Preventing Screen captures

**Mithrandir** · 11-06-2006, 18:57

Is there anyway when hosting pictures to prevent them from benig downloaded through a screencapture?

I've already put them in a flash file, but that doesn't prevent people from using print screen, or specialised programs to download the pictures...

Thanks in advance.

**Lemur** · 11-06-2006, 19:03

The usual solution is to post either a watermarked or small-rez file on the public site, and make the full-resolution image only available to subscribers. At least, I know that's how most stock photo agencies do it. I'm not aware of any workaround for a full-resolution image. If they can see it, they can grab it.

**x-dANGEr** · 11-06-2006, 19:11

Well.. Simply, to view a thing it needs to be DL-ed on your PC (Somehow).. So, I can't see how you are going to do that..

**Mithrandir** · 11-06-2006, 19:15

Flash file does not give away the picture file, right ?

**Lemur** · 11-06-2006, 19:16

Not necessarily true. A clever user can "print" from flash, thus capturing the full image. Sorry.

**Mithrandir** · 11-06-2006, 19:18

Watermark it is

.

**Krypta** · 11-06-2006, 19:58

Originally Posted by Lemur

Not necessarily true. A clever user can "print" from flash, thus capturing the full image. Sorry.

If you want to prevent a user from being able to "Print" just add '!#p' to the Frame name in the properties inspector of the frame where the image is. This will disable the abilty to "Print" in the resulting .swf.

**Lemur** · 11-07-2006, 15:32

That's a very helpful tip -- thanks, Krypta. Still doesn't address the problem of people with good timing hitting the "print screen" button, but it makes life more difficult for the would-be image thief.

**R'as al Ghul** · 11-07-2006, 17:00

What if I have the flash developing kit and just download the whole flash?
Wouldn't I be able to rip it apart and save the pieces I want?

My point is that you can't really control access if you put it on a webpage, do you? After all you accept that people "download" it by making it publicly accessible in the first place. Since visiting a site means I download it......

For example, I browse a lot of photo sites and save pics from them. Partly to get inspiration, partly because I like to have it accesible on my machine. I don't intend any plagiarism nor do I intend to do anything else illegal. Some of this sites had the "right click save as" function disabled. Which in my opinion is completely pointless. I would just go to the harddisk cache and move it from there to the folder I intended it to save to. It's not as convenient but works. Of course with Firefox you can just disable the disabling of functions.

R'as

**Husar** · 11-07-2006, 17:16

Being an image-thief myself(I made some screenshots of H&M pics to put as backgrounds onto my cellphone), I can tell you that low-res pics are not very good for making screenshots of, apart from that I do not know any good method, Vista even has some tool included which allows to select parts of your screen to capture etc.
If anyone wants to "professionally" steal them, he will probably have other means to do so, someone who merely wants them as desktop background or so will most likely not try each and every trick or hack.
Why don't you want people to download your pictures anyway if I might ask?

**R'as al Ghul** · 11-07-2006, 17:32

Originally Posted by Husar

Being an image-thief myself(I made some screenshots of H&M pics to put as backgrounds onto my cellphone)

My example and what you describe is clearly no theft (it's copying

) )but fair use, don't you agree?

**Mithrandir** · 11-07-2006, 17:49

Originally Posted by Husar

Why don't you want people to download your pictures anyway if I might ask?

If people can simply download my pictures, they'll wont buy them.

**x-dANGEr** · 11-07-2006, 19:05

The only way you can do with that is to make really extremely great pics that people would want to see often, by that making traffic on your domain, by that earning you money through ads.. 0-i

And of course, if they are drawn on real paper, there are those art fanatics that would want the real original copy and would pay some chunks for it..

**R'as al Ghul** · 11-07-2006, 20:56

Originally Posted by Mithrandir

If people can simply download my pictures, they'll wont buy them.

What kind of pictures?

If we're talking Photography then you know that you can't necessarily make a good print from a 800*600 image. And you wouldn't even need to make the images that big.

**Mithrandir** · 11-07-2006, 21:32

Indeed photography. I've got quite a few b/w 's, which don't really need a bigger resolution...

**Crazed Rabbit** · 11-07-2006, 22:02

I can only suggest smaller resolutions and big ole watermarks across the photo.

If they can see it, after all, they can hit printscreen.

CR

**Husar** · 11-07-2006, 23:16

Originally Posted by R'as al Ghul

My example and what you describe is clearly no theft (it's copying

) )but fair use, don't you agree?

In my case it was not theft because I only copied advertisement pics and H&M doesn't even want to earn money with them. Also people who post pictures on the web should consider what can be done with them and what not.

That said, I suggest using either watermarks or very low-res previews.
Maybe make a password-protected area with medium-res pics for trusted customers or so, don't forget a message board to create a community, for more lessons on e-business and getting you own enterprise started in the net-economy please contact me.

**Mithrandir** · 11-07-2006, 23:22

The problem with both options is that I want to show off the quality of the pictures, which can't be done in low res or with a big ol' watermark across it...