Watermarks are images or text that are added at the beginning or end of a photo to identify its owner. They are often used to prevent piracy of photos, films, music, etc.
Whether you want to add a copyright notice to a friend’s Instagram pic or create a unique branding element for your company, watermarks can be very useful tools.
And contrary to popular belief, they are quite simple to add.
In this article, we are going to tell you how you can create your very own watermark and how to apply it to your work to protect against piracy.
How To Create A Watermark?
There are many ways to make a watermark. You can use Photoshop, GIMP, Paint, Inkscape, or any other image editing software.
The most common way is to simply paste an image into the top left corner of your picture. This will usually look like a bunch of lines and dots.
If you want to get fancy, you can also use some basic effects such as blurring, color correction, and even adding a border around the edge of your image.
But the best way to add a watermark is to use a free online tool called “Watermark Generator”. It is easy to use and gives you lots of options to customize your watermark.
- Open up a Watermark Generator on your computer.
- Choose the type of watermark you would like to use (text, logo, or both).
- Select the size of the watermark.
- Add a title if you’d like.
- Click “Generate” when you’re done!
Now that you have created your watermark, let’s see how to apply it to your pictures.
Apply A Watermark
To apply a watermark to your image, open up your image in Photoshop or another image editor. You’ll see a menu with all kinds of options. Let’s take a closer look:
The first option lets you choose whether to add a transparent background so that you can still see your original photo underneath.
The second option allows you to change the opacity of your watermark. Opacity refers to the amount of transparency in your watermark.
For example, if you set your opacity to 50%, then half of your watermark will show through.
The third option lets you adjust the position of your watermark. By default, your watermark will appear in the upper-left corner of your image. But you can move it anywhere by clicking and dragging.
The fourth option lets you crop your image before applying the watermark. Cropping is removing part of the image without changing its aspect ratio.
For example, if your image has a width of 500 pixels but only 400 pixels wide, you could remove the remaining 100 pixels from each side to keep the same aspect ratio.
Once you’ve adjusted your settings, click Apply. Your watermark should now be applied.
That’s it! Now you know exactly how to make a watermark and how to put one on your work. Hopefully, these tips will help you to protect your work from being stolen.
Why Use A Watermark?
One of the main reasons why people use watermarks is to protect their intellectual property.
When someone takes a photograph, they don’t necessarily think about who owns the rights to the photo.
However, there are certain things that need to be protected. These include copyright laws, trademark laws, and privacy laws.
Copyright Laws Protect Intellectual Property
If you create something using copyrighted material, you may own the copyright to the work. Copyright law protects the author of the work and the owner of the copyright.
If you publish your work on a website, blog, or social media platform, you may not own the copyright to the content itself.
Instead, you own the copyright to the words you wrote and the images you used. That means anyone else can copy your work as long as they do not alter it too much.
Trademark Laws Protect Brand Names
Another reason why people use watermarks on photos is because they want to protect brand names.
If you sell products on Amazon, for example, you probably want to protect your brand name. This way, no one can steal your product listings and pretend to be selling them.
Privacy Laws Protect Personal Information
Another reason why people use watermarking software is to protect personal information. Imagine that you’re taking a picture of your friend at a party.
Suddenly, you notice that someone took a picture of you while you were talking to your friend. In this case, the person might have taken a picture of your face without asking permission.
Watermarking Software Is Easy To Install And Use
You don’t need any special skills to install and use watermarking software. You simply download an application onto your computer, run it, and follow the instructions.
What Are Some Popular Watermarking Apps?
There are many types of watermarking apps available online. Here are some popular ones:
Photoshop: Photoshop is a powerful graphics editing program. It comes with lots of features, including a built-in watermarking tool.
Gimp: GIMP is another great graphic editor. It also includes a built-in watermarked feature.
Paint Shop Pro: Paint Shop Pro is a professional graphics app. It comes with a built-in water marking tool.
Adobe Lightroom: Adobe Lightroom is a digital photography management system. It also includes a watermarking function.
Microsoft Office: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote all come with built-in watermark tools.
InDesign: InDesign is a professional page layout program. It has a built-in watermark tool.
Final Thoughts
Watermarking is a useful technique when protecting your intellectual property. Whether you’re creating artwork or writing a book, you should always consider how others will use your work.
A simple watermark helps keep everyone honest.
It is important that you protect your work so that you can continue to make money from it in the future and so that no one can use it without your permission.
Hopefully this article has helped you to learn how to create your very own watermark and how to apply it to your products!
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