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Important Note: It is impossible to absolutely
protect images on a Web page from copying. The right-click
function can be disabled, but other methods can still be
used to capture pictures without permission. Watermarks can
be used to identify an image and make it difficult for a
thief to use the image elsewhere, but a careful person with
image editing software can often remove a watermark. We are
recommending a combination of these two strategies to protect
Web images. Just remember:
The only certain way to protect an image is to remove it
from the Web.
Disabling Right-Click
Visitors
to Web
pages can normally copy images by right-clicking the picture.
While we cannot completely protect an image from unauthorized
copying, we can prevent copying by right-clicking.
A Javascript solution comes from www.dynamicdrive.com. Simply
follow these simple steps to disable right-clicking anywhere
on that page:
- Click the Show Code View (
 )
button in Dreamweaver to see the HTML code for the page.
- Click the [View Code] button on this
page to see the Javascript.
- Insert
the Javascript in the <body> of the page to disable right-clicking.
This page uses the above script. Try right-clicking
and see what happens!
Watermarks
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| Text before changing to a "watermark." |
Watermarks are text or images superimposed across an image.
Although they do nothing to prevent copying, they are difficult
to remove and may therefore discourage unauthorized copies
of your images. Even if a thief removes your watermark after
stealing the image, there will probably be smudges or other
traces of the work.
Regular text could be used, but it tends to intrude on the
image, sometimes even blocking parts of the picture from
view. A watermark, on the other hand, is somewhat transparent
and allows the viewer to see the image. It is very easy to
add a watermark to an image.
The following steps are for Fireworks 8, but they can easily
be adapted for any version of Fireworks or Photoshop.
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Open the image in Fireworks.
- Select the Text Tool (
 ),
and write in your copyright statement.
-
Look at the Layers Panel. Make sure that just the text
layer is selected, and change the Opacity until
the text is still visible, but it does not interfere with
the viewing of the image. An Opacity of 15-25% often gives
the best results.
- Use the Pointer Tool (
 )
to move the text to
a prominent location on the image. Stay away from the edges,
or a thief will be able to remove your watermark by cropping.
- With the text selected, adjust the text size, color,
position, and opacity, until you are happy with the image.
- If you think the watermark would "fit" best at an angle,
select the text and choose Modify > Transform >
Free Transform.
Move the cursor off the text, and you'll see it change
to an arrow in a circle. Click and drag to rotate the text.
- Save the image as a PNG. This step is very important,
because you may want to remove the watermark to use the
image somewhere else, or to send it to a parent or other
customer.
- Export the image as a GIF or JPG.
 Here's
an example of a finished image. The image has a watermark
across the subject's collar and chin, as well as a second
watermark on the computer screen.
Hints for Using Watermarks
- Place the watermark where it is difficult to remove by
cropping (not near the edges of the image).
- Rotate the watermark, if needed, to make it "fit" the
image better.
- Adjusting the color and opacity of the text can help
you achieve the effect you want.
- You can use more than one watermark on an image.
- Keep a PNG of the image, so that you can "turn off" the
watermarks, in case you want to use the image for anything
else!
- Watermarks can't absolutely prevent theft, but they can
make it easier to show that the image was stolen from you,
and they may deter theft by someone who doesn't have the
skills to remove them.
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