New format for pictures

<p>Either it's my laptop or PNet site. On occasion, I download, like others, a picture to do some tests for additional comment.<br>

But now, when I try to download one, I get the GIF format. I don't get it from other sites.<br>

So, did Pnet site changes it's setting or is my laptop sc***ed up?</p>

<p>Nope, that's on purpose.</p>

<p>I have gotten far too many "you need to do something to help stop image theft" emails over the past year. And while most of us know that there is nothing that you can REALLY do to stop image misuse on the internet aside from never putting your images online at all, Photo.net also doesn't want to be put in the position where we are making photographers unhappy or wary of the site for no reason.</p>

<p>So, as many other photo sites do, we have added a transparent GIF system for the gallery images. Are there ways around it? Of course, and fairly easy ones at that. But that is the case for every form of image protection that a website can offer. But it will slow down the lazy or stupid image misusers, and to be honest, that's just about all one can hope for (and is probably the lions share of image misusers).</p>

<p>Thanks Josh, I'm a bit annoyed but I think I'll live trough it.</p>

<p>I like it.</p>

<p>Not to be dense, but, thinking this was something new, I just tried right clicking on a forum image, then selecting "save as", and the process worked well, ie, exactly as it always has.</p>

<p>Is the new gif thing imposed only on certain forums, only in the galleries but not forums, only if you aren't logged in, is IP specific, or what?</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

Only gallery images (not forum) at this time.

<p>Also, many people use forum images served up from outside photo.net, and I don't think it's as easy to change the format for downloading since the original is what is being displayed.</p>

<p>I have found more than a few of my portfolio images posted (albeit with credit to me) at various places. Only the gods know how many are out there otherwise with no credit- I know others here have discovered some 'appropriators'.</p>

<p>Hi Josh......... just found this thread, which negates my earlier email to you.<br />My concern with this change is that I view PN as a learning site and I appreciate the time and interest of other PN members who "download" my images... effect corrections... and re-post my image to support their written critiques. I do the same to other PN members. To me, this is what PN is all about......... learning. I (and I would expect) many other PN members will sorely miss this vital facility...... because a picture says a thousand words.<br />My days of making money from Photography are long gone....... image banks killed that. So I really don't care where my images end up... in fact I would probably feel quite "honoured" if someone saw enough potential in one of my images to want to steal it. My ImagePro website is unprotected, but I knew that before I set it up...... it was my call.<br />Anything and everything on the internet is "free for all" and I am sure that all PN members know this. I believe it is therefore the responsibilty of the "poster" to ensure his/her own protection against theft........ low resolution, watermarks and probably many more.<br />I'm just "peeved" that PN has chosen to go this route and in effect reduce the learning potential offered by this site.<br /> What a sad day......................<br>

Regards</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I understand what you are saying, but by all accounts, you are in the minority. Many MANY people are very concerned about where their images end up.</p>

<p>If you say so Josh................. I am bitterly disappointed. It will certainly curtail my enjoyment of this site.<br>

Regards.</p>

<p>Various threads illustrating the concerns of photo.net users to their images being swiped. Please note the number of responses in these threads. It's not something that nobody cares about:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00VxAd<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00WDpy<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00SOi1<br>

http://www.photo.net/business-photography-forum/00UZBt<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00RCfu<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00R2MC<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00Vvd1<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00OZRP</p>

<p>I understand that there are legitimate and legal reasons why someone would want to download an image. But until science creates a "intention detector" there is no way to tell good from bad.</p>

<p>I'm happy that you yourself do not have the stress of worrying about your images. But many others are very much concerned about where their images end up. So much so that they have left photo.net because of it. As with most things, many changes to a site this large are a zero-sum game. We do the best we can to satisfy the largest number of people. But one of the things I had to accept long ago about my job is that there are always going to be people unhappy with my decisions. Pleasing everyone, sometimes even pleasing a strong majority, just isn't in the cards.</p>

<p>Josh - I understand the theft issue. But I've used photonet for years as a wonderful avenue for daily screen savers. Refreshing, vibrant and always changing. But the "gif" change prevents right clicking an image and setting it as background on both PC's and Mac's. If there's no way around this then you've lost a subscriber.<br>

