Key wrote:Example of watermark use the way I mean it:
It's there, but I think it gets noticed only after looking at what the photo is about. This will not work in every photo, but where it does I have come to like it as a form of safeguarding (which obviously never is perfect).
Wondering how others see this,
Erik
Hi Erik,
This looks good. As a matter of fact I didn't even notice the huge transparent "Airliners" watermark inside the photo itself, on first sight. My attention was drawn by the name banner below the photo. So this proves that a decent and nearly invisible watermark is very well possible. After all you only want to brandmark your image in a way that publishers don't even consider making unauthorized use of your photo, or be able to recognize your photo when you need it. For all other people you would like the watermark to be invisible, in order not to spoil its beauty.
So far I have only watermarked my photos on one occasion, when my (publicly visible) images were so hot that they could have been published in every magazine (Lybia AF MiG-25's). All other images that are intended to be published on paper are kept away from public view until the time is right to show them. In practice this can mean that it can take over a year before they are released.
Airliners is a place that does require watermarking, as their photos are exposed all over the world, and to many different media who require images for publication. Personally I have chosen to stay away from Airliners, as I try to arrange my own publishing
Sometimes I wonder about the true reasons for people to watermark their photo. I may hurt some people's feelings if I say that a lot of watermarked photos are nowhere near eligable for publication, and the watermark is only there to make a name. Nevertheless I do understand that people like to have their name attached to a photo, but if that is your goal, I would suggest to do it much more esthetical.
If people want to show their name with the photos, this is what I would like suggest:
- resize every photo that you want to publish online to the same size (let's say 900 x 600, for instance)
- create a standard image (let's say 1000 x 700, for instance) that can serve as a background / border. In this image you design your name, and whatever info you might want to add.
- Open the photo and copy it into the standard frame, and then save it as a new filename.
With Photoshop this proces can be done both manually and automatically. You will only need to design a beautiful border just once, and if you want to adjust the design it's pretty simple. There are also programs that provide you with standard borders which can automatically include a lot of data, like name, date, camera data, website, email or any combination. Just one touch of a button......
Arnold ten Pas has recently given valuable tips about borders in another thread. You may want to read his explanation and see his examples.
Just my thoughts,
Iwan
