Hey guys! In case you havenβt heard, downloading someoneβs art and then posting it to your own blog is bad. If you want to know why, you can learn more about that here and here. Edit: The second link was broken, hereβs the proper url.
In spite of this generally-agreed-upon idea that reposting is bad, I still often see reposts in the tag and evenΒ on my dash.Β I can usually spot a reposter pretty easily, but it looks like it doesnβt come as naturally to others, so hereβs a step-by-step guide!
1. Low-res images. Iβm automatically suspicious of an original digital artwork thatβs already pixelated. Conversely, if itβs a photo of a sketch, itβs probably OPβs art (not to say that traditional art couldnβt also be reposted, but usually sketches arenβt posted in favor of a more complete piece).Β Edit: I donβt know what I meant by this part, it doesnβt really make much sense in finding reposts.Β
2. Read the caption. Many artists will make references to the content of the art (with the implication that they made it)(eg. βI was craving the beach AUβ, βafter [what happened in the comic] they go grab smoothiesβ) or the artistic process (βplease excuse the anatomyβ). If thereβs no caption, or the caption is too vague/doesnβt imply ownership, it could be a repost.Β
3.Β Check for a signature on the art. If you find one and it doesnβt match the url or names that the poster goes by on their blog, it could be a repost.Β
4. Glance at their tags. Reposters are in it for the notes, and will often use as many tags as possible. However,Β a whole lot of tags doesnβt necessarily mean reposter. Look for an art tag or something else they might use to distinguish their own posts from reblogs. This brings me to my next point:
5. Look for other art. If theyβre an artist, they probably either have an art tag (which the post would be tagged in), or they post other art on the blog. Go to their blog and check the tag they use for art. If they donβt have an art tag or any other indication that they make artwork, it could be a repost.
6. If they donβt have an art tag, check one of the (probably many) tags they use on the post; eg. if it was a Chat Noir sketch, they probably tagged with βchat noirβ. Check their blogβs Chat Noir tag; they mightβve also reposted other artwork (in which case itβs definitely a repost), or theyβve never posted about the fandom whatsoever (which is kind of suspicious).
7. Look for the original. If itβs been reposted, thereβs a place on the internet where it was originally posted. Google reverse image search just needs you to get the url for the image; drag the picture into a new tab or right-click and selectΒ βCopy image addressβ (or something like that), and paste the url into the search. If you find another place that the image was posted, and it was posted there before the suspected repost, then you have a repost.Β
And of course, if you recognize the artist and theyβre not the ones posting it, or if the caption says βcredit to the artistβ/βnot mineβ, you have a reposter.Β
What do you do when you find a reposter? First, tell them politely that reposting is discouraged; sending them the two links I used at the top is a good start, and if you find the original artβs link, send that so they know what they reposted. If they respond rudely and/or absolutely refuse to stop reposting, contact the original artist, and they can report them for theft. Whatever you do, donβt send reposters hate!Β Death threats and general malicious messaging are not okay.Β
None of the above methods are necessarily foolproof, but by the time you get to 7, you can usually be fairly sure what youβre dealing with. Most of the time I only get as far as step 3 or 4 (which only takes a few seconds) before deciding that itβs a repost. If youβre ever in doubt, leave a like and move on; if it does turn out to be a repost, you canβt take back the spread of the reblogs. Β
Remember, reblogs exist for a reason! You donβt need to repost art just to get it on your blog, and you certainly donβt need reposts to get a popular blog.Β