:Seq
o rdf:li ==> "200"

# exif:Flash

* exif:Fired = "False"
* exif:Return = "0"
* exif:Mode = "2"
* exif:Function = "False"
* exif:RedEyeMode = "False"

# Iptc4xmpCore:CreatorContactInfo

* Iptc4xmpCore:CiAdrPcode = "BH16 5RL"
* Iptc4xmpCore:CiEmailWork = "steve@steveloveridge.com"
* Iptc4xmpCore:CiAdrRegion = "Dorset"
* Iptc4xmpCore:CiAdrCity = "Poole"
* Iptc4xmpCore:CiAdrExtadr = "6 Warbler Close"
* Iptc4xmpCore:CiUrlWork = "www.steveloveridge.com"

# dc:creator

* rdf:Seq
o rdf:li ==> "Steve Loveridge"

# dc:rights

* rdf:Alt
o rdf:li ==> "Steve Loveridge"
+ xml:lang = "x-default"

Steve