how to make a good watermark for images?

Question

im starting a photography business and need to know how to create a good watermark that makes it so people cant steel images but also be able to see the image clearly.

i have photoshop and everything i just don't know how to make a watermark very well...

Answer 1

I just use the text tool to do my watermarks. If it is going across the subject, I set the text opacity to 30%-60%. If it is a plain corner mark then I use 100%.



A watermark will not prevent someone from stealing your image, it will only slow them down. Any watermark can be removed, it just depends on how bad they want that image.

Answer 2

Make your images 4x6 @ 72 DPI. These small images are going to be blurry when people want to print them out.



As far as a watermark, write out your photography business, or name, then go to blending options and add a shadow and a bevel. (play around with other things to see how they look). Save this image as PSD with layers. You can then pull the watermark off that image and paste it on your images. I made my file very large so that it will fit on anything, and then just scale it down for online images.

Answer 3

You could draw your signature with a felt tip pen and either photograph it or scan it into your computer, this will give you a very personal to you signature, better than just using the type tool.



Open it in PS and you can select just the black lettering and turn it into a brush, you can build an Action around it to put it into the same place on any picture automatically, you can re-size in the same action if you want.



The best way of protecting images on the net is only to upload very small files, these will never print with any quality.



You can also edit an IPTC metadata file to include all your copyright detail and save it, then Bridge can automatically insert it into the EXIF data when you download them onto your computer.



In Bridge go to Tools>Create Metadata Template, fill in all the fields you want included and save the file.



When you come to download new pictures use the Bridge>File>Get Photos from Camera and in the dialogue box that opens at the bottom of the right hand panel there is a drop down menu the file you just created will be there, select it and the IPTC data will be included in the EXIF date attatched to all the pictures. It's not a 100% solution as the data can be edited, but most people don't know its there and only your data will be on the file on the website they downloaded it from.



Chris

Answer 4

1) Create a text layer that can be centered and visible in both vertical and horizontal images. Use a heavy font face, like Arial Black.



On that text layer, add effects/styles such as bevel/emboss and drop shadows.



Set OPACITY to 9% to 20% (your taste). Set FILL to 0%





2) Create a text layer - with your name and number, or your url, or any text you prefer. Make sure it fits in both horizontal and vertical images. Ideally, it would be able to fit at the top or bottom of the document without obscuring important details, e.g., faces. This can be put on images with 100% opacity, and with or without effects/styles.



If you want to make an "Action" for putting your text layer into dozens or hundreds of images, there are additional tricks for placing the watermark.

Answer 5

watermarking an image is putting something on the image to show proof if someone tries to steal it, like how some websites put their address across it