Sunday 15 January 2012

Taking a break 1


You may be wondering why I haven't posted for a few weeks. Well maybe it was because I was partly uninspired to show the next set of photos that didn't exactly thrill me but I needed to do so as part of my thematic progression.

Currently my travel wings have been severely clipped as I am spending most of my free time visiting my Mother who is currently under observation in a temporary care home.

I realise that these are excuses for the real reason and that is the misuse of my image that I discovered on Google images by The Sidmouth Harbour Hotel ( My e-mail to them has produced a blank). I know it's mine as it was my first weekend in digital and it shows as the horizon is not straight. I consider the above image to be very poor compared to some of the quality material I have up my sleeve right now and I'm not prepared to let some of these future published images slip away under my nose onto another website without recognition.

I have been searching watermarking websites of late and can't get to grips with any of them as the explanation on how to use Batch photo and Jet photo studio is out of date. Picassa was no help, winwatermark was poor. Picmakr I didn't understand and lastly and most frustratingly I finally downloaded Photoshop elements 10 but I just ended up going around in circles chasing my tail trying to access it. Even though some software programs are meant to be mac friendly, this package seems to be unbelievably large with assistance & forum notes thats it's difficult to access even .. find the main event.

In the meantime I haven't quite thrown in the towel but I await your comments and help before I can continue.

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5th July 2019

Now that I have worked out how to watermark my images, the process of re-doing everyone in this blog has been a time consuming process. There have been other storage issues on this journey that I have encountered.
Firstly my initial storage host, Picasa, was taken over by Google and it was no longer possible to move the images around in a systematic order unless I started from the beginning. I was tempted and took the bait on an unbelievable offer of 1 TB free with Flickr. Unfortunately after adding to that site and then embedding 1800 photos to Blogger, it was bought by another company who decided to charge for the 1001st image onwards. As I was already paying for a service to Google, I started again with them in a systematic order from my day 1 of Blogger.  This is blog post 112 of 177 (currently) and it was easier to just watermark this image.

26 comments:

  1. I am sorry to hear about your mother I hope she improves soon.

    You should be able to watermark your images with Photoshop Elements and the Mac version should work the same as the PC version.

    I have not tried to watermark my images but I do use Elements.

    Something else to do is only upload a low res image, this won't stop someone using the image on line but it won't be a good enough quality to download and print.

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  2. So sorry to hear about your mother. I have also had some issues with people utilizing my photographs without permission. In this digital age, it is hard to cover all your bases. However, you should be able to watermark your photos.

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  3. I can't add to the suggestions on photos, but I do want to add that I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Best wishes and I hope to see you back up soon, traveling or not.

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  4. Hmmm. That is very frustrating indeed! Once when I googled 'Cranberry Morning,' I came upon a site that was selling my photos! (or at least they were trying to.) I then used my ancient Paint Shop Pro to put the little copyright symbol in front of my name (Alt+0169) and I am told that others cannot lift my images. I don't know if that's true or not, but it is so unethical for people to steal your images. I do think there are images that can be used when photo credit is given and when I consider that they would appreciate the free advertising, but I'm not sure. I always do what I consider is ethical. You should try putting a copyright symbol and your name on your photos and seeing if people can lift them or not. Just a suggestion.

    I know you are so busy. Is there any improvement in your mother's condition?

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  5. I hope the poor time will finish soon!
    This is so unfair that people use pitures without permission of the author-I guess I would not mind if just someone asks me...

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  6. Dear J!
    First of all I hope your mother is feeling better at this time!!
    And you start again your traveling...
    Many of the other photographer's have their name on the images.
    So it is pointless to lift them!!

    See you soon, I hope...
    M.

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  7. Hi J, Hope your Mum's condition improves soon. Compared to that, the lifting of images is a minor irritation I'm sure, but it's still plain wrong. If you got no joy from an email, try phoning them and challenge them outright?I know someone for whom this approach was entirely successful.

    Anyhow, hope to see you back up and running here soon

    Kind Regards

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  8. J_on_tour, first of all I hope your mother will be better soon!

    I also contemplate the watermarks for a while, as colleague bloggers confronted themselves with similar problems (not with Google but with a travel agency site). On the other side, watermarks could be erased easily, so this doesn't solve the problem but the photo as image on the blog is somehow ruined. This is the reason I was not watermarked them yet. But may be in the future...

