Flickr ? - Are we just giving our photos away for free?

[magoosmc]

Might be a dumb question but I'll ask anyhow. I recently opened a Flickr account in order to post images to the forum. I was admiring some of the landscapes that are posted here and followed the links to several members' Flickr pages. I noticed that most of the images that I looked at have a download option: "License All rights reserved by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Download the Large 2048 size of this photo" What prevents someone from filling their harddrive with free high res images and doing whatever they want with them?

[edge100]

Originally Posted by magoosmc

Might be a dumb question but I'll ask anyhow. I recently opened a Flickr account in order to post images to the forum. I was admiring some of the landscapes that are posted here and followed the links to several members' Flickr pages. I noticed that most of the images that I looked at have a download option: "License All rights reserved by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Download the Large 2048 size of this photo" What prevents someone from filling their harddrive with free high res images and doing whatever they want with them?

Upload low resolution, watermarked images (I do max 1024px), which is enough to make a 4 inch print.

Honestly, if you put your images on the web, they can be downloaded. Full stop. So the best defence against image theft is to just put low resolution versions on the web. 1024 is sufficient to show off the images, but not large enough to do anything nefarious with, especially when watermarked.

[magoosmc]

In addition to those suggestions is there an account manangement section where you can opt to diasable the download feature? It's presence seems to be an open invitation to steal images.

[mrbubbles]

If you go into the "Access to your original image files and other sizes" of your privacy settings you can set it to "Only You". This disables the download feature. You can then set the default viewing size for visitors to a size you only want them to see. Example: 1024. This will force users to see a certain resolution.

Other than that...anyone can steal the image you do allow to be viewed without a problem regardless of privacy settings.

[howesit]

I'm with everyone else. Smaller resolution and watermark. Even with the "copy protection" and disabling the right click > save options on a web page, an image can be saved. If an image displays on the screen it's possible to save it.

[Scatterbrained]

Originally Posted by magoosmc

Might be a dumb question but I'll ask anyhow. I recently opened a Flickr account in order to post images to the forum. I was admiring some of the landscapes that are posted here and followed the links to several members' Flickr pages. I noticed that most of the images that I looked at have a download option: "License All rights reserved by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Download the Large 2048 size of this photo" What prevents someone from filling their harddrive with free high res images and doing whatever they want with them?

Considering how easy it is to do a screen grab. . . .

[Picture North Carolina]

1X...
500px...

You're giving your images away no matter where you post when you post online. Only way you can slow it down is to make them taste bad. Watermarking does that.

[h14nha]

1024px for me

[phantelope]

yep, show a low res image that's not worth printing or just don't give a damn. Or don't post online. Anything anywhere online can and will be copied and shared, no matter what you do. Sure, you can put some big watermark right through, basically ruining your image, or you can put a little on on the bottom, easy to crop out. But what you can see on your screen can be stolen and you can't do anything about it. If you want to show large, go for it. Unless you expect to sell large prints, does it really matter? Sure, it's irritating that some scumbag might copy/paste your image on their blog and pretend they took it, but really, so what. Nothing you can do about it, not even with a boatload of attorneys. As the music and movie industry had to learn.

Keep the resolution so that you can only make a small print (though even that can be up-rezzed to some extent) and let it go. Or don't post it.

Also note that places like Facebook basically can do what they want with your images until you AND everybody else that shared it removes it. Which is why I only post very small res images there, or samples but not the good ones I'll develop further.

It's the wild west online, and there's really nothing you can do, at all.

[milad93]

great thread man . i think like u . we are just giveng our great photos away using flickr .. why should i do that for yahoo ?

[ChrisSearle]

Personally I'm extremely happy for people to download and use my images in any way they choose, I take it as a compliment, I create them for the enjoyment and satisfaction they give me and if other people enjoy them as well thats a bonus.

[DisrupTer911]

If I'm not mistaken doesn't Reuters or Getty have free reign on Flickrs pool of photos to use as they see fit w/o compensating the photog?

[lensfreak]

A BIG FAT YES!!!!!!!

Flickr is one of the worst places to post images, which is why I dont.


I had heaps on there and one day found my image on a generic travel website. Didn't bother going through the courts, just purged my flickr account and never went back.

I now water mark my images for this reason and in the past forum members flame for doing that, so you are damned if you do and damned if you dont.


Den

[lensfreak]

Originally Posted by ChrisSearle

Personally I'm extremely happy for people to download and use my images in any way they choose, I take it as a compliment, I create them for the enjoyment and satisfaction they give me and if other people enjoy them as well thats a bonus.

Chris, yes we create images for enjoyment. The thing is that I too would be flattered by those who use my images as their wallpaper etc. But there are those who lurk the net obtaining our photos which in turn onsell them to other people. They profit bigtime from your work and you weren't even paid for it. Its the same as you doing a photoshoot for photo resellers from now on for FREE!

I have had people ask me about some images on my site and I agreed that of course I dont mind them taking a copy for their personal use, its the bast#ards that profit from your hard work that annoys me.

Just to add another thing. Some users suggest lowering quality and size of the image to minimise theft. The funny thing is I tried that and had a client comment politely on how poor quality the image was and that it should be removed from my site. Lol, I explained the quality was dropped for a reason but in the grand scheme of things there is a potential to lose a sale if you downscale your images for protection. I look at people like Joey L and Joel Grimes, all their images are large and unwatermarked. I think for me when an image isnt paid for such as personal work, I like to protect it. I do put paid work on my site and dont worry too much as I know it has been paid for.

[lilredss]

Are any of the other sites for posting pictures any better than Flickr?