Q&A: Protecting Photos From Downloaders February 27, 2012, 6:15 am I'd like to post copies of my photos to sell online, but I'm afraid someone just download them anyway since it's easy so to do on the Web. Is there a way to prevent the theft of my images? As the film and recording industries have learned over the years, digitized content like videos and music have proved far too easy to steal without deterrents like copy protection and encryption. But even if you are just starting out as a photographer, there are a few basic steps to take to thwart people who try to snag copies of your images off the Web. For starters, do not upload full-resolution images to the Web site you want to use to display your work. Saving your photos at a low resolution like 72 dots per inch typically allows them to look decent on screen, but will make for blurry, jagged images if someone tries to download and print the file. Adding a watermark - a semi-transparent copyright line or other personal claim of ownership - over a large portion of the image area can also deter someone from stealing the preview image from the site. Many photo-editing programs can handle resizing and watermarking, including Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (Adobe has a tutorial at adobe.ly/wpRWSh) or the free cross-platform GIMP photo program (a user guide to watermarks is at bit.ly/9KgHe1). Using a photographer-focused service to host your images can also offer security measures, along with tools that make it easier to sell your images. Zenfolio and SmugMug are two examples.