How To Protect Your Pictures?
You have opened profile online, but recently your concerns grew about fake
profiles, your privacy and stealing your identity... Since most of people do not
put sensitive information in their online profiles (home address, telephone
number, credit card number, etc...) their biggest concern related to protecting
their privacy and identity are pictures they upload online.
If someone wants to create fake profile the only thing he needs are your pictures. Scammers use fake names, interests and descriptions anyway so you shouldn't be afraid someone will steal them... But, when it comes to pictures - that's what they will be after...
So, how do you protect your pictures? Simply - add watermark to every picture you'll use online :) There are lots of ways to do it, both free and paid... I will cover free solutions, since i'd rather save some cash :)
1. There are free services online that will add watermark to your pictures... Most of them are very straight forward and easy to use - what you need to do is to upload picture(s) from your PC, choose font and color of watermark text (or in some cases you can upload picture to be used as watermark), then you choose position on picture where watermark will be added (i suggest to put it in the middle of picture), after that you let service do it's job and you download finished and watermarked picture... it's simple as that :) Here are few services i liked, for more just do search on Google for "Watermark pictures online" or something similar...
- Picmarkr.com
- Watermarktool.com
2. If you'd rather do watermarking yourself, on your own computer or laptop there are free solutions also :) There's lots of open source or freeware for private use programs you can download, install and use free of charge... If you ever used Adobe Photoshop or some other similar images editing software you shouldn't have any problems to use these watermarking programs...
- Watermark-image.com, free for personal use
- Picture-shark.com, free for personal use
To explain something else, just in case someone didn't know :) Free for personal use means you will not sell processed pictures, or use them in any commercial projects... Uploading pictures to your personal profile is not commercial so we are all good to go :)
And for the end, one more thing... If you worry about your friends being forced to look at your watermarked pictures you tell them you're doing it to protect your privacy and advice them to consider doing the same... In the end, if someone doesn't like you or your pictures because of watermarks in them - i say sc**ew them, no one forces them to watch your pics anyway ;)
If someone wants to create fake profile the only thing he needs are your pictures. Scammers use fake names, interests and descriptions anyway so you shouldn't be afraid someone will steal them... But, when it comes to pictures - that's what they will be after...
So, how do you protect your pictures? Simply - add watermark to every picture you'll use online :) There are lots of ways to do it, both free and paid... I will cover free solutions, since i'd rather save some cash :)
1. There are free services online that will add watermark to your pictures... Most of them are very straight forward and easy to use - what you need to do is to upload picture(s) from your PC, choose font and color of watermark text (or in some cases you can upload picture to be used as watermark), then you choose position on picture where watermark will be added (i suggest to put it in the middle of picture), after that you let service do it's job and you download finished and watermarked picture... it's simple as that :) Here are few services i liked, for more just do search on Google for "Watermark pictures online" or something similar...
- Picmarkr.com
- Watermarktool.com
2. If you'd rather do watermarking yourself, on your own computer or laptop there are free solutions also :) There's lots of open source or freeware for private use programs you can download, install and use free of charge... If you ever used Adobe Photoshop or some other similar images editing software you shouldn't have any problems to use these watermarking programs...
- Watermark-image.com, free for personal use
- Picture-shark.com, free for personal use
To explain something else, just in case someone didn't know :) Free for personal use means you will not sell processed pictures, or use them in any commercial projects... Uploading pictures to your personal profile is not commercial so we are all good to go :)
And for the end, one more thing... If you worry about your friends being forced to look at your watermarked pictures you tell them you're doing it to protect your privacy and advice them to consider doing the same... In the end, if someone doesn't like you or your pictures because of watermarks in them - i say sc**ew them, no one forces them to watch your pics anyway ;)
