Image Watermarking: Protect Your Photos Online
How to effectively watermark your images for protection and branding.
Watermarking adds a visible mark to your images that identifies you as the creator or owner. While not foolproof protection, watermarks deter casual theft and help with attribution.
Types of Watermarks
Text Watermarks
The simplest approach adds your name, website, or copyright notice to the image. Text watermarks are easy to create and clearly communicate ownership. Our Image Watermark tool lets you add customizable text watermarks.
Logo Watermarks
Using your logo as a watermark adds professional branding. Logo watermarks work well for commercial photography and stock images.
Invisible Watermarks
Digital watermarks embedded in the image data are invisible to viewers but can be detected with special software. These are used by stock photo agencies and news organizations.
Placement Strategy
Corner placement is less intrusive but easier to crop out. Center placement provides better protection but may detract from the image. Diagonal across the image offers the most protection.
Opacity and Size
Watermarks should be visible enough to deter theft but not so prominent that they ruin the image. An opacity of 30-50% usually works well. Size should be large enough that removing it would noticeably degrade the image.
Best Practices
Always keep unwatermarked originals stored safely. Apply watermarks as the last step before publishing. Use consistent watermark style across all your images for brand recognition. Consider different watermark strengths for different uses, with lighter marks for portfolio display and stronger marks for social media sharing.
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