Still More Watermarking Questions . . .

Bill Thebert · May 30th, 2006, 03:50 PM

I know that there have been literally hundreds of questions about watermarking. I've read them all, and I'm still confused.

Here's what I think I know:

In the Admin utility, "Watermarking Options" refers to PERMANENT watermarking, where the watermark file is actually merged/embedded in the uploaded & stored JPG, right?

"On the Fly" watermarking is non-permanent, and the watermarked images are generated on the fly as each page is requested. The stored images are not altered, and this can be turned on or off at will. This type of watermarking is enabled under "Image Protection Options".

So far, so good?

I have managed to get BOTH types of watermarking to work, so I don't have a configuration problem.

The part I don't understand is:

It seems to me that the "on the fly" watermarking would be the type that is configurable by usergroup. Yet only when I have the PERMANENT watermarking enabled do the usergroup options appear on the "Edit Categories" pages.

When I have "on the fly" enabled and "permanent" disabled, then the usergroup options do NOT appear.

What am I missing here?

I wish to use ON THE FLY watermarking, to leave my original images unaltered, to display a watermark overlay to non-trusted usergroups, and to eliminate the watermark for usergroups that ARE trusted.

Where am I going wrong?

Chuck S · May 30th, 2006, 04:28 PM

On the fly watermarking is not a usergroup configurable option. Only permanent watermarking. If you use on the fly it stamps every image.

Bill Thebert · May 30th, 2006, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck S

On the fly watermarking is not a usergroup configurable option. Only permanent watermarking. If you use on the fly it stamps every image.

OK . . .

And PERMANENT watermarking *is* usergroup configurable? How is this possible if the watermark is permanently embedded/overlaid into the stored JPG?

Unless PhotoPost keeps and stores TWO copies of each and every image?

Wouldn't it be far simpler (as well as take up less storage space) to make the "on the fly" watermarking conditional upon one's usergroup?

I feel like I'm missing something incredibly obvious here.

Chuck S · May 30th, 2006, 06:34 PM

Basically in permanent watermarking you set the usergroup permissions for watermarking in edit Categories and when a user who is in a usergroup who does not get there images watermarked uploads an image then the image will not be watermarked.

As far as your suggestion on the fly watermarking you can place that in the suggestions forum.

Bill Thebert · May 30th, 2006, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck S

when a user who is in a usergroup who does not get there images watermarked uploads an image then the image will not be watermarked

I get it now.

In my installation, I am the ONLY uploader. So I'm not really in the mindset of thinking about different sets of UPLOAD privileges (i.e., permanently watermark this guy's uploads, but not that guy's).

I'm interested in controlling which of my VIEWERS see watermarked images, and which do not.

The instructions on these features could certainly be clearer.

"Watermark Options" -- permanently watermarks images at the time of UPLOAD based on usergroup properties.

"Image Protection Options" -- on-the-fly watermarking applied at the time of download/display. NOT configurable EITHER by usergroup of the uploader or usergroup of the viewer.