features Archives - SmartFrame

Historic England launches Aerial Photo Explorer tool using SmartFrame’s technology

Peter Townshend — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 11:47:11 +0000

Historic England has launched its Aerial Photo Explorer tool, which uses SmartFrame’s image-streaming technology to showcase hundreds of thousands of previously unavailable aerial images

It is now possible to gain a truly unique view of how England’s landscape has evolved over the past 100 years thanks to Historic England’s brand-new Aerial Photo Explorer tool.

Accessible from the Historic England website, this new feature lets visitors use an interactive map to search, scroll, and zoom in to landmarks across the country. When a location is selected, it opens a SmartFrame containing one of over 400,000 available aerial images that span an entire century.

By making it possible to view evidence of medieval settlements, see famous industrial landmarks in their heyday, and marvel at modern-day architectural wonders, this tool provides a fascinating glimpse into England’s past and present, while documenting its continued transformation into the future.

The collection is being made available as part of the ongoing digitization of over six million aerial photographs preserved in the Historic England Archive. As such, it will be continually updated with new images from the collection.

Enhanced user experience

The Aerial Photo Explorer is a great example of how SmartFrames and their interactive features can be used by image owners and publishers to fantastic effect. The Hyper Zoom function enables viewers to zoom in to the finest details of each image, while full-screen viewing offers an even more immersive experience, all without affecting page loading times.

By enabling the Share function in the top right-hand corner of each image, Historic England has also made it possible for site visitors to legally share its images on social media and even embed them on their own websites for free.

The latter can be achieved by simply clicking the ‘Embed’ button, copying the code, and pasting it into the text editor on the back end of a website (be sure to read Historic England’s terms and conditions beforehand).

By doing this, you are streaming the image from its original source file rather than making a copy, much like embedding a YouTube video.

Another great benefit of image-streaming is the ability to embed SmartFrame Captions at source – a feature put to good use here by Historic England. These captions ensure every image features a permanently attached credit that will follow it wherever it is streamed. Many also specify the landmark and location the image depicts, further improving the user experience.

Behind-the-scenes benefits

The benefits for the user are clear for all to see, but there are also huge advantages behind the scenes for Historic England. By using SmartFrame’s image-streaming technology, the organization is able to better secure its images against theft while maintaining complete control over their distribution.

This is achieved through right-click and screenshot protection, which helps prevent bad actors from making copies of Historic England’s image files, whether intentional or otherwise. The same security protects its photographs from image-scraping bots that can steal countless files in seconds.

In addition to this enhanced security, SmartFrame provides Historic England with detailed image analytics, which deliver valuable insights into how users are interacting with its content.

It is possible to see the number of impressions each SmartFrame has enjoyed, along with the amount of engagement it has received.

With all this security and control, Historic England can ensure its extensive archive of images is not only protected, but always used in context and for agreeable means.

The post Historic England launches Aerial Photo Explorer tool using SmartFrame’s technology appeared first on SmartFrame.

The 10 most-read articles of 2021

Peter Townshend — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 10:24:38 +0000

As the year draws to a close, we look back at our most popular articles published this year

This year our blog has introduced new technology, assessed old technology, and reported all the latest SmartFrame news as we push forward with our mission to revolutionize the way images are viewed and published online. New to the SmartFrame blog? Explore our ten most popular 2021 articles below. And if you’re already a regular reader, why not remind yourself of last year’s most-read articles?

1. SmartFrame and Adobe-led CAI: Working together to validate provenance and improve image protection

In November, we proudly announced our collaboration with the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI). Founded by Adobe, Twitter, and the New York Times, the initiative aims to create a new standard for image provenance. By integrating CAI provenance data with SmartFrame’s image-streaming technology, we demonstrated an end-to-end image-security solution. This article provides an overview of the technology and shows how it was put into practice by renowned photographer David Yarrow. Read the article

2. What is copyfraud? And what do NFTs have to do with it?

Copyfraud is an ongoing problem in the current online image ecosystem that threatens the work of photographers, artists, writers, and musicians around the world. This article explores in detail exactly what copyfraud is, why it’s a problem and how it can be prevented. It also discusses the use of NFTs to protect digital art, explaining how they work, their advantages, and the potential problems they bring. Read the article

