Watermark Tutorial

Several people have emailed me or left questions here on my blog about how to watermark their images. I decided to make a quick post with some of the tricks I’ve figured out along the way. 

If you think you don’t need a watermark, I’d encourage you to think about it a little more. I recommend watermarking your pictures for a couple reasons. First, pictures and ideas are “borrowed” all of the time on the internet. By watermarking your images, you’re easily able to claim your work. Other than marking your territory (haha), watermarks can also help the people who find your great idea get back to you to find out more. How many times have you seen a great idea on Pinterest, but clicked on it only to find the link was broken or incorrect? With a watermark, people will more easily be able to find you.

Okay, now for the good stuff. I made my watermark in Photoshop Elements and saved it as its own file. This means I can just copy and paste my watermark on top of my other pictures. Sometimes I simply use my blog button the way it is, but other times I don’t want it to stand out so much. That’s where the watermark feature comes in handy. To make it
semi-transparent, you’ll want to use the layer options to adjust
the opacity. I promise it’s really easy! Here’s how you do it:
     1. Open your image in PSE.
    
     2. On the right side of your screen, find the Layer tab. If you have it closed, you might have to click the arrow to open it so you can see the options.

    
     3. Adjust the opacity % to fade your image and make it transparent. Mine is 37%, but it will change depending on the colors of your image.

    
    4. Save your file under a new name so you don’t replace your original image.
     
    5. To use your new watermark, just drag and drop it over your existing pictures. You do this by opening multiple files at the same time (your original and the watermark). With the original image open on the top screen, grab the watermark from below and drag it up onto your picture. I try to put my watermark in a place that doesn’t interfere with the original image, but also in a place that can’t easily be cropped out. In this example picture of Lily, I put it in the top left corner. Right above her back would have been another good option.

     6. If you want to use text instead of an image, the process is exactly the same. Instead of starting with your original image/button, just start with a text box. You still change the opacity the same way.


If you don’t have PSE, you can obtain similar results in other photo software and even in Word. You can effectively fade your image by adjusting the contrast and brightness. Your image won’t be see-through, but it will still be less noticeable. Here’s a screenshot that shows the process in Microsoft Picture It! at 100% brightness.

If you get stuck, let me know and I can
make you one from an image you’ve chosen. It just takes a few minutes and I’m happy to help keep your fabulous ideas and pictures connected to their awesome source– you!