But I can just crop the watermark out!

Recently I had a great conversation with a customer about Digimarc's digital watermarking technology. Over the course of our talk, it became apparent that many people are confused about the differences between digital watermarking and visible watermarking.

In this case, he (the customer) was explaining to me that he can only place a watermark at the top or bottom of his images so it would not disrupt the actual image. He then went on to tell me that the watermark could easily be defeated. "I can just crop the watermark out!" he said. Yes, this is true for "overt" or "visible" watermarks. These types of watermarks are usually represented by text or some type of icon that is visible on the image. And yes, if the visible watermark is in a location that does not disrupt the image (top, bottom, or sides), it can be easily removed and the core image will still be retained. Digital watermarks are not visible; it is a form of steganography. Stay tuned for a future blog entry describing steganography, but essentially, digital watermarks are hidden in the pixels throughout an image. Can you crop out the Digimarc watermark? Perhaps, in theory, but in most cases what you’d be left with is a blank image.

P.S. Digimarc's technology supports applying digital watermarks throughout the entire image or only in specific areas within an image. Be on the look out for our Digital Watermarking Guide and always check out the Digital Watermarking Tips & Tricks section to find out how and get more useful information.