3. Is Cyber Essentials still fit for purpose?

There’s no doubt that Cyber Essentials was developed with the best intentions. Indeed, upon its release, it was well-received by the industry as a useful tool for mitigating the risk from online threats. However, with the digital landscape and business operations changing so quickly, the question of whether it remains effective must be asked. In this article, we explore the case for and against. Read the article

4. In-image advertising: How it works and FAQ

The latter part of 2021 saw the release of our in-image advertising system, which allows brands to serve contextually targeted ads into SmartFrames, wherever they appear online. Ads are targeted using detailed image metadata and AI to accurately assess the contents of the image and the page on which it appears. This offers a new revenue stream for the photography industry, along with a fantastic alternative to behavioral targeting after the demise of the third-party cookie. Click below to take a deep dive into the technology and learn everything you need to know. Read article

5. Are home wi-fi networks actually suitable for business use?

The global pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to the way we work as individuals, and the way businesses operate, specifically working from home. While the original lockdown took many by surprise, it prepared us all for future disruption from new waves of infection. As a result, many teams are now well adapted to the change and have maintained high levels of productivity. However, many of the same teams are working through home wi-fi networks that are not designed for corporate use. Here, we look at just how appropriate these connections are and whether companies and employees are leaving themselves exposed to unnecessary risk. Read the article

6. Google’s ‘About this result’ feature: What you need to know

We place a huge amount of trust in Google to serve us webpage suggestions that are safe to view, so the search engine does everything it can to filter out malicious content. One such measure to ensure the best possible user experience was the introduction of a new ‘About this result’ feature, which provides key information about the webpage suggestions that appear in search results. Its aim is to provide greater transparency, allowing users to better judge whether the content they are viewing is safe, trustworthy and relevant. But how does it work? Read the article

7. Steganography in digital images: an invisible cybersecurity threat

Although steganography is a practice with origins dating as far back as ancient Greece, it has lent itself very well to the most advanced modern technology. It has evolved from invisible ink right through to digital code, but one thing has remained the same: the intention to conceal. This article explores the history of steganography and reveals how cybercriminals have adopted the technique to smuggle malware within digital images. Follow the link below to learn more and discover how we can prevent it. Read the article

8. Is the internet ready for Samsung’s 200MP smartphone sensor?

Smartphone cameras have seen huge advances since their launch, but Samsung took it to a whole new level this year with the announcement of the ISOCELL HP1 200MP mobile sensor. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the technology that makes such high sensor resolutions possible, along with the potential issues its huge file sizes may bring. Read the article

9. C2PA: Everything you need to know about the C2PA project

The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) is the coming together of two image provenance technologies: the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and Project Origin. The aim is to work towards an open standard for online content provenance and authenticity that will provide greater transparency around the origin of digital media. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about this coalition between some of the biggest names in tech and publishing, including Adobe, the BBC, Twitter, Microsoft and The New York Times, among many more. Read the article

10. The problem with Google’s SR3 image-upscaling technology

When Google announced its super-resolution image technology, we were immediately amazed by the results it was reported to produce, but at the same time concerned about the implications such advanced AI image upscaling could have on the photography industry, which for many years has relied on image downsampling as a form of security. How exactly does this technology work? What are its potential applications? And indeed, what are the problems it poses? Our article explores all this and more. Read the article

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Spotlight: SmartFrame’s Full-screen viewing mode

Matt Golowczynski — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 14:44:48 +0000

How does our full-screen viewing mode work? And what makes it particularly powerful? We explain all.

Images captured by today’s cameras typically have far more detail than most people need.

Sure, if you’re a professional photographer, perhaps one who captures landscapes or fashion, maximum detail may be paramount. But otherwise, a lot of the detail that modern cameras and smartphones end up recording is often lost when images are published online.

This is compounded by the fact that many photographers deliberately choose to downsample their images in order to prevent image theft, which reduces the impact the image will have on the viewer.

So what’s the alternative? SmartFrame’s Full-screen viewing mode, part of our enhanced presentation options, which presents images in the best possible light while maintaining protection over image downloads, screenshots and right-click saving.

Why should I use Full-screen viewing?

Images uploaded to a website or social media platform will have a certain resolution, which may or may not be what you see when you first view them. An image may, for example, measure 2000 pixels across, but the website on which it’s viewed will only show it at, say 600 pixels across, or even less if you are viewing the image on a mobile device.

