When posting photos online, they are rarely protected, which means they can be used by anyone with access to them. Photos may be copyrighted, but a trick often used by photographers is to add a watermark - or watermark - to their images. Traditionally, watermark is a variation in paper thickness that can only be seen under certain conditions. The digital watermark consists of text or logos inserted above the actual image to declare who is the owner of the photo. It is often dull and appears jagged. A great way to make sure no one uses your photos without permission is to add a watermark with Google's Picasa or Adobe. This article will teach you how.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Photoshop Actions
Step 1. Open the image with Photoshop
Select the image to add the watermark to.
Step 2. Open the logo image file
Open your logo or design you would like to use as a watermark, and if you haven't already, save it in an easy-to-access place.
If you need to remove your logo from a larger image, take the lasso tool. Make sure it is set to 0. Click once and outline the image or text field you want to use as a watermark. Once you have selected the desired area, release the mouse button and save the image or logo
Step 3. Start recording your actions if you want
If you add a lot of watermarks to a lot of images of similar size, you could create an Action. This will allow you to add watermarks to other images more easily. Go to the "Window" menu of the toolbar. Select "Action". Give the action the name "Watermark". All actions you perform from now until you stop the action will be recorded.
Step 4. Go to "File" and click "Place"
Choose your logo. Resize the logo until it is the size you want. Change the opacity if you want it to be lighter. Align the logo using the right, left, top or bottom buttons in the top toolbar.
- Place the logo or text you just cut over the photo in an area that doesn't obscure the image but prevents people from downloading your photo and using it. Make sure you don't put it in a spot where it's easy to cut out.
- Use the buttons to align your photo, because Photoshop will be able to better record these actions than those made with the mouse.
Step 5. Alternatively, create a text watermark
To make a text watermark in Photoshop, create a text box on the image, color it and change its opacity until it becomes very light. Do this after you start recording your action.
Step 6. Save the photo with watermark using the "Save as."
.. Since you are recording, Photoshop will know where to save the edited photos in the future.
Step 7. Add watermarks in batch
To copy the watermark to more than one photo, go to "File", select "Automate" and then "Batch". When the window opens, select "Watermark" from the actions in the drop-down menu. Select the folder with the images to be protected. You will need to copy them to a separate folder for this action. Select the destination for all watermarked photos, using the search function of the "Destination" button. Check the "Ignore commands …" field, press OK and the watermark will be copied on the photos in the folder; they will eventually be saved in the specified folder.
Method 2 of 3: Using Photoshop Layers
Step 1. Open your image
Save it as a separate file so you don't lose the original.
Step 2. Open the watermark
The file should contain the logo or image you want to use.
Step 3. Copy the watermark to a new layer
Copy the image to the file you want to add the watermark to and paste it on a new layer, above the original image.
Step 4. Set the opacity
On the layer that contains your watermark, reduce the opacity until it becomes almost invisible.
Step 5. Merge the layers
Merge layers to watermark the image permanently (also in this case remember to keep a copy without watermark).
Step 6. Export the file in a non-Photoshop format
Save the file as jpeg or similar to not preserve the layers. This will make it harder for other people to remove the watermark.
Method 3 of 3: Add a Watermark with Google Picasa
Step 1. Upload your photos to a Picasa album
Picasa is Google's application for managing photos and storing them on the Internet. You can add a white text watermark in Picasa. You cannot choose to embed a logo as a watermark
Step 2. Go to your album and select the photos you want to add the watermark to
To do this, you will need to export them.
On Windows operating systems, hold down "Shift" and click on the photos to select more than 1 to protect. On Mac OS, hold down "Command" and perform the same operation
Step 3. Click the "Export" button
You can find it in the photo tray. You will need to choose the folder to export the photos to.
Step 4. Click on the "Add a Watermark" item in the menu
Step 5. Type the text you want to be displayed as a watermark
Step 6. Click "OK" and your photos will have a watermark when they appear in the folder
Step 7. Alternatively, add the watermark when uploading
Before downloading the files, click on "Tools", then "Options" on Windows or "Picasa" and then "Preferences" on Mac OS. Click on the "Picasa Web Albums" tab. Select "Add Watermark". Type your text. Click "OK" and the albums will be uploaded protected by watermarks.
