Three-Stage Watermark Pipeline Keeps Original Images Private Until Purchase

The article argues that creators should keep original image files in private storage and show only watermarked derivatives publicly. It recommends generating the portfolio derivative at upload time, so page requests never depend on a live image processor. Original downloads should be granted only after payment is verified, using short-lived presigned links that are recorded as separate authorization entries. The author warns that watermark failures must fail closed rather than falling back to the original file. For cases requiring many variants, on-demand transformation is discussed as an option with stricter cache-key and isolation requirements.