Thoughts? Mike</p>

<p> </p>

<p>In the past I have often downloaded images at PN as visual aids to critiques and likewise I've had people do the same with my images. Now that the process is more cumbersome I image some people will not bother. On the up side, I suppose this will leave some people with the pretense that their images are safe from download. Placating the masses is a thankless job.</p>

<p>Hi Josh, Thanks for your the links you provide. I went through some of them and what comes out for me is a remark from Ian saying 'that nobody makes money of these shots'. I must agree.<br>

Also, I did not see, except one I know, a lot of PN user I qualify as at least semi-pro. The pictures I see from them everyday is so good I would expect they would be in favor of that limitation. But not seeing it doesn't mean they disagree.<br>

One thing sure it that it is a hot topic.</p>

<p>You should let people know before you make a change like this, so that they don't spend time wondering whether anything is screwy with their computer.<br>

I'd prefer just to be able to download the pictures, although it's not a big deal. How much harm can really come from the purloining of such small files, in any case?<br>

Couldn't this feature be an optional one, available to those Photo Net users who want to take advantage of it?</p>

<p>Josh, "Nope, that's on purpose."<br /> <br /> My opinion. I paid my membership for full use on this site. I can’t even upload pictures from my own personal gallery folders. I should have complete ownership rights to my personal work, with no restrictions. My copyrights were never signed over to photo.net.<br /> <br /> Just my 2 cents, actually $25.00. On purpose this year, I will not renew.<br /> <br /> As a minority person, I expect my post to be deleted anyway, that's your choice.<br /> <br /> I will spend more time at The Canon Digital Photography Forum, a.k.a. P.O.T.N.</p>

<p>Folks, as Josh said in his first post in this thread, there are utterly trivial ways around this so called "copy protection" method. These work-arounds might require an extra mouse click or two on your part, but hopefully will save some of our members from having their images stolen by path-of-least-resistance thieves, just in the same way that a lock on your front door won't stop a dedicated burglar, but opportunistic burglars will move on to an easier target.</p>

<p>Obviously, no one should publish the details of such methods here, or even exactly what to look up, but the work-arounds are very easy to find. I know because just checked and the 1st hit on the 1st page of search results was an appropriate method.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>PS - No one is taking ownership of your images, no one has replaced you as the copyright holder. It's completely inappropriate to suggest otherwise -- Josh & Co. are trying to help you protect and maintain your copyright.</p>

<p>Tom M,<br>

Thanks for the info.<br>

Just a few extra steps I have to take, if I want to upload my files, when I am away from home, and do not have access to my original digital files or their back up hard drives.<br>

Best regards E. R. Averitt, still a photo.net member.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>My opinion. I paid my membership for full use on this site. I can’t even upload pictures from my own personal gallery folders. I should have complete ownership rights to my personal work, with no restrictions. My copyrights were never signed over to photo.net.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm not sure what you are getting at here. You DO own all your images. Photo.net only requires usage rights as outlined in the Terms of Use that everyone must agree to when signing up. The issue under discussion here doesn't have anything to do with signing over your copyright. You are free to upload or delete any images in your account.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Just a few extra steps I have to take, if I want to upload my files, when I am away from home, and do not have access to my original digital files or their back up hard drives.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It is worth noting that Photo.net is not, and has never billed itself as, a storage or backup site. In fact, given that we do not store full resolution versions of images, I would suggest that using PN as a storage or backup system is not a very good idea at all.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Couldn't this feature be an optional one, available to those Photo Net users who want to take advantage of it?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I am looking into that.</p>

<p>ER, you are quite welcome. Check your email.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<blockquote>

<p>It is worth noting that Photo.net is not, and has never billed itself as, a storage or backup site.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I wonder if this fact has been fully understood by all our photo.net subscribers. I am a paid up subscriber, as a measure of my support and appreciation for what this site has meant to me. However apart from that, for all I know, photo.net could go belly-up /sold off at any time. I do encourage people who post images here, whether in personal galleries or in forums etc... to have a regular back-up plan for the images being hosted on photo.net servers.</p>

<p>Josh -<br>

Not sure what you did but as of this morning the functionality to set an image as desktop background returned. Thank you. Mike</p>