chipped off
after talking with the team this morning ... we decided i needed to speak up more about concerns with the "generating" and "chipping" buzz we seeing emerging ... i will weigh in further by providing better visual info, as well as address additional concerns regarding integrity in respecting peoples' work around the web.
and now ... let me share with you the 2 touch points :
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1. quality (integrity)
2. copyright (integrity)
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item no. 1 ... quality (integrity)
i have blogged already in "generating color?" and "photo chipped" the technical reasons why these software programs do not work, as well as the fact that the ability to truly see color is a human talent. i also touch on how i have been working in color and forecasting for about 18 years, and i shared the strategy and consideration i apply in creating Design Seeds.
using today's Design Seeds inspiration images, i am clearly going to show you the quality difference. i chose one of the more popular color generators i have seen being mentioned, and am showing you apples to apples the palette i created (which i mix each swatch...and never use a color dropper tool) to the colors "pulled" from the image by a software program.
notice the difference in palette! with using the exact same image, you can see how different the hue perception truly is. i have noticed generators falter most often when it comes to grays and tinted neutrals. also notice how the delicate colors of { beached tones } stump the generator & it yields 4 blanks.
keep in mind...if you are using a paint brand's generator ... the colors are not only shifting and being chosen by an algorithm ... but then the program is finding the closest available paint color to the computer chosen hue.
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item no. 2 ... copyright (integrity)
before reading further, please understand that i have great deal of gratitude for people pinning Design Seeds. please know that i appreciate and hope you continue to do so if you feel inspired. when i discuss pinning /posting / & tweeting, it is in regard to sites or images that violate copyright...always something to consider when responsibly pinning or sharing.
in reviewing the terms of use for the new palette generating sites (that enable social media sharing and "pin it" like buttons to generate from photos around the web) ... the thing that overwhelmed me is how people can upload anything ... and if they chose a photo of an artist or photographer that infringes copyright, then the person whose rights are being violating has some considerable work to do with filing a complaint to have the photo removed from the palette site. next imagine putting that genie back in the bottle once the copyright infringed work is posted, tweeted, and pinned?!
another component in my copyright concern is that people are able to pull from Flickr, Etsy, and around the internet to generate these branded paint swatch palettes. this builds and enhances the presence of the paint brand, but by no means the person's whose original work it is. and then when people post and pin and the original artists' attribution is mixed into this paint brand palette, and the copyright is nearly lost for the original artist. it links back to the paint site, and not the Etsy shop or Flickr portfolio that is the artists' livelihood. this is the power of social media in an unfortunate realm of integrity. this use of social media can certainly build a large commercial brand, but on the talents of crowdsourced, small business, and entrepreneurial talent.
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thank you for taking time to read my thoughts and concerns in the latest trends of color software and social media linking that is occurring. i hope you consider and share what you have learned if you share similar concerns.
updated 02.10.12
unfortunately several Design Seeds palettes were added to the "let's chip it site." i have been working to have them removed from the site. none of the content currently links back or provides attribution to the original source.
i don't want to see the site shut down. i simply want them to honor copyrights. if you too believe the "let's chip it" site should honor copyright and provide proper attribution and link to the source images, please send them an email requesting:
1) they need to appropriately link back to the original source and provide attribution for source material
2) remove the branded swatches from being included with images and display them separately to not infringe on the image copyright
a simple email to feedback@letschipit.com will let them know you stand behind copyright protection and request they modify their site to do so as well with these 2 steps
I share your concerns about copyright. I support link with love. A movement started by KAL BARTESKI. For more info check it out at http://linkwithlove.typepadcom/linkwithlove/
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Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much for this post! Your eye for color is impeccable, and it's so interesting to see the contrast between your palettes and computer generated ones. To be honest, I didn't understand why you were so dedicated to *not* using an eyedropper and mixing the colors by eye (it seemed like unnecessary work to me!) until I had to create color swatches myself for a blog post - and was shocked when the color the eyedropper chose really didn't look like the color in the photo! I also agree that there's a serious flaw in the fact that any photo can be uploaded to these color swatch sites without credit - frankly, that's wrong, and really hurts independent artisans and photographers. Thanks for addressing this subject in an educational, informative, and non-confrontational way. High five!
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Hi Jessica and thank-you for your stunning work! I am working on a new website and wanted to see if it was Ok to use one of your colour palettes to tie it all together or if that would be done through you? I did buy your book but haven't been able to open it digitally (need more research on how to do it!) so I need to buy the real thing!
