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How to add a watermark to a photo
To add a watermark to a photo online, pick the picture, type your text or choose a logo, and drag the mark where you want it. The preview on this page is drawn by exactly the same code that makes the download, so what you see is what you get. The steps:
- Add one photo or up to 40 (button, drag and drop, or paste with Ctrl+V). The page starts with a sample so you can try every setting first.
- Type your text, for example © yourshop, or switch to Logo and choose a PNG.
- Choose a layout: Single for one mark, Tile for a grid, Diagonal tile for the slanted pattern stock sites use. For a single mark, click one of the nine position squares or just drag the mark in the preview.
- Set size and opacity, keep the shadow on, pick JPG, PNG or WebP, and press Download image. With several photos, press Download all (.zip).
Size and position are stored as proportions of each photo, so a batch of mixed sizes, say a 4000 px camera original next to an 800 px crop, gets a mark that looks the same on every one.
What size and opacity should a watermark be?
Big enough to read at thumbnail size, faint enough that the photo still looks good. Size is a percentage of the photo width, so the pixel size depends on the photo:
| Size setting | On a 1200 px photo | On a 4000 px photo |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | 240 px wide | 800 px wide |
| 30% | 360 px wide | 1200 px wide |
| 40% | 480 px wide | 1600 px wide |
The distance-from-edge slider works the same way: 3% on a 1200 px photo leaves 36 px between the mark and the corner.
| Use | Layout | Size | Opacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product or portfolio photo | Single, bottom right | 25 to 35% | 60 to 80% |
| Proof sent to a client | Diagonal tile | 20 to 25% | 35 to 45% |
| Social media post | Single, bottom centre | 30 to 40% | 70 to 90% |
A mark in the corner is polite and easy to crop off. A mark across the middle is hard to remove but spoils the picture. A tile sits between the two: set it to around 40% opacity and the subject stays visible while the whole image is covered.
How do I make a watermark readable on any photo?
Any single colour fails somewhere. White vanishes on a bright sky or a white wall, black vanishes on dark fabric. Two settings fix this. The shadow (on by default) puts a soft dark halo behind the letters. The outline adds a thin border in a second colour, for example yellow text with a black outline. Move the preview to the brightest and darkest parts of the photo and check both. Heavy block fonts take an outline best, thin handwriting fonts take it worst.
Can I use a logo as a watermark?
Yes, choose Logo and upload a file. Use a PNG with a transparent background. A JPG logo keeps its white rectangle, which looks like a sticker stuck on the photo. Everything else, including tiling, rotation and shadow, works as it does for text.
Which output format should I pick?
For photos, JPG. The built-in 1200 × 900 sample with one mark comes out at about 157 KB as JPG at 88% quality and about 1.6 MB as PNG. Choose PNG when the picture is a graphic with flat colours or has transparent areas, and WebP when the file goes on a website. If an upload form has a size limit, set Maximum width to 1200 or 1000 px and the file shrinks with it. Photos that are already narrower than the limit are left alone.
Limits worth knowing
- Saving through a canvas removes EXIF data, including GPS location. Good for sharing, but copyright fields in the metadata are lost too.
- A watermark discourages casual copying. It does not stop someone who is willing to crop or retouch. For images you sell, share a smaller marked copy and keep the original.
- Handwriting and block fonts come from the fonts installed on your device, so they can look a little different on a phone and a laptop. The preview shows what your device will save.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a watermark to a photo online for free?
Choose your photo above, type your text (or switch to Logo), drag the watermark into place and press Download image. The page opens with a sample photo already stamped, so you can see the result before you pick anything. There is no account, and nothing from us is added to your picture.
Can I watermark many photos at once?
Yes, up to 40 at a time. Select them together, set the watermark once and press Download all (.zip). Size and position are stored as proportions of each photo, so a 4000 px original and an 800 px thumbnail get the same-looking mark. Click any photo in the list to check how it looks on that one.
What is the best size and opacity for a watermark?
For one mark in a corner, 25 to 35% of the photo width at 60 to 80% opacity is easy to see without covering the subject. For a mark repeated across the whole picture, go down to 30 to 45% opacity and 15 to 25% size so the photo is still pleasant to look at. On a 1200 px wide photo, 30% gives a mark 360 px wide.
How do I keep a watermark readable on both light and dark photos?
Keep the shadow switched on, and add a thin outline in a contrasting colour when the photo is busy. White text with a soft dark shadow is the safe default: the shadow carries it over bright skies and white backgrounds, while the white carries it over dark areas. Use the preview to look at the brightest and darkest parts of the photo before you download.
Can I use my own logo instead of text?
Yes. Switch to Logo and choose a PNG, ideally with a transparent background, because a JPG logo brings its white box along. Size, opacity, rotation, shadow and tiling work the same way as for text. The logo is read in your browser and never uploaded.
Does adding a watermark lower the photo quality or remove EXIF data?
The photo is redrawn once and saved again, so JPG and WebP pick up a small loss. At the default quality of 88% it is not visible at normal viewing size, and PNG has no loss at all. Saving through the browser also drops EXIF data such as camera model and GPS location, which is good for sharing, but it means copyright fields stored in the metadata are not kept.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Drawing the watermark and saving the file both happen in your browser, so the photos stay on your phone or computer. The only thing downloaded is the small ZIP library, and only when you press Download all (.zip).
Can someone remove my watermark?
A small mark in a corner can be cropped off or painted over in a minute. A semi-transparent mark across the middle of the photo, or a diagonal tile over the whole picture, is much harder to remove cleanly, but nothing is impossible to remove. If you sell or license images, share a smaller watermarked copy (set Maximum width to 1000 px) and keep the full-size original to yourself.