Free Watermark Tool
Protect your images with custom watermarks. Add text or logos with adjustable transparency, position, and size. Batch process multiple photos at once. Your images stay private — everything happens in your browser.
Upload Image
JPG, PNG, WebP supported
Watermark Settings
Why Use Watermarks?
Watermarks are essential for protecting and promoting your visual content
Copyright Protection
A watermark clearly identifies you as the creator and copyright owner. It deters theft and unauthorized use. If someone does steal your image, the watermark makes it difficult to claim as their own and provides evidence of ownership in legal disputes.
Photographer Portfolios
Professional photographers watermark portfolio images to prevent theft while showcasing their work online. Potential clients can preview your style, but the watermark ensures they contact you for full-resolution files. Essential for selling prints and licensing images.
Brand Awareness
Your logo watermark travels with your images across the internet. When content is shared on social media, blogs, or Pinterest, viewers see your brand. This drives traffic back to your website and builds brand recognition organically.
E-commerce & Product Photos
Online sellers watermark product images to prevent competitors from stealing photos for fake listings. Protects your investment in professional product photography. Subtle watermarks maintain aesthetics while deterring theft.
Social Media Protection
Content creators watermark Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok posts to prevent reposting without credit. Ensures proper attribution when content goes viral. Place watermarks strategically to avoid easy cropping.
Digital Art & Graphics
Artists watermark digital artwork, illustrations, and designs shared online. Protects against art theft, tracing, and unauthorized commercial use. Preview versions with visible watermarks; deliver clean files only after payment.
How Watermarking Works
The technology behind secure image watermarking
Upload Images
Select one or multiple images from your device. All files are processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded to our servers.
Customize Watermark
Choose text or logo watermark. Adjust position (corner, center, tiled), transparency, size, color, and rotation to match your needs.
Apply & Preview
The watermark is composited onto your image using HTML5 Canvas. Preview the result and adjust settings until perfect.
Download
Download individual images or all at once. Watermarks are permanently embedded in the exported files, ready to share.
Watermarking Best Practices
📍 Positioning Strategy
Corner Placement: Most common. Bottom-right is standard, but can be easily cropped. Bottom-left is harder to remove. Top corners work for content that crops from bottom.
Center Placement: Most visible and difficult to remove, but obstructs the image. Use only for preview images or when maximum protection is needed.
Tiled/Repeated: Nearly impossible to remove without destroying the image. Best for maximum protection but reduces visual appeal. Use for preview images only.
Edge Placement: Along image edges (top, bottom, left, right). Subtle but can be cropped. Works well for letterbox-style watermarks.
Pro tip: Place watermarks over important focal points or across detailed areas where cloning/removing would be obvious.
👁️ Opacity & Visibility
High Opacity (70-100%): Clearly visible, strong protection. Use for preview images, portfolios where you want clear attribution, or maximum security. May reduce image aesthetics.
Medium Opacity (40-70%): Balanced approach. Visible but not overpowering. Most common for social media, blog images, and professional work. Harder to remove than low opacity.
Low Opacity (15-40%): Subtle, maintains image beauty. Good for client previews, artistic photos, or when aesthetics are priority. Easier to remove but still provides attribution.
Very Low Opacity (5-15%): Barely visible, mostly for tracking. Can be seen upon close inspection. Balances protection with visual appeal.
Best practice: 50-60% opacity offers excellent balance for most use cases.
🎯 Size & Scale
Large Watermarks: 15-30% of image size. Highly visible, strong deterrent. Use for preview images, free downloads, or maximum protection. Can overwhelm smaller images.
Medium Watermarks: 8-15% of image size. Standard for most professional use. Visible without dominating the image. Works across different image sizes.
Small Watermarks: 3-8% of image size. Subtle, professional look. Good for high-end portfolios, client work, or when aesthetics are crucial. Easier to remove.
Micro Watermarks: < 3% of image size. Barely noticeable. Mainly for attribution tracking rather than theft prevention.
