How to watermark your photos before sharing them

When a watermark makes sense

Photographers sharing proofs, sellers showing their own product photos, artists posting work in progress: in each case you want the image visible but not reusable. A watermark does not make theft impossible, but it makes casual reuse inconvenient and keeps your name attached to the image wherever it travels.

Add your watermark

1. Open the watermark tool below and choose your photos.
2. Type your text (a name, a © line, a handle) or pick an image such as your logo; a PNG with transparency blends best.
3. Set the position, size and opacity. For proofs, the tiled mode repeats the mark diagonally across the whole photo.
4. Apply it and download the results one by one or as a ZIP.

Opacity and placement tips

A corner mark at low opacity keeps the photo pleasant and still signs it; a large tiled mark protects a proof but hides detail. Keep it readable at the size people will actually see: a subtle mark that disappears on a phone screen protects nothing. And never watermark the only copy of a photo: keep a clean original.

What a watermark cannot do

Determined reuse can still crop or retouch a mark. A watermark is a signpost, not a lock. If you need legal proof of authorship, keep the original files with their metadata: they carry dates and camera data that help prove the photo is yours.

Questions, answered

Sources

• MDN: image file type and format guide

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