    Does anyone know how does it work with a batch of photos, not only one?

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  9. Hi J,
    I feel really sorry about your mom, hopefully the situation will improve. I keep my fingers crossed for you and your family to get over this.

    As for the photos and watermarks: I've been using Photoshop Elements for a few years and have to admit that it is not easy to start using it. But if you know the trick, it is quite easy to create a watermark with it - I add my logo on my photos this way. You can either use layers (and blend them or just stick them together) or you can create your watermark as a brush, that way you can better control its colour and size. There is also another option how to protect your photos: From time to time I come across a blog where you are not allowed to copy anything, the right click doesn't work at all. I sometimes copy words to enter them into my PC dictionary to understand them and not having to write them but in that case this is impossible. I don't know how it is done technically though...

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  10. I'm so sorry to hear about your mum's health problems. I believe she will get it over soon!
    As for misuse your photo - it's outrageous that people do such things, but hope it won't keep you away from blogging for long!

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  11. Jay, it happens and is annoying. Just bombard their website with vitriolic communications. Post a Sidmouth Hotel are theives into your side bar.
    I'll do a seeing to pictures for watermarking.

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  12. J, it's me again. I've found three tutorials for you to watch, they would help you to create a watermark in the Photoshop Elements. It doesn't matter that the processes are discribed for the version 8 a 9 and you have 10, there shouldn't be any difference. So watch the videos and have a try... Bye, Petra

    http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-photoshop-elements-9/adding-a-watermark/

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaVOWNTJz2k

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCshV67hegc

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  13. Hope your Mom will be fine soon. My prayers tonight are for your Mom.

    Once, I saw my photo posted in a site with a photo credit named to different person. That day, I used picasa to put watermarks. Now, I've downloaded apps from my ipad like snapseed that I can use for watermarking.

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  14. ...and just so you know, I LOVE that photo on this post, J.

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  15. Oh, I do feel for you!!! It sounds like you are in the midst of a very frustrating time. As I always tell my children, "this too will pass". I wish your Mother the best and hope all is well with her soon--I too have been in that situation. I hope you get everything "figured out" soon--I know you will. I love the boat photo--really!! Good luck with things--my thoughts are with you. Mickie :)

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  16. Thanks for all your comments and support.

    My Mother is brighter and there is now a plan in place to relocate her back home within the next 7 - 10 days with carers coming to observe meal and medication issues. I have spent most of my spare time during the week working, visiting, driving, eating and sleeping without a great deal of time to spend with my blog problem or viewing other blogs.

    Petra... thanks for your links and help.
    Adrian... thanks for the work you have put in on seeing to pictures, it has not got lost on me just yet but as I am not a computer genius and have only owned one for two years, other more simplistic issues have delayed me ... such as ...

    - downloading the wrong program that the adobe assistant points you to (CS5)
    - downloading the correct one but then running out of computer memory space when the photo images follow it into the program.
    - now have a job trying to reload the trial version & have made an appointment at the computer shop to sort out a few problems re:storage and mail issues ... I either need a severe clean up, buy a second lap top for just photographs or have no other computer interests such as my 89 GB itunes for a start.
    I won't be defeated just yet.

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  17. Hi J
    Just popping by, sorry to hear about your Mother, its a big worry when your parents get older.
    I can't add much to the comments you have already had. I have thought about putting water marks on but don't like them, I'm doing a photo shop course a the moment and we have covered copyright, you are covered by copyright with any image you have taken, and that inclues on the web, its down you take it further, which I could see being a right pain.
    Small file sizes are a good idea but again if they take a photo to use on a web page it would still look ok.
    I have the right click code on George's blog(have a look, its says this belongs to George not you) happy to let you have it. But again anyone that knows pc's can get around it.
    I'm afraid it is one of the down sides of the world wide web.
    Jan
    George's email is at the bottom of the links page if want the code.

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  18. If you can use Lightroom 3 then its easy to put a watermark on. However, as I have found it'd very easy to get round this. All I would suggest in your case, which has worked for me on 2 occasions is to ask a lawyer to write a letter asking for payment, or withdrawal of the picture. I got paid once, and the other time the photo was withdrawn. I absolutely hate these people who do this thieving, as that is what it is. Good luck.

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  19. Oh, I'm sorry to hear this! I hope that you get it all sorted soon.

