is there a way to secure an image.

[rodh]

I am trying to find a way to secure an image file so that it can not be copyed or saved by someone who I would like o view it. This image will be for sale, and would be posted on the web site. I am not to worried about it being hackable by a pro but to keep the average user from just right clicking and copying weather on web sight or e-mail. Image formats that can be saved in a PDF document and e-mailed to prospective customers ect. Any thoughts or suggestions where to find the answers would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Rod

[scorp123]

I am trying to find a way to secure an image file so that it can not be copyed or saved by someone who I would like o view it. If I can see it, I can save it. Or make a screenshot.

What I'd recommend is you put a low-res version on display and then put a "watermark" all over the image. So that the image is worthless to wannabe free-loaders.

Example for a watermark:

http://media.bestofmicro.com/toms-hardware-italy-overclocking,Q-A-212194-13.jpg

You could easily do the same and put a "watermark" all over the image. Only paying customers would then get a high-res version without that mark (e.g. you offer to e-mail it to them or something like that?).


Or you put the high-res version on display and kindly ask people to donate money / pay for the image. But let's face the obvious: There will always be free-loaders who won't do that. So if you really insist on people paying for the image then this won't work for you and you'd have to use the watermark as I suggested above.

[Rob_H]

Agreed. You can make it harder to download the image, but motivated people with tech prowess will probably be able to get around it. Degrading the publicly-accessible image in some way--such as with a watermark--is the way to go.

[rodh]

Thanks, I thought as much but was hopeful

[gali98]

If I can see it, I can save it. Or make a screenshot.

What I'd recommend is you put a low-res version on display and then put a "watermark" all over the image. So that the image is worthless to wannabe free-loaders.

Example for a watermark:

http://media.bestofmicro.com/toms-hardware-italy-overclocking,Q-A-212194-13.jpg

You could easily do the same and put a "watermark" all over the image. Only paying customers would then get a high-res version without that mark (e.g. you offer to e-mail it to them or something like that?).


Or you put the high-res version on display and kindly ask people to donate money / pay for the image. But let's face the obvious: There will always be free-loaders who won't do that. So if you really insist on people paying for the image then this won't work for you and you'd have to use the watermark as I suggested above.
+1 ^

The real problem is that if a user is able to see the image, then his computer has already downloaded it (when talking about the internet.)
All the user has to do is find out where his temp files go to and harvest the image.
Using a flash application, you could write it to fetch the image from a server, but two problems come with this. First someone good enough could discover where the flash downloads the image from (defeating the whole purpose) or like they already said, a screenshot could be taken.
Kory