Thanks again,
Melanie
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Copyright and integrity are very hot topics today and have had numerous incidents of people stealing photos off my site including stock photos that I paid for! I always try to get permission for photos I use and include links to the owner for credit. I also use Digiprove which easily prevents right clicking my images for download. But, 99% of the time if someone asks to use my image with credit I give my permission! This is a thoughtful topic to address as we navigate this new world of copyright, integrity and social media.
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thank you for your comment Meg ... i believe the link is actually http://linkwithlove.typepadcom ... & thx for sharing!
thank you so much Lesley ... it's a hard topic to tackle and stay "above the line" with not being confrontational or defensive ... but very important to take on as this affects us all (beyond just color). i thought that it would better illustrate (beyond my color tech-ese of previous posts) apples to apples the difference of computer and human eye :) those color pickers sure are not accurate, and it actually takes a good deal of intuition & analysis when creating palettes.
you may use the palettes Melanie as you describe...please see my "what's that color?" post to find out how to get the HEX values. re:the book...i am sorry to hear you had technical difficulties :/ we have had fortunately only 2 of the sales so far have difficulties (as you have experienced) & the good people at Blurb can help you resolve the issue if you contact them via the Blurb site.
thank you Teresa ... with the popularity of the new social media (Pinterest and Tumblr) ... it is important we all pump our brakes and make sure it is understood why copyright is so darn important.
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I'm a little slow ;) Are you alright with my pinning your design seed onto Pinterest or not? You are providing me with lots of choices for our new home. Thanks
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please...pin to your heart's content Judy! :)
the issue i am referring to above is with new "palette generator" sites that allow people to create "Seeds like" palettes and pin them. one of the many issues is that people are not clearing or purchasing copyrights for the photos before having palettes "generated" from them.
i purchase all photos for Design Seeds, so there is no infringement with the palettes i create...and by pinning palettes, you are sharing Design Seeds love and helping new readers find us...so that is appreciated as well.
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Just minutes prior to reading your Facebook post I read a blogger's entry about Sherwin-Williams "Chip It!" feature. Clearly, your work is far superior to that generated by the paint retailers and it makes sense that from their perspective, it is simply a tool to market their paint products.
Using your palettes, I have prepared everything from quilting and home dec projects to flower arrangements -- all of which are beautifully coordinated!!
As a means of easily accessing these palettes, I have pinned them to one of my boards on Pinterest. I am now very concerned that perhaps I've violated copyright rules. Please advise if you would prefer that Design Seed pallets not be stored on that website.
Your work is not only astounding and motivating, it is such an important learning tool for those of us who are aspiring do-it-yourself home decorators.
Wishing you the best of all things...
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I was educated and trained in classic Literature and it was imperative that we quote or give the credit to whoever we mention. It has become part of my being and thinking to tell where or whom I read some sentence from. That is why I am so surprise and astouned the way most people freely and carelessly adopt for their own could that be a saying or any other clever thing they've come in contact with. I fully understand your thoughts, but still don't see how to deal with it. Because this way of borrowing and breaching copyright is purely a screaming arrogance...
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hi Leslie...i appreciate your comment & most definitely appreciate your pinning! please pin away Design Seeds :) i added the following to the post for clarification :
"before reading further, please understand that i have great deal of gratitude for people pinning Design Seeds. please know that i appreciate and hope you continue to do so if you feel inspired. when i discuss pinning /posting / & tweeting, it is in regard to sites that violate copyright...always something to consider when responsibly pinning or sharing."
hi Sophia...you have an excellent point that writing has much more clearly understood parameters regarding plagiarism. and your are right in that there is an self imposed entitlement through digital media to possess things both visual and intellectual ... and to do with it whatever one wishes. that is why conversations such as these brings light to the issue.
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Hi Jessica! I love reading your posts on this subject. What you do is art! There is no comparison to what the human eye sees...a computer will probably never have that ability. I love your work!
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thank you Roxanne ... agreed re: computer vs. human eye ... and appreciate your kind words :)
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Oh my goodness! Thought that chip format looked familiar... innovation vs. the big guys. Clearly (and ironically) after blogging about "pinning and chipping"
I noted that one can now "pin the chip". Must admit a queasy feeling about boundaries here. Thank you for speaking out.
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thank you Jean...i appreciate your comment. it is an unfortunate situation to find myself in after nearly 3 years into this color passion project. since writing this post...several Design Seeds palettes have been "chipped"...I filed a proper request to have all Design Seeds removed from their site, but a false email address is posted and my noticication was kicked back. to add insult to injury, the burden of proof is on me to have Design Seeds removed from their site and without proper contact info it makes the challenge that more daunting.
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Right on Jess! I, more than most, am truly amazed at all the wonderful color work you do with love for free. I know those beautiful images cost money. For someone to rip off your ideas, time, and money is really awful.
