Watermarking photos

[Riley Blue]

What's the thinking on watermarking photos? Worthwhile or pointless?

Reason for asking is that I've taken tens of thousands over the years and am thinking about showing some on-line, not to sell but to show mainly (though not exclusively) friends and family.

If watermarking is considered worthwhile, what's the most acceptable format / size etc?

[Lynchie999]

unless they are of commercial value I wouldn't bother too much... maybe just an unobtrusive one, you can do "invisible" ones set at 10% transparency or something that are hidden in the image.... most can be photoshopped out if the thief has enough time and determination anyway...

[Riley Blue]

Some, mainly those taken at air shows or circuits, are on a par with some I've seen in print or on-line though it's not my intention to market any of them. However, I think I'd be a little bit miffed if any were used without permission.

[Richjam]

I used to water mark mine but don't bother anymore. I do however only post a low resolution copy. As most people are browsing on phones or tablets the image still looks good but if some one decides to take a copy there a bit limited what they can do with it. Bottom line is if your going to share an image expect someone to take a copy of it!

[Riley Blue]

True. I'm now of the mind that if someone considers my photos worth copying I should be flattered; low res versions only is what they'll get.

[StevieBee]

A watermark that is unobtrusive is easily removed with only a modicum of Photoshop knowhow or some creative cropping.

As a means to protect against unlawful use, they are pretty useless unless they are so obtrusive as to adversely affect the image itself.

They can be useful as a means of promotion.

If you earn a living from photography then you need to protect your images and there are better ways of doing this than watermarking.

If you are an amateur, then protection really depends on your view of people using your image.

[CrossMember]

CrossMember's 1st Law of Amateur Photography: The size of the watermark is always inversely proportional to the quality of the photograph.

[Lynchie999]

StevieBee said:

A watermark that is unobtrusive is easily removed with only a modicum of Photoshop knowhow or some creative cropping.

... indeed, thats if they manage to spot them! - I have some that are small and most likely won't be spotted unless you know its there!

[silobass]

I was listening to a podcast the other day about legal stuff for photographers and the legal guy said that it's a good idea to put a small watermark on the photo. If someone steals your photo you can sue them for using it but if they edit or crop a photo then you can sue for even more as they've manipulated your image and it's not like you can do that by accident. He was talking about the US though.

If you're interested, it was the How to become a Rockstar Photographer podcast, episodes 87 & 88.