How to watermark your photos
Add your name or copyright to a whole folder of photos at once, choose a mark that is hard to crop out and keep it readable on light and dark areas.
A watermark is a short piece of text, such as your name or website, drawn over a photo before you share it. It keeps your name attached to the picture as it travels and discourages people from reposting it as their own. Photographers, sellers and anyone sending proofs to a client use them for the same reason.
Adding the mark
Drop one photo or a whole folder into Watermark image. Type the text, then choose:
- Position: any corner, an edge, the centre or tile across the whole image.
- Size and opacity: how big and how see-through the mark is.
- Colour: usually white or black, depending on the photos.
- Soft shadow: a faint shadow that keeps the text readable over both bright skies and dark shadows.
Every photo in the batch gets the same mark, scaled to its size, and you download them together.
Corner or tiled?
A small mark in a corner looks tidy and doesn’t get in the way, but anyone can crop it off in seconds. A mark across the middle, or tiled over the whole image at low opacity, can’t be removed without visibly damaging the picture.
A practical rule: use a corner mark for photos you are happy to see shared, such as portfolio pieces that you mainly want credited. Use a tiled mark for anything you are sending before payment, such as proofs, product photos a competitor might lift, or artwork previews.
Readable without taking over
Around 30 to 50 percent opacity is usually enough to read while still letting the photo show through. Turn on the soft shadow when the same batch has both light and dark photos, so one colour works for all of them.
Remove the hidden details too
A watermark adds information you want people to see. Photos also carry information you may not: the camera’s EXIF data can include the date, the device and the GPS location where the photo was taken. If you are posting photos taken at home, remove the EXIF data as well. Should I remove EXIF data? explains what is in there.
Documents need a different approach
Copies of ID, bank statements and contracts are usually PDFs, and the mark should state the purpose, such as “For rental application only”. How to watermark a PDF covers that, including why the mark should go across the text rather than in a margin.
Keep the originals
A watermark becomes part of the picture once it is saved. Keep the unmarked originals somewhere safe so you can re-export them later with a different mark, or none at all.
Common questions
Where should I put a watermark so it can’t be removed?
Across the main subject, partly transparent. A small mark in a corner is cropped out in seconds; a tiled mark across the whole image is much harder to remove without visible damage.
Will a watermark stop people stealing my photos?
It deters casual reuse and keeps your name attached to the image when it is shared. A determined person can still remove or paint over it, so it is a deterrent, not a lock.
What should a watermark say?
Your name or business name, a web address or a © with the year. Keep it short so it can be large enough to read without covering the photo.
Does watermarking reduce quality?
The mark is drawn onto the photo, and saving as JPG re-compresses it slightly. At a high quality setting that isn’t visible. Always keep the unmarked original.