I would like to make a copyright symbol and signature (or initials) to place on pictures that I take.

I would like to make this on a separate file and then be able to open that file and drag the copyright symbol/my signature over onto a picture.

To do this I believe I'd have to have the copyright symbol and my signature on a transparent background saved as a file?

Taking several hundred pictures, I'd like to be able to just open the file and drag it (the symbol/sig) over; quick and easy, not have to spend a lot of time setting it up for each picture. (Yes, I know I'd have to adjust the size first to fit where I want it to go in each picture.)

Can someone give me -specific- directions on how to set something like that up (a copyright symbol & signature in a file that I could open and drag from)?

If someone has something similar for their own work I'd be glad to hear how you created it.

Thank you all very much for your time and help.

Holly

My apologies, I have Photoshop 7.0 and work with Windows software.

I have a Wacom Tablet but I haven't used it yet...

Holly

Look up the Security option in Photoshop's Web Photo Gallery tool.

Make a brush.

http://www.myjanee.com/tuts/brush/cbrush7.htm

Noooooo!!!!  

if you want to ad your copy symbol to a bunch of photos (100 - 1000) without the need to even open de f photos .. get the

Downsize at http://www.stuntsoftware.com/software/Downsize/index.html

or PicMark free one .. don't remember the www

I literarily spend all night looking for this program... found it and I am glad

by the way this are for Mac .. but I am sure there has to be something for pc's

In Photoshop CS2 there is a filter that I think you can use. Under filters > digimark  > embed watermark. This opens a window where you can add a copyright with the date and some other stuff. I haven't tried it  yet but I just opened the window enough to see this.  Check it out.

Digimark is a completely different thing! It uses an encoding technique to embed copyright data into the image itself so that it is NOT visible - except as a slightly noisier image.

Andrew

These programs have some serious limitations, like no RAW support. Nor do they offer the ability to batch apply a crop, white balance, or other settings to a batch of RAW images and apply the settings as the images are downsized, watermarked, and processed. Bridge does all of these things, and it's free with Photoshop, and cross-platform as well.

I agree, Bridge is really the way to go. You can ad a tone of useful metadata data as well as copyright info. If you then create a .DNG, it’s all in that RAW data. Even if you process images into any other format from RAW, all this data travels with the new data. Add it early and add it quickly. What’s also useful is that should anyone try to remove it (and they have to be smart enough to look for it), it’s pretty serious and you can nail them to the wall.

So if a have 100 photos JPGs .. can I ad my signature as fast as the programs I mention before ?

If so .. then I should learn to use Bridge !!!

Yes, make a metadata template in Photoshop which is then available in Bridge. Select all, append meta data.

But appending the metadata will not add a visible signature to the image.  It will embed copyright data in the metadata file, which is unfortunately easily stripped.  

If I want a watermark copyright and signature to appear on the image itself, I use the brush method on a layer as shown in this article, complete with a free PS action to generate it:
http://www.outbackphoto.com/workflow/wf_54/essay.html

Yes, it’s not visible (which is in my opinion good), if someone strips it out (which takes a fair amount of work-copy and paste entire image into matching size file), and you’re caught, that’s a violation of the digital millennium act. Of course, you can do both (visual and embedded copyright).

Now you're assuming that this process can't be automated somehow.

Are you certain that this protection is adequate enough that someone simply can't make a program that removes such copyright information?

There is no 100% fool proof copyright scheme.

They could just load it into a program like Bridge or a EXIF editor and delete the copyright info field.


To make a visible copyright:
1. Open an image and type your copyright text on it.
2. Select all
3. From the Layer >Align Layers to Selection menu align the text layer how you want it (bottom-left, top-right, center, etc).
4. Use Shift/Ctrl and the arrow keys to nudge it away from the far edges if needed.
5. record an action for this and it will not matter how your image is orientated, it will appear right where you set it to appear.

Exactly my point above...

(And FWIW my article explains how to more easily automate the visible signature process by making the text into a brush so you just stamp it when you want to add it...)

Thank you VERY much Jack and Janee.

I think I'll follow your suggestions and make a brush. That way I can use it to stamp each picture in the exact spot and size that I wish as I work on them.

You guys are the greatest!!!  

Holly