How to add a watermark to an image
How to add a watermark to photos and illustrations to discourage unauthorized reuse, with tips to keep it effective without ruining the image. Set it up in your browser.
Why add a watermark
A watermark helps discourage people from using your photos or illustrations without permission, and it shows the source of shared material. It will not fully prevent reuse, but it raises the barrier to casual copying.
It is especially useful for creators publishing original work, shops posting product photos, and anyone distributing material that will leave their hands.
What makes a watermark effective
A good watermark balances being hard to remove with staying readable. Placing it only in a corner makes it easy to crop out, so a faint mark that slightly overlaps the subject works better.
Too strong and it ruins the photo; too faint and it is pointless. Size the text or logo so it stays readable even at a reduced display size.
Check this before you start
Always keep a clean original without the watermark. You may need an unmarked version for printing or other uses later.
If you use someone else's artwork or fonts in the watermark, confirm commercial use is allowed first. Your own logo or name avoids that concern entirely.
How to set it up with this tool
The watermark tool on this site works by loading an image, setting the text and position, and saving. Everything runs in your browser, so the image is not uploaded.
To lighten the file before publishing, combine it with image compression; to match a posting size, add resizing, then go straight to sharing.