So recently I went to the bookstore and bought a "For Dummies" book on my specific version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Thought I had it all covered.

But I still can't figure out how to 'watermark' photos! Nothing in the index or table of contents that looks helpful. Rats.

Any help on this?

I have my pics on an iMac, and edit with Elements 4.0. I'd like to start adding a (c) LAWelles on the better ones before adding them to an online gallery.

Thanks.

There are lots of ways to create watermarks, the simplest being to create a text layer with your watermark text in it. You can tweak the effect and transparancy as it suits you. Some people insert more than one.

Here's one process that's a bit more involved...
http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/photoshop/ht/apswatermark.htm

Make the text file as above (or a graphic). Make transparency suit and make an action to do it to a folder of images. Personally I wouldn't bother. If you are that precious about copyright don't put it on the web. Or use an impossibly small jpeg.

This tutorial really helps me when I'm learning watermarks, check this one too! :)

http://www.oman3d.com/tutorials/photoshop/video/watermark.php

Thanks everyone. I'm actually not sure why I'm thinking of doing this - I have no copyright on my name or anything, and not a professional sending out proofs or anything . . .

Thanks everyone. I'm actually not sure why I'm thinking of doing this - I have no copyright on my name or anything, and not a professional sending out proofs or anything . . .


I've already found one of the pictures I have on my flickr page being used on a commercial site. While I'm flattered that my stuff would be used, at the very least I want to know about it and be credited for it and, if they're making money off my work, I want to be paid for it.

I've already found one of the pictures I have on my flickr page being used on a commercial site. While I'm flattered that my stuff would be used, at the very least I want to know about it and be credited for it and, if they're making money off my work, I want to be paid for it.

Yep, it really upset me when I found pictures that were stolen off my company website and where being used by a competitor..Talk about having no scruples..Now I insert our company logo on all pics I want to protect..

Yeah, it's really sad. I put a small logo on the lower right part of my pics. Later, I saw it on Flicker and my logo was gone! Some one had stolen it!

I am going to revive this thread by adding my experience: I found a bunch of young girls using my Nascar pictures on their myspace pages....I am so glad now that I watermarked them....At the time I didn't realize that smugmug did not right click protect my images in a "regular" account...I have since upgraded to a pro account where they can't be saved but I still watermark them....where there is a will there is a way and I dont want to stop posting my pictures for others because there are a couple of people who have yet to learn respect....besides they thought enough of my images to use them, I think thats kinda cool but not without credit or permission.... :)

I am going to revive this thread by adding my experience: I found a bunch of young girls using my Nascar pictures on their myspace pages....I am so glad now that I watermarked them....At the time I didn't realize that smugmug did not right click protect my images in a "regular" account...I have since upgraded to a pro account where they can't be saved but I still watermark them....where there is a will there is a way and I dont want to stop posting my pictures for others because there are a couple of people who have yet to learn respect....besides they thought enough of my images to use them, I think thats kinda cool but not without credit or permission.... :)
This whole "no right click" is a false sense of security and doesn't prevent a picture from being copied or downloaded. It is a technique that creates an inconvenience. Typically this uses JavaScript to disable the right click. Disable your JavaScript, and presto. View the page source and you can trace through to the exact location on the server. And there's nothing saying that someone can't hit ALT-PRINTSCRN (assuming windows) and take a snapshot of the screen. Nothing preventing someone from going through their internet cache files and look for the picture there.

In reality, all the disabled right click does is keep the honest people out (which aren't the problem) and perhaps keep out the non-technical dishonest people out. But if it's on the web and it is viewable, there is very little you can do to prevent unscrupulous person from saving your pictures. If your really concerned about it, keep the pictures small, and watermark the heck out of them.

As the old saying goes: Locks only keep honest people out.

I got pictureshark,free, from Gizmo Richards' 46 Best free utilitiy site-AND Faststone Image Editor-both good,
He has a lot of good sites offering advice and free programs,never had any problems with his sources...of course I "McAfee " ( free mozilla plug-in,tells you about what you google,etc) sites,get reviews, before downloading...and only from the original home site..be really careful of that !
Belt AND braces...
Good Luck !!
http://www.techsupportalert.com/dr/best_46_free_utilities.htm

It's bad when they steal your work, and it's difficult to get paid when they do, but I hope everyone checks out this thread because there's an effort now (the 'Orphan Copyright' bill) to essentially allow people to remove automatic copyright protection from image creators, allow the use of copyrighted material at no cost if someone else has stolen it and reposted it sans copyright. (In other words, it allows someone to create an 'orphan' by killing the parents and then 'adopt' it :) Great!)

http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?p=293353#post293353

Myspace isn't good for much, but they take the theft of photos seriously.

All my pics have a watermark across the middle of them and are right click protected. As someone said that's a false sense of security. If someone wants to steal the pics they still can and it's easy.

I had one kid who stole from me constantly. I finally turned him into myspace. They immediately removed my photos. As soon as he did he put another one of my pics up. His account was deleted. He can create another one, but I highly doubt he'll put my photos up again. Unless he wants his next one deleted.....