No website can stop someone copying a photo they can see on screen: a screenshot is enough. EverWeb has no setting that blocks right-clicking, and no watermark tool. What does work is making a copied photo less useful: publish web-sized copies, add a watermark in your photo app before you add the photos, turn off the gallery download buttons, and show a clear copyright notice.
- A wedding photographer finds couples screenshotting proofs instead of ordering prints.
- A real estate photographer sees listing photos reused by another agent after the sale.
- A pet photographer finds a portrait shared on social media without credit.
1. Publish web-sized copies, never your originals
A photo 1600 pixels on its long edge looks sharp on screen but only prints well up to about 5 x 7 inches. Your full-size files stay on your computer.
- Responsive Image Gallery opens the photo file you added, at its full size. Export your photos at web size first (see Photographers: show your photos at their best without slowing your website).
- Image Gallery (Centered Layout pages) has an Image Size: setting for the large view. Medium (750 pixels) is the default; Large is 1200. Avoid Original Size for work you want to protect.
- To swap a full-size photo you've already added, right-click it in the Assets list and choose Replace Asset....
2. Add a watermark before you add the photos
Do it in your photo app when you export. Lightroom Classic and Capture One can add a text or logo watermark as they export a batch. In other apps, such as Affinity Photo or Photoshop, add your logo as a layer. Apple Photos needs an extra app for this.
- Portfolio: a small, semi-transparent mark near an edge, so it doesn't spoil the photo.
- Proofs: a larger mark across the middle. Proofs aren't the finished product, and a corner mark is easy to crop off.
- Keep a set of un-watermarked web copies for clients' final galleries and your own social posts.
3. Turn off download and share buttons
| Widget | Untick in Inspector > Widget Settings |
|---|---|
| Responsive Image Gallery | Show Download Button and Show Social Share Button (both start unticked) |
| Image Gallery | Show Download Button In SlideShow and Show Social Share Buttons In SlideShow (both start ticked) |
If you've added the Pinterest Pin It widget, remember it invites visitors to pin your photos. That's good for wedding inspiration, less so for work you sell.
4. Add a copyright notice
- Open your Master Page, so the notice appears on every page (see Put the same header, menu and footer on every page with a Master Page).
- Add a TextBox to the footer, for example: © 2026 Smith Photography. All photos are copyright. Please ask before using them. Type © with Option-G on a Mac, or Alt+0169 on Windows (with the number pad).
- Put your name in captions where it fits, for example Smith Photography, Loch Lomond. Credits travel with screenshots more often than hidden data does.
You can also add your copyright and contact details to the photo's information (metadata) when you export. It can be removed when photos are converted or shrunk, for example by Export Optimized Images or a compression tool, so don't rely on it alone.
5. Keep private galleries private
Password-protected pages ask for a password, but the photo files on them don't: anyone with a photo's direct address can open it. See Can I password protect my website? Simple Password and Membership Sites. To keep private pages out of search results, select each one and, in Inspector > Page Settings > Search Engine Optimization, untick Include page in search engines. Also untick Include page in navigation menu and Include in Site Search.
6. If you find your photo used without permission
- Search for copies. Google Images (search by image) and TinEye find where a photo appears online.
- Ask first. Many people take down a photo, or add a credit, when asked politely.
- Use the platform's form. Social networks, marketplaces and web hosts usually have a copyright report form.
- For anything further, speak to your professional association or a lawyer. The rules differ by country.
Good to know
- Export Optimized Images makes smaller WebP copies for speed. It doesn't protect your photos.
- Code that blocks right-clicking only stops the menu: screenshots and browser tools still work, and it can annoy visitors. We don't recommend relying on it.
- Watermarks and small sizes put people off copying. They don't make it impossible. Weigh how much protection each gallery needs against how good the photos look.