Subject:           Gallery  Web Site Image Protection.

Presenter:        Agust Gudmundsson.  (304) 645-4998

 

The goal of a gallery web site is to present an artists’ work in a manner that will entice a web visitor to either order a print/painting or visit the gallery.  The best way to create such interest is to show their work.

 

The down side of putting images on your web site is the propensity of people to download your images and make their own prints.  Allowing amateur reproductions of your art diminishes the reputation of the artist and impedes your ability to make sales.  Now you can publish images safely.   I have developed a package called ArtSafeKeeper that uses WIPE, a Web Image Protection Envelope, to protect your art.

 

Though no web site can be protected 100% from every tech-wise person on the Internet, measures can be implemented that will make it difficult - if not impossible - for most visitors to steal images off of your web site. 

 

There are ten (10) methods for protecting on-line content.  Methods 1 - 3 below are already being employed by many gallery web sites.  ArtSafeKeeper handles methods 4-10.

 

(1)     Use only small prints.  Too small to make theft worthwhile - but does not really show the quality of your work.

(2)     Reduce resolution of images.  Good enough to see the content - too poor for prints.

(3)     Watermark the images.

(4)     Disable the Internet Explorer Image Toolbar 

(5)     Disable the Right-Click, Copy feature

(6)     Disable the File - Save As feature.

(7)     Block Direct Access to the folder where the images are stored.

(8)     Clear the Copy/Paste Clip Board.

(9)     Stop 3rd-Pary Image Capture Programs.

(10)     Keep your images out of the visitors' browser cache.

 

Discussion of the methods:

 

(1)     I am not a fan of this method. When a print is displayed post-card size I have a hard time seeing it as a print or painting on my wall. Thumbnails are OK - but let them lead to a larger image.

(2)     This is usually done, simply to make the images load faster.  It can be improved by making the images no larger than needed for the computer screen

(3)     Watermarking is simply adding your logo somewhere on your image file, along with a copyright notice.  If the watermark includes the words "unauthorized copy" it may be a deterrent.  If you need help with watermarking or resizing I can assist you with that process.

(4)       One of the new features of Microsoft Internet Explorer is a little control that pops up when you float your mouse over an image.  The options are Save, Print, Email or Open Folder.  With WIPE this Image Control Toolbar is disabled when a visitor floats their mouse over your image.

(5)       Another way people can capture your image is to use the Right-Click button of their mouse to expose a context-sensitive menu that has options such as Copy, Save, Email, Print, etc.  WIPE replaces that menu with a customized notice asking the visitor to call to place an order.

(6)       Some visitors will simply use the browser’s File - Save As feature to save a copy of your image to their computer.  WIPE removes that menu option from their browser while they are looking at your image.  As soon as the visitor closes the page with your image, these features are restored.

(7)     Allowing someone to type in:  http://www.mygallery.com/MyFinePrint.jpg  should never be allowed.  The WIPE system protects the folder that contains your images and allows the visitor to only see the photos from within one of your web pages.  If they try to by-pass your web pages and go straight to the JPG the will get a message that says:  "Forbidden."

(8)     People who have been around computers for a while will remember that Shift+PrintScreen copies the entire desktop into a clipboard, which can later be copied to Paint or Word for editing.  If a visitor tries this method then WIPE attempts to thwart that effort by replacing the content of the clipboard with the words "Copyrighted Material."

(9)     The moment a user goes to the taskbar to load a program, or trys to execute a hot-key combination, to capture your image, ASK closes the window displaying your image - so there is nothing to capture.

(10)     CACHE COP. ASK sends a message to the browser to not even bother saving a copy of the image to the cache. After all, what good is all the protection above if after the moment they see it your image is on their computer hard drive? Try it. If you are using Internet Explorer: Select Tools, Internet Options. In the center of the dialogue box is a section on Temporary Internet Files. Click Settings. Then Click View Files. If they are not sorted by name, click on the word Name at the top of the list. Look for ask_old_eng_black.jpg That is our logo, and it is not protected.

Then, visit our Sample Gallery. Click on, for this test, the last thumbnail (Cal Price). After viewing the full image Close the Window and go back and look for cover_30.jpg (the name of the larger image) in your temporary internet files. It should not be there.

 

The ArtSafeKeeper Web Image Protection Envelope is just one of the many services I can provide to you.  Call (304) 645-4998 to learn more.

 

About the author:

Agust Gudmundsson (pronounced: August Goodmundson) designs web site management software and is credited with creating the underlying technology for the eGovernment sector of the Internet. More information.   Email: agustgudmundsson@yahoo.com