Pro tip: Scale watermarks proportionally to image size. A watermark that's perfect on 4000px width may be too large on 800px width.
✍️ Text vs Logo Watermarks
Text Watermarks:
- Pros: Simple, fast, no design needed, can include copyright symbol ©
- Cons: Less professional, easier to remove or edit
- Best for: Photographer names, website URLs, quick attribution
- Tips: Use bold fonts, ALL CAPS for visibility, include © symbol
Logo Watermarks:
- Pros: Professional, brand recognition, harder to remove, unique
- Cons: Requires existing logo design, file management
- Best for: Businesses, brands, professional photographers, agencies
- Tips: Use PNG with transparency, white or black versions for contrast
Combination: Logo + text (e.g., logo + website URL) provides maximum attribution and branding.
🎨 Color & Contrast
White Watermarks: Work on dark backgrounds. Use with slight transparency (70-80%). Add subtle shadow/stroke for visibility on light areas.
Black Watermarks: Work on light backgrounds. Good contrast on bright images. Can feel harsh; consider dark gray (#333) instead.
Colored Watermarks: Match your brand colors. Ensure sufficient contrast with image. Be careful with busy backgrounds.
Adaptive/Outlined: White text with black outline (or vice versa) works on any background. Most versatile option for batch processing varied images.
Pro tip: Test watermarks on both light and dark sample images before batch processing.
🔒 Security Levels
Maximum Protection (Preview Images):
- Tiled/repeated watermarks across entire image
- Large size (20-30% of image)
- High opacity (70-80%)
- Positioned over focal points
Balanced Protection (Professional Use):
- Corner or center placement
- Medium size (10-15% of image)
- Medium opacity (50-60%)
- Clear branding visible
Light Protection (Client Previews):
- Corner placement
- Small to medium size (5-10%)
- Low to medium opacity (30-50%)
- Maintains image aesthetics
Watermarking by Industry
📸 Photography
Wedding Photographers: Subtle corner watermarks on preview galleries (30% opacity). Deliver clean finals after payment.
Stock Photography: Large centered watermarks on preview images. Visible diagonal text across focal points.
Portrait Photography: Small signature-style watermark in corner. Low opacity (20-30%) to maintain subject focus.
Event Photography: Logo watermark with event date. Medium opacity (50%) corner placement for sharing.
🎨 Artists & Designers
Digital Art: Prominent watermark across center (60-70% opacity). Prevents art theft and unauthorized printing.
Graphic Design: Corner logo watermark with portfolio URL. Encourages hiring for full files.
Illustrations: Tiled watermark pattern for maximum protection. Use for preview posts on Instagram/Twitter.
3D Renders: Subtle corner signature. Low opacity to show off technical skill without obstruction.
🏢 Business & E-commerce
Product Photos: Small logo watermark on product (not background). 40% opacity, doesn't distract buyers.
Real Estate: Property address + agency logo in corner. Medium size, clearly visible for marketing.
Architecture: Firm name + project name. Bottom edge placement, professional appearance.
Corporate Headshots: Company logo bottom corner. Very subtle (20-30% opacity) for professional look.
📱 Social Media Creators
Instagram Posts: Username watermark bottom-right. Medium opacity (50%). Visible but not overpowering.
YouTube Thumbnails: Channel logo top or bottom corner. High visibility to build brand recognition.
TikTok Content: Watermark outside TikTok's own watermark area. Include username for credit when reposted.
Memes & Graphics: Centered credit text. Funny content gets shared — watermark ensures attribution.
📰 Journalism & News
Photo Journalism: Agency logo + photographer credit corner. Subtle but clear attribution.
News Images: Publication name + date. Bottom or side placement with high contrast.
Sports Photography: Photographer mark + agency. Quick identification for licensing inquiries.
🎓 Education & Research
Academic Images: Institution name + copyright year. Formal placement, professional appearance.
Scientific Photos: Research facility + study identifier. Clear attribution for citations.