There may be the option to view it its full size, such as by opening it in a new tab or window. Or perhaps there is a full-screen viewing option; full-screen viewing is not unique to SmartFrame, after all. But the way in which SmartFrame displays the image and takes the user’s display into consideration gives the person viewing the image a handful of advantages over traditional methods.

Want to see how Full-screen viewing works? Just click the icon in the top-right-hand corner of this image.

One of these is page load times. As a general rule, if you embed a high-resolution image on your site to facilitate full-screen viewing, you stand to affect the speed at which it loads. And this is one thing that could negatively affect how a search engine views your page, and thus, where it ranks.

A slow-loading page also compromises the user experience, which makes it more likely that people will navigate away from your site. That can be disappointing if you’re a photographer who just wants to show off their work, but it’s even worse if you’re a business owner whose livelihood depends on online sales.

As SmartFrame doesn’t work on the principle of embedding images in websites, but streaming them to match the requirements of the user’s display and viewing preferences on demand, you don’t need to worry about large images weighing down your site.

Another benefit is that, as the user’s display is being taken into account when they are viewing the SmartFrame, the resolution of the image can be optimized for that particular display. Full-screen viewing allows you to exhibit your images in a way that’s best for a variety of users, regardless of the display being used. Providing the image is sufficiently detailed to begin with, it can be streamed to those using standard and HiDPI/Retina displays at the size that fits the user’s display the best.

And, whereas normally you’ll have a high-resolution image downsampled to match the resolution of your display, SmartFrame only sends the information that’s required to begin with, which makes it much more efficient.

Can I use Full-screen viewing with SmartFrame’s other presentation options?

Absolutely. You can use Full-screen viewing with Hyper Zoom, image captions and call-to-action buttons, in whichever combination you like. SmartFrame’s image-protection features, such as screenshot and drag-and-drop protection, also continue to work without any issues here.

Using Full-screen viewing with Hyper Zoom is particularly popular among our users – just click on the Full-screen button in the top-right-hand corner of this image before clicking into the image to see how the combination works.

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Spotlight: SmartFrame’s Hyper Zoom feature

Matt Golowczynski — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 12:36:19 +0000

Hyper Zoom allows you to bring all the details in an image to your audience in an effortless way. Here, we look at how to use it and the benefits it brings.

Hyper Zoom is one of SmartFrame’s most exciting features.

A key pillar of our enhanced presentation suite of offerings, Hyper Zoom delivers multiple benefits for those looking to share and display high-resolution images.

Whether you’re a photographer capturing detail-packed landscapes or a company that wants to let users scrutinize the finer details of their products, Hyper Zoom delivers the best and easiest solution.

What is Hyper Zoom?

Hyper Zoom is a feature included in SmartFrame that allows high-resolution images to be viewed in all their detail.

Whereas most images embedded on web pages have fixed dimensions and no interactive component for zooming and moving around, SmartFrame’s Hyper Zoom feature allows users to easily interact with images in this way.

Why should you use Hyper Zoom?

There are many reasons why you may want to use Hyper Zoom with your images.

If you’re a photographer, you may want to show off the intricate details of a landscape you’ve captured. Or, if macro photography is more your thing, perhaps you want to let people see the finest details on an insect or a flower head. You can try this for yourself by clicking on the image below.

Ordinarily, you might not want an image like this to be viewed or shared at high resolution, as it’s far more attractive to thieves. Many photographers may first downsize such an image to a point where it’s still large enough to be appreciated but not so large that it encourages malicious activity.

With SmartFrame, however, you can share such an image and know that common attempts to steal it – from right-clicks and drag-and-drop actions through to screenshot attempts – will be thwarted.

Hyper Zoom gives viewers a far better idea of texture and structure than an everyday JPEG can communicate. This is also arguably the main benefit for brands who want to use Hyper Zoom on their product pages. Doing so allows users to see what they are considering buying close up: the stitching on a bag or a pair of jeans, for example, or a garment’s fabric.

How does Hyper Zoom work?

When you upload an image to SmartFrame, it’s automatically split into many individual tiles. While it doesn’t appear any different to the viewer, by breaking the image down into many individual components, SmartFrame is able to load only what’s needed when it’s needed.

When a user zooms into the image and moves around, only the tiles that contain the currently viewed information are streamed. When they zoom back out, those fine details stop being streamed as they’re no longer needed.

This means the image can be adapted to the viewer’s display resolution, while also ensuring that your website isn’t hampered by huge files and slow loading times – which would ordinarily be the case with high-resolution images.

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