Watermarks

Watermarks supply information about image makers. They identify creators and discourage copying. For photographers, watermark information often includes a logo or label.

Good Gallery offers two innovative watermark types intended to help protect your images from unauthorized use. These features also ensure that no matter where your images appear, viewers are always presented with your studio brand, helping those viewers locate and contact you.

The Problem

Websites are an open system. You cannot prevent access to your images from people or apps. Even with basic protections in place, there are dozens of methods available for people who want to download and use your photos.

Our Solution

Good Gallery has developed two solutions to protect your images:

1. Text Watermark -- A text overlay that unobtrusively displays your studio name in the bottom corner of every image
2. Hidden Logo Watermark -- Automatically adds your logo to a hidden area below every image

Both features should be employed on your site for best results.

Benefits

There are several ways these watermarks are beneficial:

• By displaying your brand name on every image with the Text Watermark, some visitors will ask for permission before using your images
• Since the Hidden Logo Watermark is embedded in the file itself, when one of your images is shared via Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook or other social media, your logo will also be present making it easier for people to identify the maker
• When your images are indexed by search engines and appear in image searches, your logo is visible on the images displayed within search engines

Legal Protection

These features are meant to provide you with potential legal recourse when one of your images is appropriated without permission.

There are two possible scenarios related to improper image usage:

1. Watermark retained -- The person appropriated your image and retained your Text Watermark or Hidden Logo Watermark. In those cases, their inappropriate usage is easily proven.
2. Watermark removed -- If the Text Watermark or Hidden Logo Watermark has been removed from your image, then the individual potentially faces stiffer legal penalties when your images are copyrighted.

When your logo is removed from your image by someone who has "reasonable grounds to know, that [the removal] will induce, enable, facilitate, or conceal an infringement" they have violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) per 17 U.S.C. Section 1202.

For more information about your rights under this statute, check out the article titled "Watermarks Can Be Music to Your Ears."

Text Watermark

Text Watermarks appear on top of every gallery image. This means that visitors who perform a screen capture will also capture your watermark. If that individual then removes that watermark, they are in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and subject to stiff penalties.

To assign a Text Watermark to your images:

1. Sign in to your Good Gallery administrator account.
2. Hover your cursor over the Site menu.
3. Under the Your Settings menu heading, choose Watermarks.
4. Select the Show Text Watermark setting.
5. Change the option to yes.
6. Select the Text Watermark Message setting.
7. Enter your name or your company's name.
8. Click the Save Changes button.

Hidden Logo Watermark

The Hidden Logo Watermark is automatically applied to uploaded images in an area below the bottom edge of each image. Although the logo is present on every image, that area of each image is programmatically hidden from viewers who browse your website.

Depending on your settings, a preview version of the selected image with the Hidden Logo Watermark is displayed in Image Info content.

Since your logo is present on every image, all images shared via apps, search engines, and social media as well as images downloaded by visitors will feature your logo.

Important Behaviors

• When you upload new images, the Hidden Logo Watermark is automatically applied to every resized version of your images, including images that appear on mobile devices
• Since the Hidden Logo Watermark is only applied when you upload an image, if you change the logo associated with your Hidden Logo Watermark, that change will not affect previously uploaded images
• If you disable the Hidden Logo Watermark setting after logos have been applied to images, previously applied logos will remain on those images
• To add a Hidden Logo Watermark to previously uploaded images, you must upload those images again so that the resize and logo application process can run again

Setup Instructions

To assign a Hidden Logo Watermark to new images:

1. Sign in to your Good Gallery administrator account.
2. Choose Logos from the menu.
3. Upload your logo using one of these methods:
   • Drag your logo file from a local computer folder into the upload box.
   • Or click Drop Files Here or Click to Upload and choose your logo file.
4. Do not leave the Upload tool until the word done appears next to the logo file.
5. Hover your cursor over the Site menu.
6. Under the Your Settings menu heading, choose Logos.
7. In the Hidden Logo Watermark setting:
   • Choose the Desktop logo.
   • Choose the Mobile logo.
8. Click the Save Changes button.