No idea where this should go.... anyway,
Okay there is this great little program out there called TinEye, and what it does is search the internet for Images. This is very useful for people who make any sort of Graphics Design in GIMP or PS or any other program.

There is a plugin for most browsers, I have no idea how these will work with Linux, but I know they work with Windows... You can get the Plugins here. There is also a way to do this on the site, but I do not use that, if someone wants to explain that feel free too.

Willy

Pretty cool! Thanks for the heads up.

No matches yet.
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Griatch

Thats always a good thing, and it isn't perfect, but it is better than nothing

I use the site frequently. I paste the code for the link to my images into the search bar and it reports back all the finds of it. I have found numerous of my images being used illegally and contacted the users. Most correct the problem right away, one questioned my claim and I pointed them to my original on Flickr and they conceded. One actually argued until I told them my name and copyright are encoded into the image and I can prove it in court. They promptly took the image down after that.

o.O well then... never using anything of his anywhere without asking X D
Another way is if you use like Imageshack, you can just delete them, and then they get a stupid little, this image has been deleted or Moved thing instead... I wish you could remove something from Imageshack and instead of saying this image has been moved or deleted it would say "This image Was Ripped"

I have had many people ask to use my art, and I have allowed them to use it for free. They just need to give me proper credit and not claim it as their own.

I too use this program all the time PM.
I feel the same way.If anyone wants to use my work all they have to do is ask and give the credit where the credit is due.

Well glad to know that you guys have been protecting yourself, and now more people will know how to protect there work.

Willy

The problem I have is seeing 25 duplicate images (photographs) on an image search and 25 different people claiming ownership to it. Then I see the same exact image on istockphoto or some other photo site and they are charging to use it. So... sort of muddies up the internet waters when using photographs when no one can verify who the actual owner is.

But when it comes to PM's suggestion (encoding ownership and copyright into the data on the image is your best protection, along with physical proofs - a little harder to prove with digital). Some of the newer professional cameras do this automatically after you set up the information in the camera menu options. So, if using photographs is your thing, always check the information on the file to see if anyone left their data on it.

Wow, I don't use photographs, but that is a great tutorial as to how to protect your stuff,

off-topic, congrats on 1000 posts... if it matters to you

OMG, I totally forgot about that (I got your message btw, but have been researching javascript / Python conversion.

Back to photographs: if you don't want them ripped, I would say the safest method is not to post them on the internet, and if you do, have digital proofs made at your local photo store to prove ownership for court purposes (should you run into those sort of problems). Most professionals make their own proofs. It's kind of hard to argue geodata and timestamps on images (proving you were at a specific location at a specific time).

Sounds like a lot of work, good thing I don't do Photos

Congrats Mahvin for 1000 posts!

Congrats Mahvin, you need a topic

The best proof for photography is showing the same picture to court, with a little extra border. In other words, always crop a bit before publishing. Also, if you have other similar photos taken at the same time that will help.

I never thought of the idea of cropping it! That is brilliant. I use the embedded data and recently started adding invisible watermarking.

Since I only post to have fun, I don't really care personally. Things more special to me I never post. I understand that anything I post online will be shared (or permanantely borrowed) and came to that conclusion many years ago. If you are going to prove your worth based on someone else's work, eventually that will catch up with you and it will get ugly for them. Not my concern since I post to share information or just play. Again, retouching and computer art is only a hobby of mine (a passionate hobby, but a hobby none the less) so I don't profit from things I do. I do try to share links and give praise to those who's effort was involved with any creations I share. For me, I just want to have fun (and no, I'm not a girl; lol).