Educational Content: Creator name + website. Encourages students to find source material.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this watermark tool completely free?
Yes, 100% free with no limitations. Add watermarks to unlimited images, no registration, no hidden fees, no premium features locked behind paywalls. All processing happens in your browser, so we don't have ongoing server costs.
Are my photos uploaded to your servers?
No. All watermarking happens locally in your browser using HTML5 Canvas technology. Your photos never leave your device, are never uploaded, and are never seen by us or anyone else. This is as private as desktop software but more convenient. Works offline once the page loads.
Can watermarks be removed?
Technically yes, but difficulty varies. Corner watermarks can be cropped. Simple watermarks can be cloned out in Photoshop (time-consuming). Watermarks over detailed areas or tiled watermarks are extremely difficult to remove without damaging the image. For maximum protection, use tiled watermarks or place over focal points. No watermark is 100% removal-proof, but they significantly deter casual theft.
Should I use text or logo watermarks?
Text watermarks: Quick, simple, no design needed. Good for individual photographers/creators. Include © symbol and your name/website.
Logo watermarks: More professional, builds brand recognition, harder to edit/remove. Better for businesses, established brands, professional photographers.
Best: Combination of both (logo + text) provides maximum recognition and attribution.
Where should I position my watermark?
Bottom-right corner: Most common, traditional placement. Easy to crop — avoid for maximum protection.
Bottom-left corner: Less common, harder for users to crop (most crop from right).
Center: Most visible, extremely hard to remove. Best for preview images. Obstructs content.
Over focal point: Hardest to remove without destroying image. Strategic for valuable photos.
Tiled/repeated: Nearly impossible to remove. Use for maximum protection but reduces aesthetics.
What opacity should I use?
70-100%: Maximum protection, clearly visible. Use for preview images or when security is priority.
50-60%: Balanced (recommended for most use cases). Visible but not overpowering.
30-40%: Subtle, maintains aesthetics. Good for professional portfolios, client previews.
10-20%: Very subtle, mostly for tracking/attribution rather than theft prevention.
Test on your specific images — ideal opacity depends on image brightness and watermark color.
Can I batch watermark multiple images?
Yes! Upload multiple images at once and apply the same watermark settings to all. Perfect for processing photo shoots, product catalogs, event galleries, or social media batches. Each watermarked image downloads individually with the same watermark style, position, and opacity. Huge time saver for professional workflows.
Will watermarking reduce image quality?
The watermarking process itself doesn't reduce quality — it simply overlays additional content. However, the final export quality depends on your chosen output format and compression settings. Use PNG for lossless quality (larger files) or JPG at high quality (85-95%) for good results with smaller files. The original image quality is preserved underneath the watermark.
What file formats are supported?
Input Images: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, TIFF, SVG
Watermark Logos: PNG (with transparency), JPG, SVG, WebP
Output: JPG or PNG (your choice)
Tip: Use PNG output if your original had transparency or for maximum quality. Use JPG for smaller file sizes and web use.
Do watermarks work as legal copyright protection?
Watermarks are not legal copyright by themselves — you automatically own copyright when you create an image. However, watermarks serve as visible evidence of ownership and attribution. They deter casual theft and make it harder for infringers to claim they "didn't know" who owned the image. For legal protection, register important works with your country's copyright office and include © symbol, your name, and year in watermarks.
Can I use custom fonts for text watermarks?
Text watermarks use your system fonts. The available fonts depend on what's installed on your device. Common fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Georgia, etc., are available on all systems. For consistent branding, create a logo image with your desired font/style and use it as a logo watermark instead of text.
Should I watermark images for SEO?
Yes and no. Watermarks with your URL can drive traffic when images are shared/reposted. However, Google Image Search may rank un-watermarked images higher as they're more "useful" to searchers. Best practice: Use subtle watermarks for social media sharing, but consider un-watermarked images for your website's image SEO. Always use proper image alt text and filenames for SEO regardless of watermarks.