GUIDELINES

Our Mission Statement 2014

Our mission is to help artists learn and grow their art with fresh challenges, tutorials and other fun group activities.

We are a community of digital artists that share information to help each other. We focus on making this a comfortable place for beginners to learn the basics, and intermediate and advanced artist to share what they know with others.

We are not an advertising site and do not allow advertising of any kind.

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 Categorizing Your Images

Tagging as it is called, is assigning keywords (or key phrases) to an item to help describe it.

Items that are tagged with certain keywords appear in the network's search. The tag links act as paths to help you find more items that also have the same tag. Tags provide a very convenient way to search for related items.

When you upload photos to a Digital Whisper, you have the option to add a title and a description to your photo. You can edit any photo once you've uploaded it. You can rotate the photo, add or edit the tags you've given it.

If you are using a two-word tag, you have to enclose the words in double quotations marks (Example “Digital Art”).

Good idea for tag words:

Images Used: fish, room, balloon....etc

Color: blue, red, green, yellow...etc.

Type of Technique Used

Type of Challenge: Color, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements...etc.

Seasons: Winter, Halloween, Spring, Fall

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Your Artwork

·         Tell about your art creation, how you were inspired, techniques used etc. We have inquiring minds, and it all adds to our own experience and appreciation of your art.

·         Add a watermark, copyright or signature to your artwork.

·         Respect Your Fellow Artists – Give credit where credit is due.

·         Show respect for your fellow artist by leaving comments on their artwork.

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Please respect all copyrights.

·         If you have created art using someone's photos, please give credit where credit is due. Use the images only as outlined by the copyright.

·         I encourage you to copyright your artwork so that one will think before downloading them without your permission.

What sort of things are copyrighted?

·         The easy answer to this question is that just about any creative work you might find should be considered to be copyrighted by default.

·         A work is not required to have a copyright statement printed on it or near it in order to be considered copyrighted so do not assume that the work is unprotected simply because you cannot see a notice written anywhere.

·         Also do not confuse the fact that a work is publicly available with the idea that it is public domain or free for use. Being easy to find on the internet does not affect a work's copyrighted status. The bottom line is: Just about anything that is on this site, on the web, on TV, on CD's, on DVD's, in books & in magazines is probably copyrighted by someone.

·         As a vibrant and growing art community we welcome all kinds of original artworks; but we must insist that the artwork which you submit be your own original works.

·         Your art must be your own original creations and you may only use resources which are considered legitimate and legal. Submissions which make use of works without proper permission or licensing by the original author will be removed as they come to my attention. This policy applies to all submissions.

·         Credit should always be given where possible, for any images that you use – not only does this show respect for the originator, but also enables other artists to view possible new art resources that could help them in their work.

What is Copyright Infringement?

·         To simplify this question, copyright infringement occurs when you do certain things with a creative work which someone else produced without first getting the proper permission.

·         Some examples of copyright infringement (this is only a partial listing) can include:

·         Placing a photograph or creative work online without proper permission.

·         Using a creative work commercially.

·         Modifying or editing a creative work without proper permission.

How Can I Avoid Infringing on Someone's Copyright?

·         The best way to avoid infringing on the rights of another creative person is to use your skill, talent and imagination to create your own completely original work. When we use the word 'original' we don't mean that you must come up with an idea which hasn't been used before, when used in copyright matters "original" means that you created your work without referencing or deliberately copying anyone else's work during the process.

·         Ensure that all parts of your work are your own original creations. If you have used materials which are owned by other people or companies make certain that you have obtained proper permission or licensing for the use before you place your work online. There are many places where artists already give permission for their work to be used, a prime example of which is Deviant art, Sxchange etc.

We respect the rights of all artists and creative people worldwide and we expect our members to demonstrate an equal amount of respect and assist us in creating a beneficial and positive atmosphere for all members.

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 PUBLIC DOMAIN

Public domain definition, what is public domain, how and when works enter in the public domain? Public domain works, not copyrighted, no rights reserved free for personal and commercial use.
Public domain definition: The public domain is generally defined as consisting of works that are either ineligible for copyright protection or with expired copyrights. Public domain refers to the total absence of copyright protection for work The public domain is a range of abstract materials commonly referred to as intellectual property which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose.

No permission whatsoever is needed to copy or use public domain works. Public domain material is available for anyone to use for any purpose, private and commercial. Public domain works can serve as the foundation for new creative works. Public domain works can also be copied and distributed without any permission or paying royalties.

Public domain works ("works in the public domain") are considered to be a part of the "public's cultural heritage, anybody is entitled to make use of them for any purpose, including copying, modifying and even selling. Moreover, it is even permissible to remove the original author's name.

How works enters in the public domain?

Works become part of the public domain when original author place its own works in public domain, and more common is the expiration of the copyright or work is no longer owned by original author, when works reach a certain age and/or when the original author/owner does not renew their copyright.

Works are in the public domain wherever no law exists that establishes proprietary rights to them or where they are specifically excluded from existing laws. Works that were created before copyright laws were passed are part of the public domain.

When creative work will enter in the public domain?

Public domain in the United States of America
Under current U.S. copyright law work created by an individual enters the public domain on January 1, 70 years after the author's death. If the work is a joint effort of two or more authors, it enters the public domain on January 1, 70 years after the death of the last surviving author. In the case of a work made for hire, a work published under a pseudonym or a collective work, it enters the public domain on January 1, 95 years after the date of first publication or 120 years after creation, whichever occurs earlier.
Also, works created by the U.S. Federal Government automatically and immediately enter the public domain.