Don't Post Photos On Facebook

Susan, no, not those

Only images uploaded

I'm not sure that I understand this. Are these photos only those that you upload to FaceBook directly?

When we automatically post our images to FaceBook from FA, it creates a thumbnail and a link and this link takes us back to the image here at FA. This isn't the image they're talking about, is it?

Watermarking will help, but not thoroughly deter.

As Marilyn says....editing your privacy settings will do it..just remember to Save Changes when your done..
This prevents other apps from having access to your stuff.

I read that too, on Facebook, but if you click on the link and read the comments below it, there is a solution here:

By Peter K Burian (8 hours ago)
SOLUTION: Top right of your FB page, there's a little roundish icon to the right of your name.

Click on that .... for a drop down menu;

Click privacy settings. Then in the far left column, click Apps, then towards the bottom, Apps Others Use and UNCHECK photos. (I have all the apps unchecked).

OR put an X next to Apps to prevent that app from finding your photos.
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I have done that to my own privacy settings and hopefully that will be enough. I have taken to watermarking too, recently. I have my privacy settings on my personal page marked to 'friends only', and on my public facebook business page (the one that links here, to FAA), I have recently made it a practice not to post any photos other than those that are the thumbnails from FAA or are watermarked and resized smaller.

My watermarks are stamp directly across the middle in the image using a custom brush tool I made in photoshop, once I stamp it, it is imbedded in the image and I re-save with "save as" the image with a WM at the end. It's not a digital watermark at all, If someone really want's my picture, unless they are really great at editing a brush set at 2500 in size stamped with my name copyright info and website... My biggest concert is the small watermark on FAA. I have had people actually tell me they love my picture and downloaded it or right click saved it because they wanted to hang it in their kitchen, but it had my watermark across the middle of the image when they printed it... YUP... FAA is truly the only site that I worry about because eve with the watermark they have in the lower right corner, it can be cropped.

Perhaps but, I have been using it for about a year now with no issues at all. I am about to put it on my magazine also to help protect my interviewees work, so I definitely stand by it :)

@Elizabeth - I checked out the link and it appears there is a problem with the software. Folks are complaining that it doesn't work. Could be they didn't get the Pro version.

Anyway, I make my own watermarks in various types and save them as a PNG file. I might just make a QRC image to overlay the image in one of the corners as well for posting on PBase. I always downsize my images for that site, and will probably use 72 PPI max in the future. I don't have any trouble applying the watermark in any size, changing color or opacity either. Of course placing it anywhere on the print is easy too. It will take a little time, but it works great.

Harry Lamb

Harry, you are exactly right. That Creative Commons thing has many people thinking ALL pictures are public domain. My content specific premium pictures always stay on Flickr ( and now on FAA ) and off the blog and other social media.

Thanks Beth ...

Here it is http://eappz.eu/en/products/watermark-reloaded/

I have the pro and it does what it says on the box.

Legally, Facebook may not share or sell any images that you have for close friends or friends only

Just make sure your albums are at the correct privacy

I am surprised that people think that a mere Watermark will keep their image from being stolen. More bad news - a low res of 500X700 @100 PPI is sufficient for a mug and can actually be up-processed to generate a Mouse Pad. You may think that the image would be less that the quality you would recommend, but most people that steal images don't care.

There is no place that can protect you from someone with a brain. Ever use "MWSnap"? Even if you are protected from right mouse click, the image can be captured. It will be sufficient for mugs, mouse pads or blogs. So I don't worry about those thefts, but at least the large files that generate Top Quality large prints are protected. Oh btw - the watermark can be cropped out in most situations or simply cloned out.

Other than that - things are fine.

Harry Lamb

Thanks Beth, I'll look into that.

Frank

I use a watermarker plugin on some of my blogs

You can put what name, image you like as a cover for the work

I went to the website for the morephotos.com which is the parent company of "photos at my door". They list a number of affiliated companies and printers that presumably are involved in this program. I would like to believe if your image is clearly watermarked with a copyright that they will not print it. I tried to initiate a chat session that was offered but was unable to reach anyone. The email link didn't work either.

