How do I protect photo images on my website from free downloading?

[webnovice]

I want to show photos on my website and offer them for sale, but I don't know
how to restrict web visitors from simply bypassing me and downloading and
printing my images for free. Any suggestions?

 

[Steve Easton]

Place a text watermark in the image with an image editor.
You can't stop people from saving / copying them.
--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
........................with a computer

 

[Murray]

You don't. You can't. It's asked and answered 5 times a day on this and
every other forum in existence! 8)

It's the WEB for gosh sakes. If you can see it, you already have it in your
local cache file.

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

Put up low quality images with your name or domain name on the image. View sites like Photodisc to
get idea of how they do this.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
WEBMASTER Resources(tm)

FrontPage Resources, WebCircle, MS KB Quick Links, etc.
==============================================

 

[John Prescott]

Why does anyone want to stop people downloading an image anyway? If
it is on the web, it would be very low resolution and useless for most
other applications.

Having said that, it is possible to prevent people from right clicking
and saving the image.

..........But they can still take a screen capture and cut out the
image.

Regards, John Prescott

Paymaster Systems Ltd,
Moorlands House, Oldfield Road, Bromley, Kent. BR1 2LE
TEL: 020 8467 6107 FAX: 020 8467 6121
e-mail: (e-mail address removed) website <http://www.oursite.co.uk>

 

[Murray]

Having said that, it is possible to prevent people from right clicking

and saving the image.

Not if they use Firefox. Not if they are on a Mac. And not if they use
View | Source....

 

[Andrew Murray]

There is *no* way to prevent this - the site downloads to the user's web
cache (on their machine's hard drive) so a visitor can view it.

If you have pictures you're selling, then you can put either

1) low quality version of the images on the net
2) watermark them somehow so they're useless to the person who takes them.

Since you're selling highquality images, then the first suggestion would be
best - make a gallery of thumbnails and/or low quality versions, then when
the customer places an order, you can email the pics or whatever to them,
once you've received payment.

You would probably set up a e-commerce type operation, or something if you
accept credit card details you need to investigate secure payment methods
(or use something like PayPal)

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Why would you recommend something to someone that doesn't work???

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Neither a follower nor a lender be.

in message Check out http://www.artistscope.net/copysafe/

It's not free, a little strange to setup, and the user has to let a plug-in
be installed. IMO...nobody's gone let that happen or be hassled downloading
a plug-in to see images.

Other than that...no - use low res images and watermarks.

Check out Corbis and you'll see how those guys do it.



| I want to show photos on my website and offer them for sale, but I don't
know
| how to restrict web visitors from simply bypassing me and downloading and
| printing my images for free. Any suggestions?