Wednesday, February 19, 2014

How to Copyright-Protect Your Product Pins on Pinterest


I promised to write a blog post about how to copyright-protect your Pinterest pins, but then I got sidetracked by a different topic, so here goes. J

Since I  previously wrote about how to create long Pinterest pins, I’m going to start with a pin that has already been created, but just needs the final layer of copyright protection. Read my previous posts about creating products and pins in order to find out more about copyright protection in these steps.)

Step #1: Open the Pin



This pin just needs a few more steps to make it difficult for someone to copy my product without paying for the privilege. J

Step #2: Insert and Format the Copyright Symbol

Click on “Insert” at the top of your page, then click on “Symbol.”



You’ll see a list of symbols. Scroll through until you find the circled c copyright symbol. (On my MacbookPro, this is under the “Trade” set of symbols.) Click on the symbol, then click on “Copy.”



As you can see, the symbol is way too small, so you will need to make it bigger.

Highlight the symbol with your mouse, then click on “Format,” then “Font,” and change the size. 



You can choose to make it smaller, and copy it many times, or make it large enough to cover most of the items on your pin. I do this by making the font size 1,000. You have to manually type this number in where the font size is located. Then click “Save” or “Okay.”

Step #3 Drag and Drop

Next, drag the symbol where you want it to be on your pin. If you want it to appear multiple times, you will need to copy and paste it multiple times. 



Make sure that each inside page of your product  is covered with the symbol. Don’t worry that you can’t see through it at this point. We’ll fix that next.

Step #4 Transparency

Although you want to protect your product from being illegally copied, you still want viewers to be able to see what’s inside. Otherwise they may decode not to purchase. So, you need to make the copyright symbol somewhat transparent. You can actually do this before step #3 if you want. I like to do it after because it’s easier for my eyes to see before the symbol is transparent, but do what works for you.

In order to make the symbol(s) transparent, you must highlight the symbol again with your mouse. 



Then go up into “Format,” click on “Font Color” then “White” and then click “Text Effects.” Click and hold the “Transparency” button, adjusting it from one side to the other. I usually set mine to around 60%, but use whatever works for you. You want to be able to see through the copyright symbol well enough to get a good luck at the product, but you want to make it dark enough that no one will want to print it out that way.

Step #5 Save Your Pin

At this point, I like to save my pin as both a file and a JPEG. 



To save as a JPEG, click on “File,” then “Save As,” make sure it’s listed as JPEG or JPG, then click on “Save.” This will save the pin as a new picture, which flattens and protects all the images on the pin from being lifted out and used elsewhere.

Step #6 Rename It

Open your Finder to locate the pin. 



Click on the title “Slide01.jpeg” and then on “Rename.” 



Rename the slide with whatever you want to name it, but leave the file extension as .jpeg or .jpg. I like to add the word “Pin” (Pin for Multiply 2-3 Digit Numbers.jpg) to the name to make it easier to find later when it’s time to pin it to Pinterest. It’s your choice, though. Scroll to the end of the name (after .jpeg or .jpg) and click “Enter.”




Step #7

Your new copyright-protected pin is ready to pin to Pinterest! Congratulations! You did it!



I hope this post was helpful to you! Please leave a comment or question below, and come back to my blog often!

Have a wonderful day!
Carol

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