Download of images by visitors...

[bee]

Hi, I like PBase and feel at home on my site here but there is one feature at Smugmug which I feel would be great to have...

I would like to control whether people can download my images or Not! Is there a way to accommodate that on PBase? Maybe for an extra price?

Cheers, Bee

[sheila]

This has been debated for a long time on this forum

This is Slug's latest.

http://forum.pbase.com/viewtopic.php?t=4177

Cheers
Sheila

[thresholdprod]

I don't think they ment direct(hot) linking. I think what they were asking about was right clicking. Please search the forums. This issue has been done to death in the past. In summary, there are a few tricks most don't work. If someone wants it, they can get it if its online.


The best options are make the links private or use the new paswords option. Followed by only given to who you trust

[bee]

This has been debated for a long time on this forum

This is Slug's latest.

http://forum.pbase.com/viewtopic.php?t=4177

Cheers
Sheila

Thanks, Sheila, interesting but this was not what I meant - it's the stealing of images by right-clicking on it

Cheers, Bee

[bee]

I don't think they ment direct(hot) linking. I think what they were asking about was right clicking. Please search the forums. This issue has been done to death in the past. In summary, there are a few tricks most don't work. If someone wants it, they can get it if its online.


The best options are make the links private or use the new paswords option. Followed by only given to who you trust

Thanks, I will do a search and might take advantage of the new password option...

Cheers, Bee

[jchaney]

There is no way to prevent someone from downloading the image. If it can be viewed publicly it can be saved. I haven't been to smugmug, but most places that I see that try to prevend downloading by right clicking and saving, just use a javascript to prevent right clicking. You can just turn off javascript in your browser to get around that, or copy it from the cache. Even if the site is set up to tell browsers not to cache images, there are still ways around it. All it will do is prevent casual saving of images, but if someone wants it they can get it.

[johnclare]

A few easy steps for downloading Bee's images (sorry Bee, but see the bottom of this text):

1) Load the page on which the photo is located.

2) In Internet Exploder use the view pull down menu and click "View Source".

3) Find the img reference to the photo concerned.

4) Select this text and copy it to the clipboard (control-c or control-insert).

5) Paste this link to the address bar and press enter/return.

6) Right click on the image that loads and click save or set as background.

My opinion on exhibiting images in public is that if you don't want people to be able to save them, use them or "steal" them then you shouldn't post the original image or a high res version. Always include a copyright piece on the image too. If someone wants to use your images, they will, and I think they are entitled to at least use your photo as their desktop wallpaper if you're going to exhibit it in public.

However, if someone wishes to make money from your photos without your consent, then that someone should go to Hell.

[matiasasun]

But... There´s always a simplire method. Just "Print the Screen" (Ctrl + Print Screen)... If you have the right screen configuration, of course. These is why I don´t think we can protect our images from stealing... right?

[thresholdprod]

You forgot browser caches or temp folders
You forgot all the browsers that ignore little wanna be script kiddies trying to hijack control of your computer.
You forgot those freaks that have their right and left mouse buttons swaped.
You can also set a screen capture off of any button on the key board so disableing the print screen command doesn't matter


Personally I have had to go down to password protect galleries and won't give out passwords except to a very small circle of friends.

I'll second the part of the go to hell but add to it without consent (personal use like wallpaper excluded). The theives have screwed up one to many free places on the internet.

[jchaney]

In Mozilla, you can click view/page info. On the window that pops up, select the media tab. There you can save any image that's on the page.

As johnclare already said never upload original images. I always shrink my uploaded images to 800x600 or occasionally 1024x768. I don't mind if someone wants to save my images for personal use, but if I spot one of my pics being used commercially, I can always prove it's mine because I have the original.

If you're going to upload original images, at least watermark it in some way.

A few easy steps for downloading Bee's images (sorry Bee, but see the bottom of this text):

1) Load the page on which the photo is located.

2) In Internet Exploder use the view pull down menu and click "View Source".

3) Find the img reference to the photo concerned.

4) Select this text and copy it to the clipboard (control-c or control-insert).

5) Paste this link to the address bar and press enter/return.

6) Right click on the image that loads and click save or set as background.

My opinion on exhibiting images in public is that if you don't want people to be able to save them, use them or "steal" them then you shouldn't post the original image or a high res version. Always include a copyright piece on the image too. If someone wants to use your images, they will, and I think they are entitled to at least use your photo as their desktop wallpaper if you're going to exhibit it in public.

However, if someone wishes to make money from your photos without your consent, then that someone should go to Hell.

[burgor57]

I've raised this before by email but got no reply. I have a Javascript I use on another website which disables the right mouse click /copy function. This makes it very hard to copy a image, but also I accept that it is simple enough to Print Screen and paste the result into Photoshop or similar. But my gues is that most user out there would not think about that. But anyway - if someone really want it, they can get it.

[enigmawmn]

Though there are ways to easily save photos if the right-click is disabled, psychologically, it should make the person trying to steal the photo think twice once s/he encounters the inability to right-click. Not to mention that there are plenty of people whose knowledge wouldn't span beyond right-clicking, and that's where their attempts would stop.

I think we should run a poll to see whether the majority will be for/against the disabling of the right-clicking. What do you say?

[ilanphoto]

This has been discussed endlessly, If a single person wants to download my picture to his desktop let him have fun. If a company wants to use the pictures that is a different story but they will find ways around the right click.
So lets leave it as it is and let Slug et al work on more important features.

If you want to protect your pictures then simply upload low res pictures that will not print well

[matiasasun]

Though there are ways to easily save photos if the right-click is disabled, psychologically, it should make the person trying to steal the photo think twice once s/he encounters the inability to right-click.

I´m not sure about that. As I have tried to understand the behaviour of a PBase user and a PBase Guest it looks like the quality of the pictures (is it good, pretty, well taken?) is the most important thing around. This means that our behaviour is quite racional: it´s guided by our taste.

That´s why I think removing the rigth click wouldn´t make a real difference: If you want a picture, you already decided to steal it, even before you notice that right click does not work.

Not to mention that there are plenty of people whose knowledge wouldn't span beyond right-clicking, and that's where their attempts would stop.

Yep. But as Internet becomes popular, the´re more and more that can create new alternate ways to do the same without using the right click. I mean; it could make a difference, but a small one.

I think we should run a poll to see whether the majority will be for/against the disabling of the right-clicking. What do you say?

Well in deed. But Actually I´more convinced that a watermark feature would be the best way to discourage the "non adecuated"use of the picture.

Please don´t be mad at me. I´ve only exprees my point of view (hope the english could be readable). That´s why I´tnink it would be better to create a Poll about watermark feature.

Matias

Ps. Well, we could do it at home but we need to download, process and then upload about 100 megs each one of us.

[enigmawmn]

If you want to protect your pictures then simply upload low res pictures that will not print well

It's not always about "printing". I doubt someone will want to use my photos for commercial purposes. They simply aren't that good. However, I have encountered a few sickos who download my personal portraits. And though they are pw-protected now, I'd still want the ability to display them, because portrait photography is something I am into and something I would like to share/discuss with others without having to worry about the disturbed ones, out there .