Free Add Watermark to Image
Before you watermark: what is it for?
A watermark can do four different jobs, and the right settings depend on which one you want. It can credit you, a small, tasteful name in a corner that people see when a picture is shared. It can advertise your site or brand. It can deter misuse by being large and hard to crop out. Or it can mark a proof, so a client can see the work but cannot use it. Decide first, because a discreet credit and an anti-theft mark are almost opposite designs.
Building your watermark with a live preview
Add your images, and the first one appears as a preview that updates as you change things. Choose Text or Logo image. For text, type your name or site and pick the colour, bold and size. For a logo, choose a file, ideally a PNG with a transparent background so it blends in. Then set the position: any corner, the centre, or repeat across the image for a tiled pattern. Opacity, size and rotation are sliders, and a soft shadow keeps the mark readable on both bright and dark areas. Once it looks right in the preview, the same settings apply to every image in the batch.
Matching the design to the job
| Goal | Position | Opacity | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| A credit on your photos | Bottom corner | 50 to 70% | 8 to 12% of width |
| Brand or website promotion | Corner or centre bottom | 50 to 60% | 10 to 15% |
| Proofs for clients | Repeat across image, rotated | 30 to 40% | Medium |
| Protecting product photos | Repeat or large centre | 30 to 40% | Large |
Because size is set as a share of the image width, the mark looks the same on small and large pictures in one batch.
Watermark or copyright?
A watermark is a visible deterrent. It is not what gives you copyright. In most countries, you own the copyright in your photographs from the moment you take them, with or without a mark. A watermark makes ownership obvious and discourages casual copying, but it does not create legal rights and it cannot stop a determined person. Keep your original, unmarked files and records of when you made them, which is far more useful if you ever have to prove a picture is yours.
A sensible workflow
- Keep your unmarked originals in one folder and never overwrite them.
- Resize and compress the copies you plan to publish, because there is no point watermarking a giant file. See the image resizer.
- Add the watermark here, in a batch, and download a ZIP.
- Remove hidden location data from the published copies with the EXIF data remover.
- Publish only the marked versions.
Tips for a mark that looks professional
- Use the same watermark on everything, so it becomes part of your look.
- Keep text short. A name or a domain is enough.
- Place it where it will not cover a face or the main subject, unless you want it to.
- Check it on a very bright picture and a very dark one before you run the whole batch.
A colour that works on any photo
White text with a soft shadow is the safest default, because the shadow keeps it readable on bright areas and the white stands out on dark ones. On very bright images such as snow or a white product backdrop, switch to a dark grey. Mid-tone colours can disappear on busy photos, so avoid them for text. A logo in a single flat colour with a transparent background is easier to place than a detailed one, so keep a simple version of your logo just for watermarking.
Mistakes that make a watermark look amateur
- A mark so large and opaque that nobody can enjoy the picture.
- A tiny pale mark that disappears on busy backgrounds.
- Different marks, sizes and positions on every image, so the set looks inconsistent.
- A watermark placed over the face or the very thing being sold.
- Forgetting to remove location data before publishing.
When you tile the mark across an image, give it generous spacing and a light touch. A dense carpet of text spoils the picture, while a few well spaced repeats at an angle protect it well.
FAQ
Yes. Choose Logo image and pick your logo file. A transparent PNG blends in best.
Yes. Add up to 80 images, set the watermark once and download them all as a ZIP.
The pixel size stays the same. JPG and WebP files are saved again at the quality you set, so keep it around 90 percent.
Small corner marks are easy to crop. A repeated, semi-transparent mark across the image is much harder to remove, but no watermark is impossible to remove.
No. Everything happens in your browser.
JPG, PNG, WebP and several other common image types. The result can be saved as the same format, or as JPG, PNG or WebP.