Good Morning! I received an email that one of my cake pics and many of yours were used on a website/blog. tabletopsfortotsblog.com
I tried searching for other comments on this but nothing came up. Do y'all know of this? Can our pics be used anywhere by anyone?
I have not been on CC in a long time so I might not be up to speed on all the happenings.
Thanks for any info.
bj
I went and looked at it and I don't see where it hurts. The owner of the blog gives credit to the individual that did the work under each photo. With me being a beginner I would find it an honor to have someone post my pics! IMO...Anyone else??
considering how she is using them:
a) not claiming as her own
b) giving due credit to original creator
c) linking each photo to it's original posting on CC thereby sending readers to the original source.
YES, she can. She is complying with copyright and is in fact doing it the way the internet was originally intended to work back in its earliest days as a research tool.
This once again points up that under copyright law, using items as part of research, commentary (what she is doing), or critical analysis is allowed so long as due credit is given to the original source (and that's why we teach MLA, APA, et. al. to students doing research papers).
It also does make an argument that in the case of visual media - WATERMARK!
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p.s.: She's also doing a great job advertising CC and everyone's talent. And I see she too has realized just how addicting CC is.
Exactly how does one watermark?
use any photo editing software that allows you to overlay text on the image.
set the transparency of the text to about 30-50% -- or can leave fully opaque if you place it so it doesn't hide important details.
best is to run it on diagonal right across the middle using semitransparent text. MUCH harder to edit out of the photo that way.
all kinds of resources on watermarking:
http://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&newwindow=1&client=firefox-a&hs=rbx&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US359&q=watermark+photo&aq=f&aqi=g-e1g9&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
one of several sites you can do it online:
http://www.watermark.ws/
(i love photoshop's batch process mode!)
Thanks! I'll have to try that. I have photoshop but the only thing I know to do with it is resizing my pix... 
see this site for photoshop specifics
http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/photoshop/ht/apswatermark.htm
(it's really very easy!)
(and do learn more about PS -- so much fun -- like removing backgrounds, etc.!)
Boy that's what I need -- removing backgrounds!! I have a picture in my pix of a cake with the orange orchids -- I would give anything to remove the background in that!! 
happy tutorialing..
general tutorials:
http://www.google.com/search?q=photoshop+tutorials&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&client=firefox-a&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US359
background removal:
http://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&newwindow=1&client=firefox-a&hs=i9c&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US359&q=photoshop+tutorials+remove+background&aq=0&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=photoshop+tutorials+remove+&gs_rfai=
I think she has a nice website and I understand her referencing me and CC but she is also not writing a research paper. She is putting our images on a commercial website as she has sponsers and her party rental company advertised. Anywayyyyyy..... really doesn't matter I was just mentioning it because I have not had a cake pic copied without asking me for approval. well....none that I know of. I was justing thinking that CC's pictures could only be emailed but not copy and pasted/saved on other websites. Doesn't really matter to me.......this is just a hobby.
Watermark..is an excellent idea. If I was trying to make a living at this...I would definitely take the time to do that.
Oh, bobwonderbuns, a lot of photo editing programs have a watermark feature. Just click watermark and you can type whatever you want and it automatically places it on a diagnol, centered and semitransparent.
Thanks for the input!
bj
I think she has a nice website and I understand her referencing me and CC but she is also not writing a research paper. She is putting our images on a commercial website as she has sponsers and her party rental company advertised.
just like every reviewer who writes for any newspaper or magazine that charges a subscription fee or sells advertising.
the use for review and commentary is irrespective of if the venue for the review/commentary is commercial or noncommercial.
it is the USE that matters.
Not really. .. "Fair Use" prohibits copyrighting for commercial gain wether it is an artical, image, etc. This is not the case here......... but if someone were to use CC and/or pictures from here (over a certain percentage) without asking permission would be wrong.
But like I said before..does not matter to me.....
I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day. 
Bloggers use photos from everywhere. As long as they credit the source I don't think there's much you can do other than request they take it down if you don't like it. Some wedding blogs are just photos gathered from anywhere they can get them. They post them as "inspiration" for wedding themes, etc.
Being bored one night, I did a search for my company name and found to my great delight that many MANY! of my cakes have been posted on blogs all across the country. Each one was properly credited; most with a link to my website. I was absolutely honored!!
Had they been posted without proper credit .... that would have been a different story.
I think she has a nice website and I understand her referencing me and CC but she is also not writing a research paper. She is putting our images on a commercial website as she has sponsers and her party rental company advertised. Anywayyyyyy..... really doesn't matter I was just mentioning it because I have not had a cake pic copied without asking me for approval. well....none that I know of. I was justing thinking that CC's pictures could only be emailed but not copy and pasted/saved on other websites. Doesn't really matter to me.......this is just a hobby.