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  20. Aha...I am in the same situation. My mother is not good ...and everybody
    steals my images...
    Ok. I hope your mother is in a better shape right now! Yes?
    Any news?
    About Photoshop.
    I have CS3 on my computer. If you can install it, I can make a layer with your name and you can aply this layer on your images. I can teach you, how to do it. Or, if you wish, you can send me all your images (when you want to compose a post for your blog)and I can aply the copyright sign +your name on all of it. Ok? It is not difficult for me to do that. Hope everything is ok with you and your mother . Can you give me a sign?My best regards from a icy Romania!

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  21. Just to update any of you who are subscribed into this post. My Mother returns to her home tomorrow after 5 weeks in a respite home. It has been difficult with travelling and visiting all but three of the days when I was a 12hr shift at work, whilst trying to deal with this topic here.
    I appreciate all your comments, help and offers of advice. I need some time to examine them all.

    Meanwhile the hotel in question have withdrawn the image and offered me a Dorset Cream tea as compensation. It's a bit far to go but it's the thought that counts. Maybe I should say that it was the way in which I found the image originally that upset me more than a Hotel using it for non profit making purposes. A computer expert did a lot of digging and discovered that they had resized and renamed the image which replaced the one I had on Google.

    On a side note another incident shook me when one of my followers (who hasn't commented in this post) thought that all images were free for the taking and helping themselves by suggesting that "You're not the painter of the scene, God is. You've just pushed the button." ... People who make money from Photography as a living ... beware ... now there's a thought ! Personally, I am not in this to make money but I just wanted to see fair play.

    Adrian... thanks for your help, I was nearly there but ...
    Wind ... Thanks, I'll copy some of this to your e-mail you with extra information tomorrow, I'm off to do a night shift now.

    I've been on the Adobe forum site and the specialist says ....

    "The editor prefs often get corrupted. You may need to rebuild the editor preferences to resolve any conflicts.
    Hold down the Ctrl+Alt+Shift keys and simultaneously click on the Edit button on the welcome screen. Release the three keys and look behind the welcome screen by closing it. Or go to program files and hold down the three keys whilst double clicking on Photoshop Elements Editor application.
    You should see a pop up box with the words: Delete Adobe Photoshop Elements Settings File?
    Click on Yes - then wait whilst it rebuilds the preferences."

    I knew it wouldn't be easy if it involved me !!

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  22. Jay, I just came over from Cranberry Morning. I look forward to coming back to your blog next week when I'll have more time to look it over thoroughly. I hope your mother gets well soon and that you'll soon sort out your photo situation. I'm very low-tech, so I can't tell you how to do a watermark, especially on a Mac with which I am totally unfamiliar. But I CAN tell you this, if I can learn to do it (And I have!), ANYONE can!

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  23. So glad to hear about the update on your mother!
    I have a shop on Etsy and a book for dummies. They talk about watermarks, so I will look deeper into it and let you know what I find.
    Please, please don't stop posting on your blog!
    I love your pictures and the detail of your outtings....plus, England is full of so many beautiful places! Makes me want to get back over there.

    Stay strong and adventouros!

    Debbie's Travels

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  24. Thanks Jean and Debbie, I appreciate your comments. I have looked at again a few times this week but still not sorted as this week was taken up with 4 night shifts and the re-orientation of my Mother back into her home. It's a lot more difficult at this stage than what I thought.
    I have numerous posts up my sleeve from last year and I need to move on from this particular post as it is in the past now. I'll have to get an unwatermarked post done soon as I'm getting a bit tired of looking at all the images in the editing process.

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  25. Well, hey! The only thing it is working on internet to protect your images is Digimarc. It is a soft which put copyright on your images.
    You can find it on internet. It cost $ 50 (DIGIMARC basic) .
    I will buy it , too...maybe
    I hate people who steal photos and publish them as theirs, it's very nasty ( and a criminal behaviour).
    I add watermark ( a sign as you see on my online photo).
    I used to do it all the time! I don't do it anymore to stop people stealing them! I do it to market myself!!
    It's not hard these days with photoshop to remove them! (Except for large ones right through the middle of the image!.....doing this really makes you notice the watermark instead of the image)
    Also I never upload anything big enough to print!!

    What I want to say, is to send me your images and I will put a sign on them and send them back to you. Ok? Keep posting, J! Please!

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  26. Ok. I found something interesting for wataremarking your images.
    It is easy to use. Try this: http://www.watermark.ws/.
    Have a good week!
    Bye

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