How To Prevent Signature Scams - Topic

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Jan 29 2009 05:32pm

I've recently come to notice that designers are having some problems with their signatures being used before being paid, thus leading to a scammer's accusation or flames.
In this thread, I will explain to you the very simple way to prevent a requester from using your signature before purchasing. Watermarks.

What is a watermark you ask?
A watermark is an impressed design, pattern, text, that is imprinted onto an image. It is visible enough to be seen, yet faint enough not to disturb the picture.

What does this have to do with signatures and avatars?
Simple, if your image has a watermark, it shows proof of ownership, so if you see your image circling around the web, you know who it belongs to.

Example:

The difficulty about removing watermarks is that they're plastered on top of the image, with a low opacity that makes it difficult for someone to try and manipulate the photo to remove the watermark.

How can I use watermarks to prevent people from stealing it?
When posting a submission onto a request thread, add a watermark. It marks somewhat as a sample image for the user to see, yet not usable due to the watermark. If the requester decides they would like to purchase your image, simply remove the watermark and send it to the request once payment has been made. This allows the requester to see the image as it would be if purchased, and once the payment has been made, the image has been sent, and the trade has been complete; scam free.

How do I create a watermark?

I hope this guide has helped you in understanding the purpose and function of watermarks, and helps us as a community to prevent future scams.

Thanks to saihaman and Masterblue for reviewing and contributing FG to get this topic bold and red.