There is the related /fine line issue of blogging pictures etc. An issue that I want to comment on is about bogging. On my FB/blog page I do "pin" images. The ones I do, don't have copyrights attached to them and/or from an article with no mention of there being issues with sharing. I do give the link if the images are 100% from an article. Also, some of them are automatically attached with copyrights to them. But I know I am one of the respectful ones. What people need to do with their images is make sure it is clearly posted when the images are not to be shared, blogged, pinned etc.
Your case is totally different as it is intellectual property. What the paint manufacturer is doing is copying your work & ideas. But I wanted to mention that if people want to blog about something there needs to be a better system/code (not sure of the right words there) of the right way to go about something.
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very much appreciate your comment and kind words Jessica :)
totally agree with being more conscientious. i know i am lax relying in Pinterest's tracking attribution on my personal blog. i also don't monetize my personal blog (with advertising) as a result...i am not buying copyrights and i shouldn't be profitting by how i share my inspiration thoughts here on {fresh news}. but i never ever modify or include images in an image board or such. i did a bit in the beginning of this personal blog... but with the advent of pinning, i don't think it is right to collage other's work that way...the image should be clean and unmodified.
the scary thing about "chip it" is that i see several peoples' copyrights being violated....it doesn't just affect Design seeds they could avoid all of it if they separated their color swatches from the images (so they weren't modifying the original content) ... and properly link back to the source. there would be zero infringement that way.
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I've actually started dragging the images out of the articles and posting them first with a link below. If you just list the link people never check out the cool article. Images are just so powerful!!
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I am so bummed for you about all this. I love color and I love looking at your palettes. I know you work hard on them and your picks are always "just so"- and nearly perfect! You always pick at least one color that I say "oh, I didn't even see that- but it's there and it works" I'm a quilter and plan to make some quilts using some of my favorite palettes. So thank you, thank you for what you're doing with Design Seeds.
People don't want to do work for themselves, I think- but that is no excuse for sure. I love your work and I think you're a color genius! I'm glad you're getting to do something you love but so sad that you have to take time to fight for the integrity of what you are doing.
Keep up your awesome work!
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very much appreciate your thoughtful comment & kind words Kat :) i indeed do want to focus my time on creating inspiration and not fighting to protect my copyrights and trademark ... i appreciate your acknowledging that.
that said ... this letschipitcom site additionally violates the rights of everyone who creates original content. photographers, artists, designers, and more.
i just updated this {chipped off} post and share an email address and 2 steps to request they take to stop infringing on copyrights from around the web.
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I have loved your site for quite some time, but will admit I was never really sure where the photos came from, and it has always concerned me. I am so glad to read that you actually DO purchase the images! A rarity, and much, much MUCH appreciated by a photographer like me.
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thank you Catherine...I appreciate your comment! I have posted about purchasing copyrights and have it stated on the site that I do...but I understand that it is unfortunately not as common of a practice as it should be. as I see Seeds emulated by smaller (than the "chip it") sites I have grown frustrated as people "borrow" images. they may receive written consent for the ones they do...but I haven't seen that noted. now that a large company has put considerable effort to throw their hat in the palette game, I was shocked they would attach the color chips to work they have not obtained copyright on.
I self fund the content and maintenance of Design Seeds, and that is why I have ads on the site and look to sell the books...to offset my operating costs. I do not have ads or look to monetize my personal blog as images here are "pins" and I have not purchased the rights.
thanks again for your comment & I hope word gets out and awareness grows about this issue. people should know what sites do honor copyright and support their efforts.
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I love your site, and I always wondered why the "chip-it" style computer generated palettes seemed so unsatisfactory.
Thank you
Claire from HandmadebyClaireBearcom
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Just a quick question! I often find pictures that I love more because of their color than content and I try to save them to one of my boards on pinterest. After looking through your site (and pinning my favorite palettes!) I used photoshop to create a template for making my own palettes from pictures that I enjoy. Yours were the inspiration of course so they look very similar (basically it's a white frame with spaces for the picture and color swatches). I make my own palettes just because I enjoy it but wanted to know if you thought it would be too much a copy of your work if I were to upload any of them to sites such as pinterest or a blog? It would obviously not have your logo or anything but I just thought I should ask.
- Hannah
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Hi Hannah, thank you for your question, here are a few thoughts.
Firstly, you cannot add palettes to any images you do not have the copyrights to do so to. You are otherwise violating copyright on image without purchasing (which I do) or getting written permission.
Secondly, imitation is not a form of flattery with blogging. It took me a great deal of time and effort to come up with the format for Seeds. I did not create Seeds based on what other people were doing, but a hole I saw in color blogging. I encourage you to find your unique voice and not imitate Design Seeds.
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