To Watermark or Not to Watermark?

Feb 14, 2012

KayNicole J.

I've been debating whether or not I should start watermarking the photos on my blog. My earlier ones, I'm sure no one wants to steal, and if they do then good luck to them I guess. However I've been taking better and better pictures and I'm wondering if it does any good to watermark, and what kind of watermark should I make. (where should I place it, how visible should it be, etc.)

Feb 14, 2012

Yasmin K.

Watermark.

Feb 14, 2012

Tamara R.

I'm not a fan of the aesthetics, but I think it's a necessary evil.

Feb 14, 2012

Jasmine P.

I'm not a huge fan of watermarking, but if you need to, it's a must I guess. I know for features here on Beautylish, we do not feature photos that have watermarks on them. 

Feb 14, 2012

Huma N.

I do admit that I don't really like watermarks, but if you know people are going to steal your pictures, go ahead. Some people start watermarking their photos after they find others using the pictures without their consent, but starting earlier to prevent that is always good. :)

Feb 14, 2012

Yasmin K.

If you don't want to do a watermark in the traditional sense you can always have a custom font made do an an initial on it. Since my blog name is Zadidoll I use a large cursive Z that looks a bit like a crystal. It's simple and easily copied but if I had the talent and time I'd have a unique logo designed for me.

Feb 14, 2012

Soma S.

Yasmin, you can always peruse deviantart.com to find a starving student/designer to make one for you. Many do custom drawings for $20, and considering how a logo is easier than anime drawings or custom art pieces, I'm sure you can support a budding artist to get an awesome logo made for you!

As to the topic, YES! I don't do this because I've yet to take the timer to overhaul my site with the new blogger interface, but you worked hard for it! Get the credit you deserve!

Feb 14, 2012

Atqa B.

Yes, it's a necessary evil :(

Feb 14, 2012

Audrey A.

I have to be honest, I never read/follow blogs that have pictures that are watermarked. It generally looks pretty tacky, and since makeup blogs are so photo heavy it really drags the design of the blog down. Unfortunately, stealing is going to happen - look at how many websites feature Temptalia's photos. If you want to know what sort of legal action you could take, I know modelmayhem's forums have quite a few topics on how to respond to thieves. I would think the same rules would apply to product/swatch photos. If you REALLY want to watermark your photos, generally a mid opacity text with part of the text overlapping the product in product shots and I would suggest putting it in the lower right-hand corner of swatch photos. Your main goal would be making it so that it would be near-impossible to photoshop out, but still look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Feb 14, 2012

Shelly T.

I'm not a beauty blogger, but I'm into photography as a hobby. For a long time I used to watermark my photos, but then I stopped. I found a watermark can be distracting when you want to look at the photo. The other downside is someone who is a whiz at Photoshop and the like can easily crop or edit it out and use your photo anyway.

Also, a few years ago, in lieu of watermarks and/or using teeny-tiny photos on my site, I chose to license my photos via a Creative Commons License (creativecommons.org). The cool part about that is you can adjust the terms to your liking. (For example, my license is Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works, meaning if someone shows my photography on their blog, they have to credit me as the photographer, but they can't use it for commercial purposes, and they can't completely change it.) Personally, I would encourage going down this route over watermarking.

Feb 15, 2012

Jasmine B.

I've been thinking of doing the same thing lately but didn't know how to go about doing it.  

Feb 15, 2012

Yasmin K.

CCL is still around?! I remember when they were a free service. I wonder if my old account still works with them.

Feb 16, 2012

Shelly T.

CCL is still around *and* still free.

Feb 16, 2012

Yasmin K.

That's fantastic! I remember when they first launched.... I think in 2000 or 2001. 

Feb 17, 2012

Katie Louise H.

I only watermark when i really need to, otherwise i don't bother. If someone really wants to steal your images they'll do so, watermark or not i guess.

Mar 5, 2012

Cortney S.

Watermark to be safe. I don't mind watermarks if they aren't blocking an important part of the product I want to see. It is necessary to be safe.