How to copyright an image in Photoshop. (or otherwise)

[Simon Lake]

This could hopefully clear up a few issues as regards copyright. (apart from the fact that I am trying to escalate from maggot level).

http://www.showandtell-graphics.com/watermark.html

I conceptualized this design and there is no way anybody is going to rip me off here. I was given a brief to come up with this "Kudu" (that's an antelope) for tee shirts for the World Cup in SA 2010 right? Now I may look stupid, but I ain't a dweeb, so sod your written contracts or whatever, you don't get it and you CANNOT distribute it until I remove this watermark from the email attachments I send you. Simple as......

I'm not a business man and probably never will be, but all is fair in love and war and these are the designs. At the end of the day, you can't use them. There's a filter in Photoshop called "Digimarc", and for the life of me, I cannot see how this works, so here's the thing........

[Leah-Admin]

Fab and yes this is a good idea! I keep forgetting to do this myself.

I figured I could invent my own watermark by just writing my own text in 'pale font' over the top of my scanned images. There's bound to be a flaw in doing that as it seems too easy! I could save two versions to save editing it later. One with watermark for publication and one without for forwarding to clients.

I shall check out that link.

I don't use photoshop myself so can't help re that query!

[Simon Lake]

Okay this is how you do it in Photoshop. You open a new file (A4 obviously) and have a copyright symbol such as this ready. You select it with the magic wand and then copy it and paste it to your Cartoon/ Illustration. It will assume the colours that you have set in your main toolbox background and foreground colours which gives you the further option to give it a gradient fill. Plus automatically a New Layer has just been created. This gives you the ability to go into the Layer pallette toolbox thing there on the right to change opacity. I normally find about 50% does the trick. Don't forget to Flatten Image in Layers in your main composition. Keep the watermark as a PSD template plus your original Artwork without it.

[Simon Lake]

[Simon Lake]

I don't use photoshop myself so can't help re that query!

You do now.

[Leah-Admin]

I do indeedy!! I have since managed to copyright my pics

Meanwhile what is 'flattening images' what is purpose of this?

My webiste with copyrighted pics on it!
http://www.portrait-gift-service.com/

[Simon Lake]

When you work with layers in Photoshop always keep a PSD version of any image you are working on as well as a JPEG which is conducive to Web transfers and normally what is required by a Client. However, they may just require it in PSD format (Photoshop Document) so if they have any savvy they can edit it themselves as it still contains the layers. For testimonials and stuff on your site, always *JPEG. You have to go into Layers and Flatten Image to do this. Layers will automatically be made if you add text to an image or say a Copyright watermark for that matter but you can create a new one to work on any image if you want to do a transparency or something. It's important to understand the principle behind using Layers in PS. Then you are halfway there. *Also preferably 72 dpi.

[Leah-Admin]

Yep, that makes sense

meanwhile my latest avatar

[Leah-Admin]

Re done...

I am loving Photoshop!!

[Simon Lake]

Hahaha very cool indeed! I hope that butterfly didn't have too much for Breakfast.

[Leah-Admin]

Simonnnnnnnnnnnn! How rudeeeee

My latest



I used 4 separate images

a horse
some wings
a horn
background

then changed things to create this charming little pic

[Simon Lake]

I can't tell if it's Male or Female lol.

[Simon Lake]

In the meantime, there's this.......
http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Graphic-Design-Photography/Remove-watermark.html

[RussCartoons]

Ahh, our old friend Copyrite...

The use of a copyrite symbol ( as far as I can tell ) is just a clever way of subtly ruining the cartoon so that no-one can steal it.
Legally, the copyrite is yours until you either give it away ( God forbid ! ) or sell it, regardless of whether the symbol is there or not.
In fact, a picture with a copyrite symbol on it is considered to be a part of the picture...so the copyrite symbol itself becomes part of the artwork.
Law, eh ? Lol !
And the weird pencil-flying owl is right....freelancer sites are awash with jobs asking for copyright symbols to be removed....very few of them have the permission of the original artist.
So we have tech-savvy artists willing to betray other artists for a few bucks....I lament for our species !

[RussCartoons]

Cool pics, Leah !
Insects and flying horses eh ?
Freud would have a field day with you....