I was rather flattered that she thought my cake was cute enough to post there. She gave me credit and so I have no problem with it.
She is putting our images on a commercial website as she has sponsers and her party rental company advertised.
any one can add ads to their blog -- Blogger even has a special Google ad setting. http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/topic.py?topic=21510
and there are all kinds of companies willing to help any blogger earn a few dollars. http://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&newwindow=1&client=firefox-a&hs=IP7&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US359&q=blog+ads&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g-s1g-c2g1g-c4g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
we are all being offered the chance to be paid to express our opinion, just like the pundits on tv and the movie critics and.....
fyi: her commercial site is: http://tabletopsfortots.com/
we're all discussing her blog -- not a commercial site even tho' ads appear -- what she's doing is fair use.
for even more info on fair use -- just google "fair use of copyrighted material" -- be warned -- the law is vague -- there are NO prescribed percentages, word/image counts, length of video or audio clip set forth in the law -- it's a monumental game of just how much is too much.
she is even by the most stringent "guesstimates" of how much is enough but not too much well under the radar for trouble with what she did in her blog (her personal public diary for her opinion -- and that opens the First Amendment can of worms.
oh it is just so much fun (not!) to have to take workshops and classes on this and be very conversant on it because I teach Journalism and English and Theatre! -- makes your head hurt --- and if you want a real headache, come advise a school newspaper or yearbook and navigate not only Fair Use but also the whole censorship of student press and freedom of the student press issues journalism advisers face every day!) (did you hear the sarcasm i
I see no problem with the lady who is posting them on her blog. However, I have seen several photos that this other lady is using as advertisment for her own cakes on her fanpage on Facebook. She has them on her photo albums under grooms cakes, wedding cakes, etc. I saw them on CC and thought they were hers since I saw them on her facebook page, but when I clicked on the CC'ers profile it was peoples pictures of cakes that are not even in the same state as this woman. That is SO wrong and I have let the person who the pic belongs to know about it. What bothers me the most is that it is false advertisment for this lady, because if someone orders that cake she has posted, they are going to expect it to look just like the picture and her work is no where near the quality of the pictures she has stolen from someone else. I just started watermarking my own photos to prevent this from happening. Some people!!!
I saw the blog... she is actually doing like a feature on one of the sites she enjoys when looking for inspiration for a party and/or a cake idea... I don't see how that can be a bad thing... she explains it at her heading and at the start of the context body... so I see no harm... we all look at the cake gallery for inspiration every now and then... she just published one of her resources...
BTW.... You can download Picasa 3 for free with Google Chrome and it's a really nice picture editing program that lets you add text... edit... watermark, etc and works in conjuction with your blog... email... etc... it's really good if you don't have a picture diting program in your 'puter...
hth
If the photos are being used editorially there is usually no concern on my part as long as credit due is given.
If the photos are being used commercially, I want my cut either in advance or in the form of royalty.
http://asmp.org/tutorials/licensing-guide.html
I cannot look at this from the creative cake side, because its not where my loyalty lies. However, if you are taking the photos of your own cakes, the same rules apply.
Before this post I did not think it would be a problem. I am currently working on a blog now for cake deco beginners. I was share a lot of info from this site. I was going to make sure that I contacted pic & recipe posters to let them know that I was posting their work. I see this as good promo for the decorator. This post will certainly help me with the set up of my new blog.
If the photos are being used editorially there is usually no concern on my part as long as credit due is given.
If the photos are being used commercially, I want my cut either in advance or in the form of royalty.
http://asmp.org/tutorials/licensing-guide.html
I cannot look at this from the creative cake side, because its not where my loyalty lies. However, if you are taking the photos of your own cakes, the same rules apply.
having reviewed the site -- she is using them editorially
given due credit
even linked the thumbnails so they go directly to the original posting here on CC (which the spot on perfect way to do it)
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does wish people would take the time to actually look at the site and she what she actually did and then comment on that instead of talking in abstraction about something they haven't personally reviewed.
must admit - she does get a bit "breathless" and "gushy" about CC. Ah, well, a new addict! 
Then that is the simple answer.
I would have no problem with it as long as it being done tastefully and that due credit is given.
It is always appreciated if you are contacted in advanced and asked permission, but really if its just getting your name out there and its not being done in a way that is negative and nobody is trying obtain profits with your work, who cares.
maybe the cakes are being used as just inspiration. You had to start off slow and somewhere. you had to get inspiration form someone. Just like bringing a photo in from a magazine or something. Dont knock the lady for trying maybe shes just trying to build an honest living for herself. we all have to start somewhere. remember you didnt know what you were doing either until you gave it a try. Just pray for the lady . Treat others the way you want to be treated cause the good lord dont have to come down to whip. If she aint bothering you, leave her alone. If you got your customers , then youre fine. Really you should have no worries, sounds like someone is trying to start mess. We all use others photos, be honest, you know we do. I have seenit many times on here. Its called friendship. But to stir up mess like this in someones else life, whos the real problem. You got to start somewhere. Be careful what you say, cause it can always come back and bit you in the ........ There are still alot of good people out there, and these people might end up being your best friend in a time of need.
Really you should have no worries, sounds like someone is trying to start mess. We all use others photos, be honest, you know we do.
I feel like I need to respond...
First I was not starting a mess. I was just asking if CC pictures could be copied and pasted to another website so easily. For some reason I thought they could only be emailed. Guess not. No big deal.
Secondly, I am a business owner and I have never used another's photos to gain interest or promote my business. (or my cake hobby). Never.
I could argue the point that her "blog" is being used for commercial gain but I rather look at cake photos.......
Doug, thanks for explaining what I was saying and again I agree it does not apply here but for others out there they need to know that there are some regulations (at some level however big it may be) for copying whatever and how much they want although it will probably never apply to them.
She has a nice website/blog. I was flattered that she liked my cake. I am glad that she is promoting CC. I was just asking a simple question but I felt I needed to expand on Doug's response as I did not feel that his reponse was the end word on copyright regulations and I felt the need to explain where I was coming from.
I would imagine if you had a real problem with her using your material, she would remove your pictures if you asked. Any reputable (which she sounds like from reading this thread) web person would do that.
^ agreed.
I wouldn't over think this one. If its used editorially think of it as exposure, if it makes you uncomfortable contact the person using it.
Really you should have no worries, sounds like someone is trying to start mess. We all use others photos, be honest, you know we do.
I feel like I need to respond...
First I was not starting a mess. I was just asking if CC pictures could be copied and pasted to another website so easily. For some reason I thought they could only be emailed. Guess not. No big deal.
Secondly, I am a business owner and I have never used another's photos to gain interest or promote my business. (or my cake hobby). Never.
I could argue the point that her "blog" is being used for commercial gain but I rather look at cake photos.......
Doug, thanks for explaining what I was saying and again I agree it does not apply here but for others out there they need to know that there are some regulations (at some level however big it may be) for copying whatever and how much they want although it will probably never apply to them.
She has a nice website/blog. I was flattered that she liked my cake. I am glad that she is promoting CC. I was just asking a simple question but I felt I needed to expand on Doug's response as I did not feel that his reponse was the end word on copyright regulations and I felt the need to explain where I was coming from.
bj I don't think she was referencing your original post about the blogger. I think she was referencing Jamie's post about the FB user who is using other peoples cakes as representative work of her own without giving due credit.
[quote="cakesdivine"]
Really you should have no worries, sounds like someone is trying to start mess. We all use others photos, be honest, you know we do.
bj I don't think she was referencing your original post about the blogger. I think she was referencing Jamie's post about the FB user who is using other peoples cakes as representative work of her own without giving due credit.
Oh 
Thank you for posting this. I feel like this has gotten out of hand. I really just wanted to know if CC's pictures could be copied. You know how on some website you cannot even email a picture. That's all. I have not really been on CC since my mother's death last year and my first post stirred up a hornets nest. so sorry.
my first post stirred up a hornets nest. so sorry.
but once in a while the nest should be stirred...
as in this case....
to remind all:
1) WATERMARK -- repeat -- WATERMARK your photos so as to make it harder (notice not prevent) copying
2) once posted on the internet, photos basically become free game -- and HA! Guess AGAIN! on the concept you can protect a photo from downloading by inserting code into a web page to disabe the right mouse key --- LOL! -- savvy users will know how to work around that (involves looking at the original HTML code and all browsers let you do that -- and even if they try to block that there are other hacks that will let you in!)
SO, if don't want others using it -- do not post it. The only way to be sure it is not used. (and that includes don't email it to..... as they can always forward. it.
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and now we can all return to WATERMARKING our photos before posting and then perusing all those photos that are posted for inspiration and jealousy inducing moments.
I have taken photos of cakes at cake shows that I thought were unique or cutting edge and put them on my blog. I do list the persons name and where they are from, if it is listed next to the cake. I have never used a cake from cake central, but if I did I would first try to contact the person to let them know their cake will be featured. If anyone wanted me to remove their cake I certainly would.
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