CONSUMERS BEWARE... BIG TIME

[PhillipSchmidt]

A little more info'' on watermaking.

The programs can batch process every photo on your site in a minute. A really good program would give you a screen and put the watermark in a designated spot but make it easy to move because you wouldn''t want to spend more then a few seconds each on a thousand photos, but it would be nice to just nick the edge of a diamond with a watermak so moving them is pretty esential IMO.

Not such a problem in dia'' calc'' renderings. They can go in the same place each time.

 

[denverappraiser]

Wink (and Phillip and Jonathan),

Photoshop will do it in an automated fashion if you go through the trouble to write a script and define an action. You can put whatever mark you wish in some predefined place on the image, say the bottom left hand corner. The digimarc solution, which is also available in Photoshop is actually more interesting for this issue although perhaps both are required. The digimarc is an invisible mark into which you can encrypt things like a copyright date and a serial number. The fun part is that the company has a spider that will continuously search the web for images with your mark that are in unauthorized places (as defined by you). The mark is seriously difficult to erase. I agree with Phillip that a visible mark with your URL in it is a good way of at least getting some advertising value out of this but it doesn't really help the andi-counterfeiting issue. If the image in question had Jon's copyright notice on it, would this have really made a difference? Perhaps. Actually, none of this addresses the core problem but at least it will prevent Jon's images from being used and thereby tainting his reputation through some perceived involvement, however undeserved.

Photoshop is a tad expensive and I'm not sure I would suggest buying it for this purpose but if you already own it then you already have a solution at hand.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[strmrdr]

some links:
freeware:
image brander
http://www.92hicks.com/


shareware
http://www.watermarker.com/


http://www.photostamper.com/

more links to programs here:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/batchwatermarking/

 

[perry]

Johnathon:

Sorry to hear that your pictures are being stolen to represent other goods. Go ahead with the Watermarking.

Now here is how the consumer can verify things: In my recent purchase of a matched set of 1/4 carat diamonds from Johnathon, I had Dave Atlas & Co take IdealScope images as part of their service and forward them to me along with their other analysis. They essentially matched the images provided by GOG. Thus I knew I was OK (trust, but verify). As an added service I had Dave Atlas & Co put the IdealScope images on their certifications for the diamonds (a service they offer).

All in all, a very good package deal. I could then look at the diamonds with my IdealScope when they got here.

Something everyone should consider.

Perry

 

[strmrdr]

btt

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 3/13/2005 12:28:16 PM
Author: denverappraiser

Wink (and Phillip and Jonathan),

Photoshop will do it in an automated fashion if you go through the trouble to write a script and define an action. You can put whatever mark you wish in some predefined place on the image, say the bottom left hand corner. The digimarc solution, which is also available in Photoshop is actually more interesting for this issue although perhaps both are required. The digimarc is an invisible mark into which you can encrypt things like a copyright date and a serial number. The fun part is that the company has a spider that will continuously search the web for images with your mark that are in unauthorized places (as defined by you). The mark is seriously difficult to erase. I agree with Phillip that a visible mark with your URL in it is a good way of at least getting some advertising value out of this but it doesn''t really help the andi-counterfeiting issue. If the image in question had Jon''s copyright notice on it, would this have really made a difference? Perhaps. Actually, none of this addresses the core problem but at least it will prevent Jon''s images from being used and thereby tainting his reputation through some perceived involvement, however undeserved.

Photoshop is a tad expensive and I''m not sure I would suggest buying it for this purpose but if you already own it then you already have a solution at hand.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

I love my Photoshop, I will have to do a search in the help section on using digimark.

Thanks.

Wink

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

Very usefull information. Thank you very much, especially Neil