DSLRUsers.com

Hi all,
I'm looking at hosting my website locally on my own webspace,not on a thirdy party site, however I want to disable the ability of the person browsing them to be able to right click and save the image. Do any of the programming IT gurus out there know how this is achieved and whether or not it's easy/hard to do? Thanks in advance,

Hi Geoff,

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=41

The info you want can be found at the link above. However, so method will fully stop them from downloading images to their desktop. As the article says, you can just do a screen grab, there you go, it's there, easy to do.

Some image software will put a generic copyright watermark on the image, but that can sometimes distract from the image

HTH,

radar

radar wrote:Hi Geoff,

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=41

The info you want can be found at the link above. However, so method will fully stop them from downloading images to their desktop. As the article says, you can just do a screen grab, there you go, it's there, easy to do.

Some image software will put a generic copyright watermark on the image, but that can sometimes distract from the image

HTH,

radar

Thanks Radar,
This code is exactly what I was looking for, now I have to figure out how to implement it which shouldn't be too hard I hope. I know I can put the copywright watermark on the image but as you say it does distract from the image. Really appreciate your help with this one

I just realised that this is perfect for MIE but you can still right mouse click and save with Firefox.

e.g - http://www.geoffyates.com/photos/testimages/constantine.htm


Anyone know how to utilise this code so that it works in Firefox too?

If someone wants to steal your images, click-disable codes won't stop them.

All they have to do is either look at page info for the image links or check the source.

or a simple screen capture program..


Watermark them...

Nnnnsic wrote:If someone wants to steal your images, click-disable codes won't stop them.

All they have to do is either look at page info for the image links or check the source.

Sure, but a click-disable will certainly discourage most people.

Geoff wrote:Sure, but a click-disable will certainly discourage most people.

Geoff, it will discourage the ones that just want to get the image to maybe use for themselves, eg as a background, etc. The ones that actually want to steel your image will know how to get it regardless of what you do. The watermark is probably the only way to "ruin" your image for those type of thieves

cheers,

radar

here is a few ways of copy-protection...

No-right click scripts
would avoid it (i hate sites which do it)

Watermarks
lessens quality, and can annoy legitimate users.

Small Image size
this can work well with photos... People have to login, signup to view the higher res images.

flash / java applets
displaying images in flash. users do download the .swf files and a skilled user can extract the images, dont expect to find too many who would bother / can.

transparent gif overlay
placing a transparent gif over the image, so when the right click they only download the gif.

source code encryption
software exits that will encrypt - jumble up your HTML source code, making it effectively unreadable.

Screen shots destroy all techniques...

Some users will even take a digital photo of their monitor displaying your website... thats determination!

there is a company called Artistscope which claims to be able to disable screen shot capture - but that requires users must download additional plugin's before viewing your content.

it might put users off your website, then again it might not. Also costs $$.

The bottom line is, if you require 100% protection for your images... keep them off the internet.

Id go with watermarks / lower quality images.

Hope this helps.

JD

As mentioned, the best solution is to not have full-sized images available on your website!

For display purposes, you can simply use smaller versions (say 800x600 or similar), or 100% crops of highlight areas. Maybe also use JPEG compression just to the point that you're willing to accept - further versions saved will be lower quality by default.

Trying to stop other users from copying is way too hard (considering the confusing array of browsers, each of which intepreting the "standards" as they see fit), and none are truly effective anyway.

Thanks for your help/comments guys, think I'll probably go with smaller res photos as suggested (had been thinking about this already) and a Copyright on the bottom of each image.

right click disabling doens't work if you don't have javascript turned on in the browser.

unfortunately, if someone wants to steal your images, they will. if you're paranoid about it, then don't upload it up

Geoff, I'd suggest going the route of one of Johnathan suggestions, that of transparent GIF overlay.

For someone like me, the right click mouse button is an integral part of my web browsing (right click, open in new window) and it shits me to tears when people disable the right click in the false hope of not having their images 'stolen' - it means I have to reach the shift button with my left hand and click with my right - a task requiring ambidexterity when I simply want to browse the intarweb!

The alternatives of java and macro flash make for slow/poor browsing experience. If you're presenting images to your client - I don't think you'd want to restrict yourself to small sized, highly compressed shit jpegs... some viewers may not be aware its a deliberate choice of image degradation and may wrongfully pass off your work as unfungclunctious™.

The transparent GIF method is quick and painless, and effective in getting the job done IMO - as a first layer of defense against image theft. eg. have a look at the internet movie database (IMDB.com) - they have beautiful decent sized shots of hollywood actors, great for gorking and I'm free to right click as much as I want but all their glorious images are protected from casual stealers as everything is linked to 'mptv1.gif' a 43 byte 1 pixel GIF.

Jonathon, what a great round up of all the methods available.


Geoff, I will go the contrarian method here, just to give you another point of view. Most of your photos are portraits, which have highest value to the friends and loved ones of the the subject. I also assume you put up photos of suitable quality to be viewed on the web, but not good enough for printing. All this being done with the subjects permission.

Wouldn't you want the image to be shown around a mothers club 30 times, saying here is a shot of someones little Johnny taken with a p&s digital and here is the same child in a portrait taken by Geoff of SMP? It is a bit like the free food tastings or the way Adobe give away Adobe Reader. Just an alternative way of looking at things. Would work best with a comparison shot taken with a poor camera.

Good luck with whatever you choose Geoff. Unfortunately, your efforts will only keep the honest people from stealing your images.

That's the way of the internet, I'm afraid