Active images through digital watermarking

The present disclosure relates generally to the technological arts of digital watermarking and fingerprinting. One claim recites a method comprising: obtaining digital data representing imagery captured with a camera; storing the digital data at a location in electronic memory; processing the digital data with a processor, said processing comprising generating a digital fingerprint of the imagery; storing the digital fingerprint of the imagery and the location in a storage repository or index; transforming the digital data with digital watermarking upon a request to output the digital imagery to a physical domain, said digital watermarking comprising a plural bit identifier; and associating the plural bit identifier with the fingerprint and location in the storage repository or index. Of course, other combinations, features and claims are disclosed as well.