The following are the Company Site Links they list:
www.WdWeb.com
www.MorePhotos.com
www.LabImages.com
www.Pictology.com
www.MorePhotosTalk.com
www.MorePhotosRadio.com
www.PhotoScramble.com
www.WeddingDetails.com
www.HoneyMoonDetails.com
www.PartyDetails.com
www.Vertio.net
www.ProfessionalPhotographySupply.com

I post my images on my photo page, but EVERY IMAGE other than here in FAA has a HUGE watermark across them. I never upload to the internet without a watermark across my image. Not only to protect my work, but as the image gets shared and the source gets lost, my watermark is still stamped right across the middle of the image. Plus, this has brought me work, people new how to contact me through my website that is part of my watermark (example below)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151302883391179&set=a.338317836178.160683.52694966178&type=1&theater

These are the kind of watermark I use when uploading to my Houzz

Dan, you make good points but I would imagine that if we posted our pictures as public for all to see then I would think it would apply to everyone, not just Friends. There were certain Facebook pages that I posted a low res picture plus a link to my FAA thinking that people would be more apt to look at the picture and maybe click on the link to see more, more than if I just provided a little link to FAA. I am pretty sure that is how Purephoto.com found me which led to a $2600 sale on there. They contacted me on Facebook saying they had a buyer who might be interested in my work. I never heard of them until that. I would think now people would be able to use the service for those pictures that I posted on those Facebook pages, although low res I imagine they are enough for a mug, hopefully I'm wrong. I guess I should start watermarking if I continue doing it.

Mike, you are so right it what you said about FB as the middleman. My wife is always saying the same thing to me.

Dan, I think the thing worst than FB is a Wordpress blog. There are only like a hand-full of themes that have picture protect, every other theme allows you to right-click-save. WP believes in the Creative Commons thing, but then who is managing the rights to our images. I have a protected theme from WP, but I post my portfolio with Crevado.com they have a free option with right-click-protect.

AnnaJo, you need to go back into your picture edit and click the box to watermark you works.

Then there's the scenario where we post a new image here, link it our FB page, and then it doesn't show at FB, just a blank white square is there. I went back and deleted 11 blank squares recently.

When our images are posted through FAA, aren't they automatically protected with a watermark? I am not adept at the computer. I mostly paint.
On another note....I recently noticed that this image.....is getting a lot of visitors. I have had more than 5000 visitors in the past couple weeks. I have received no more than the usual comments, so it seems that they are looking at my image without actually going to the page. It isn't a particularly good photo. Although it is pretty, it is simply a sunrise that I took using my IPhone. Could you please explain this anomaly? It feels wrong. I am concerned.

AnnaJo Vahle

the hard part is - there are 9000 people that have your images on their site, that they downloaded from elsewhere and uploaded there. ideally once people realize it's a place like zazzle that is doing the printing, you won't need a facebook to be the middle man. they can just steal it themselves and do it that way.

---Mike Savad

@Frank,

And that is a good practice (watermarking). Doing so means you do not have to follow or understand the many changing faces of Facebook. As mentioned above, watermarking presents only two possible scenarios to whatever they do with images: 1) they won't use a watermarked image, or 2) you get free advertising

I never have posted my pics to FB without a watermark. I usually link the pics from Flickr, which has righ-click-protect if you make them restricted. I've never believed in Creative Commons, below is a link short of a longer post. Facebook changes things so often you can't keep up with it, and you don't really know from each change who is seeing what.

http://danheller.blogspot.com/2012/07/royalty-free-no-longer-exists.html

Also, to be literally and technically correct, it is not a service where "...people can buy your pictures on mugs" (meaning anybody), but rather is restricted to "friends."

Unfortunately, that would restrict the potential marketing opportunity mentioned above. I would rather they offer them to all.

Might be sort of a panic, knee-jerk reaction.

Use it strategically... to your advantage.

Put an easily visible watermark on your images.

1) If facebook does not like the watermarks, they will not use it.

2) if they do use it, you have a free advertisement and possible link to your art on every coffee mug with coffee in it

Edit: If I understand fair use, creative commons and all that stuff correctly, they can use it, but cannot modify it; i.e., they cannot remove the watermark.