Home

Digital Image Watermarking

Digital image watermarking is a set of techniques you can use to help protect images that you have created.

If you are a graphic artist or a photographer, for example, then the last thing you want is for people to steal your material, and although there are other methods of protecting digital images onlines, they are, on the whole, not as effective as applying digital watermarking to images.

There are two main types of watermarks - visible and invisible, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Visible Image Watermarks

This type of watermark is the sort you've probably already seen, but in case you haven't, here's an example:

If you look in the bottom right corner of this image, you'll see some very faint text, as the idea of visible watermarking is that there the watermark, which is usually some form of copyright notice, must be visible but without detracting (too much) from the overall image.

Now, this watermark was created manually using my favourite image editor, Paint Shop Pro, but you can buy specialist software, such as AiS Watermark Pictures Protector that makes the whole job a lot easier and faster, and it also come with a variety of effects you can apply. (This program is very cheap, for personal use, at $19.95 USD, and you can even download a free trial too.)

The downside of using visible watermarks is that they can be removed, although this could be very tricky, depending on where you put the watermark.

If you put the digital watermark in one corner, as with the above image, then it may be possible to crop that part out completely, which is a very easy way to remove them, provided it does not overly impair the overall image.

If you put the watermark all the way acoss the middle of the image, then this will be very hard to remove, without trace, but then again, it will spoil the look of the photo.

Invisible Image Watermarks

The other type of watermark is the invisible one, which you probably haven't seen.     :-)

These do need to be inserted by specialist software, such as IceMark.

Essentially, what they do is to alter the image by embedding information (e.g. copyright details), but in a way that the naked eye can't detect.

If you come across an image on the Internet that you think may have been stolen from you, then you can use the software to look for your embedded watermark, and if you find it, then bingo, you've found a thief!

The obvious advantage of invisible watermarks is that you can't tell if an image is protected or not, and it's also very secure, as they're almost impossible to remove. Some programs will even make sure your watermark remains intact and readable, even after the image has been altered in some way. (In fact, some software will even highlight exactly which parts of the image have been altered.)

However, the downside is that, if somebody does steal your photo or image, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to track it down.

Recommendation

The strategy I'm adopting is to actually use both methods - a visible watermark may deter some people from stealing your image in the first place, while the invisible one will let you prove your image has been stolen should people still try to hijack it.

About The Author:

Mark Farrar has been building websites since 1997, both for personal and business use, and is the co-founder and webmaster of Parvobuster, amongst many others.

Please visit our Store Front Links, where we have a range of special product selections for you. homefocuscatalog Get Organized at Home Focus Office Depot Office Depot Weekly Specials Relax The Back Relax The Back Office Chairs Sharper Image Innovative Gadgets at The Sharper Image Travel well this year - Get Sharper Image travel gear! Tech Depot Tech Depot Weekly Specials TigerDirect.com Tiger's Storefront

Find Great Deals Today! Printers Scanners Memory PDAs UPS Monitors Cameras Networking Software Desktops Notebooks

Copyright 2010 © AllKindsOfShiznit (Technology4U) from WealthyTeddy