Very important to keep that whole 'don't steal other peoples work" message going loud and clear.
Apr 10th, 2011I fully agree with this. Not only is it so necessary to give credit where is due, it also avoids a lot of suspicions. Not to mention that it's super interesting to check the before and after of each piece.
Apr 10th, 2011Well said Drackar!
Apr 10th, 2011i always give credit where its due,as with using other peoples stock. i am now creating my own stock too
Apr 10th, 2011 SubscriberGreat work, mike! Very necessary article. Keep your integrity high, Shadows!
Apr 10th, 2011I agree, Really good article, raises awareness tooo.
Apr 10th, 2011m/ It needs to be said yes :-)
Apr 10th, 2011Very good and informative article.
Apr 10th, 2011Yes agree, nice article.
Apr 10th, 2011OK- this is a good and well written article, and I respect it, but I do not think this is going to change things, at least the majority. MOST of the people that come onto SN that are very good at photomanips are professional artists, who are busy, and want to upload their work to get noticed and establish connections on the web. These people do not even post links to their stocks on deviantart, at least most of them dont, i do not think they are going to post them on shadowness. for people that do it as a hobby however, or the people that have more time, i think this would be a great guide!
Apr 10th, 2011Finnianm, the "Professional artists" you're talking about just already know for age about copyright infriniement so they are kinda aware and professional about all this. They certainly won't take the risk to upload copyrighted image, it's pointless.
Imo, the most who do this are hobbyist. They are like "mhh what am i going to do tonight.. Okay let's photoshop this awesome blonde with that awesome moutain and this awesome brush, going to make it shiny" sblam 30 minute later it's uploaded.
Anyway, you can be proud of you when the stock image you used is even un-identifiable, it means that it was just a base for you to express your stuff. You taked a base and make it your own base.
Great article Mike
One thing I realised when i started in this area is that it's quite an 'empty feeling' when you receive praise for an image you've created using the work of others. I will be forever indebted to many artists about the web who share their resources, techniques and images. It is only fair that they should be credited. Without them I for one would never have got started. I should mention also that by crediting your resources and linking to them, can sometimes lead to helpful and rewarding 'connections'.
A warning to 'charlatans' ... you will eventually be caught out. Also bear in mind if you create a 'masterpiece' from the work of others without paying close attention to copyright then it will have no financial value whatsoever and could lead to prosecution.
agreed!
Apr 11th, 2011Couldn't agree more. Great article /mike
Apr 11th, 2011very true!
Apr 11th, 2011copy that!
Apr 11th, 2011great article...
Apr 11th, 2011Good article!
Apr 11th, 2011love it.... ^_^
Apr 16th, 2011Great article! :)
Apr 16th, 2011Nice article, I always credit my sources, I find it quite annoying when people use copyrighted images.
Aug 3rdGreat article--you said what needed to be said and laid it out very well--using great examples to make things clear!
Aug 3rdnicely said!..
i love the "Come on, you can do better than that ;)" part....haha...
uummmm...one question though...
I sometimes forget to write/type the credit link at the description part of my uploads...
but i do make sure (and it became a habit) that all of my art have the site/artist name and their site printed at the art itself...is that fine??...
or should i still type it??...
Sometimes users want to recreate an artwork in order to learn new techniques, so it would be more useful to provide links to stock images. And it makes it easier to judge the artistic merit of the manipulator ;)
Aug 28th Shadowness Adminnice ! I understand
Sep 4th
In the past couple of weeks we had to flag a number of photo manips on Shadowness because they contained copyrighted material. I would like to briefly clarify what kind of photo-manipulation we would like and what we would rather not see on Shadowness.
What we like to see:
- Your own original work. Your skills will be appreciated most if you use only material you created yourself. Take your own photos and create manipulations from those photos to gain maximum kudos, follows, favs and interest in your work.
- If you use stock images, please make sure to post a link to your sources. Then we can see how much work you put in the manipulation process. Creating a massive matte painting from a large number of source images will give you more props than just adding a lighting effect to a random stock image. If you don't name your sources, people might think they are not stock.
Examples:
The artist wrote: "Source
Model http://grinmir-stock.deviantart.com/art/Stock-pack-Nazgul-126037398?q=boost%3Apopular+stock+model+fantasy&qo=31
BG http://night-fate-stock.deviantart.com/art/landscape-26-160950113?q=gallery%3Anight-fate-stock%2F445096&qo=134
Moon http://lostsoulsart.deviantart.com/art/The-Desert-72004639?q=boost%3Apopular+stock+desert&qo=71
Castle http://suzuko42.deviantart.com/art/Sand-Castle-20699546?q=boost%3Apopular+Castle&qo=47
Bird http://fallen-again-stock.deviantart.com/art/bird-stock-51326601?q=boost%3Apopular+stock+black+bird&qo=4"
The artist wrote: "Credits:
Model:
http://angelus-knight.deviantart.com/art/Victorian-Steampunk-Stock-34-82664769
Mansion:
Dreams Time http://www.dreamstime.com/haunted-house-1-image476336
Mill:
Sxc.hu http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=1064204
Birds:
http://redheadstock.deviantart.com/art/Birds-Flying-Brushes-56661566
Background:
Dreams Time http://www.dreamstime.com/foggy-forest-image6315806
The hair was painted with tablet and personal resources."
What we don't like to see:
- Manipulated photos of celebrities. If the source image is not public domain (and virtually all celebrity photos aren't, even if other people submit them as wallpapers), please do not upload your photo manipulation here.
- Stock photos with only minor edits, such as lighting effects or converting the stock image into black and white, for example. Come on, you can do better than that ;) Remember, Shadowness is all about quality. If you want to learn to manipulate like the pros, their profiles are right in front of you! Ask questions, gain knowledge and improve your work. It's the Shadowness Way.
Example:
A big no-no: No credits provided, but the image of the celebrity is not free to use anyway.
The bottom line is, copyright infringement is illegal. You can cause problems for yourself if someone decides to bill you for use, or sue you for infringement. The original artists put as much work into thier art as we put into ours, so please, don't steal what someone worked hard to create. Learn, improve, educate. Do the right thing. Thanks, Shadowness, we can't wait to see those awesome manipulations!
Read more about copyright issues in our /copyright FAQ. Check out how we deal with art theft on Shadowness here and report art theft to a /staff member. Apr 10th, 2011