MetaChat - A Flickr Question

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

08 October 2007

A Flickr Question →[More:]Every once in awhile, I've tried to download someone else's picture from Flickr (on a Mac--just dragging the image from my browser onto my desktop), and what I get is an image that's only 1 pixel square; somehow they've made it so that the picture is undownloadable.

I did some commissioned work last week, and I've been given permission to post it to my "commissioned work" Flickr set, but I've been asked to make it so that people can't download it. Anyone know how to do this?

post by: interrobang at: 12:23 | 14 comments

I don't know how to do it, but I've snarfed plenty of pics that have got that very 'protection' simply by doing a screen grab of it.

posted by essexjan 08 October | 12:26

Yeah, I've done that, too. I'm not looking for a rock-solid form of protection, just something basic.

posted by interrobang 08 October | 12:27

Edit the permissions?

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 12:29

Go to your account settings, and look at the tab that says "Privacy & Permissions." One of the items there is "who can download your photos." You can set that to "nobody," which will affect your whole photostream EXCEPT for any that you have licensed under Creative Commons.

I don't think there's any way to do it for just one image.

posted by BoringPostcards 08 October | 12:32

Doesn't that make it so the "view other sizes" thingy doesn't work? I hate it when people do that.

posted by interrobang 08 October | 12:35

Yeah, I think it does, interrobang. (And I hate when people do that, too.)

posted by BoringPostcards 08 October | 12:42

Well, fuck.

posted by interrobang 08 October | 12:43

Maybe you're better off putting some kind of watermark-like text across it? That sucks, too, I know...

posted by BoringPostcards 08 October | 12:43

Yeah, I think this is a kind of big problem with Flickr. I know it bothers a couple of my friends a LOT and they haven't figured out how to deal with it yet. You'd think it would be one of those things Flickr would have addressed by now but apparently they have decided not to deal with it. Did you go to the forums and poke around? Maybe there's a workaround somewhere, somehow.

posted by mygothlaundry 08 October | 12:45

posted by interrobang 08 October | 12:46

I haven't gone through the forums. I just e-mailed my "customer". Having the stuff in my commissioned work set can mean more business for me; I just have to hope that she sees the importance of that.

posted by interrobang 08 October | 12:50

You could upload a small-resolution version. That would solve most problems related with comission artwork as people want the higher res pic.

posted by Memo 08 October | 13:03

I think I might do that if I can't get permission to post the real files. Texture and line quality are really, really important to me in a drawing, and I'd hate to lose that in a low-res image, but good idea--I might do that.

posted by interrobang 08 October | 13:06

She said it would be all right! Woo!

posted by interrobang 08 October | 13:19

← This is a George Clooney thread. || ... and now the dream is fulfilled. →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN