So, you’ve created a piece of shareable content and now you’re wondering how to make a watermark to put your personal stamp on your photos or videos. As a content creator, your ultimate goal is to share your creative vision with the world—or, at the very least, your core audience. When you spend valuable time and resources creating digital assets, you want to protect your work from getting lost in the endless sea of original work online or, worse, stolen and shared without your knowledge or consent.
A watermark is great because it puts your distinctive signature on your creative product. It’s also one of the fastest and easiest ways to communicate your personal or professional brand to the viewer in an instant. Your watermark can be your brand logo, an adaptation of your brand logo for a complementary mark, or completely original. Your watermark can also be your brand’s website URL. As you can see, there are endless options, so it’s really up to you how you want to set your content apart!
Learning how to make a watermark is an essential skill for all content creators to establish a business or brand’s visual identity and protect your intellectual property. With a variety of editing features and options, you can find many ways to add or create your watermark with the PicsArt app. Whether you are a seasoned influencer or a business owner who wants to put your digital signature on your work before uploading it to your social media accounts, PicsArt is the best free app for making watermarks for photos and videos. The best part is that you don’t have to have any professional experience whatsoever! Follow the steps below to learn how to create a watermark with PicsArt. What’s more, get useful tips and tricks for making sure your content is top-notch and ready to go.
How to Make a Watermark for Photos
1. Upload Your Images
To create a watermark with PicsArt, you should first upload your main image file and your original watermark to your device’s photo library. Once you’re ready to start editing, add your main image file to the app using your usual editing process. You can also choose an image from PicsArt’s #FreeToEdit selection to play around with different backgrounds and textures as much as you’d like before diving into your own creation.
2. Add Your Watermark
Click on the Add Photo icon in the editor panel at the bottom of your screen. You will be taken back to your photo library to find your watermark image in your saved photos. Select the image you want to use as your watermark and click on the Add button at the top right of your screen. Your watermark image will now be layered on top of your original image, and you will notice different tools to position and modify the second image. You have the option to move it around, rotate it, or delete it altogether and select a new image. The options for creating an original watermark on PicsArt are endless!
3. Adjust Your Watermark’s Opacity
When you’ve finished making changes to the layered image, you can play around with its opacity to make your watermark as prominent or as transparent as you’d like it to be. PicsArt’s editing tools will help you discover how to make a transparent watermark. To adjust opacity, select the layered watermark image and click on Opacity in the editor panel at the bottom of your screen. Slide the adjuster bar until it displays your desired impact. Sliding the bar to the left will make your watermark more transparent and sliding it to the right will increase its opacity.
Opacity Tips
If your watermark is too transparent, it will blend in with the original photo and lose its impact. If it’s too prominent or opaque, it will be the first thing the viewer sees on your image and distract them from your original content. Only you can determine the ideal opacity of your watermark, but you should aim to set it to at least 20%. Many content creators feel comfortable at 50% opacity. Feel free to experiment to determine what works best for you. If you’re unsure whether your watermark is visible or discrete enough, share it with a friend and ask which part of the photo they noticed first. They should be drawn to the image and barely notice the watermark!
4. Apply Changes
Once you are satisfied with the placement and overall look of your watermark, click Apply at the top right of your screen to ensure your changes are made to your image. You may still modify your work at this point, but be sure to apply your changes with each step to incorporate your modifications.
5. Save and Share
Now you’re ready to save your image file or post it to the PicsArt community to share your unique creation with millions of fellow creatives around the world! You can also share your latest piece of content through Instagram, Whatsapp, iMessage, or email. You can also send your newly created watermarked photo or video to your friends, upload it privately by using PicsArt to store your file or download your file to save it on your device.
How to Make a Text Watermark
If you want to keep your watermark simple with a standard signature, you can customize a text watermark using PicsArt’s Text Editor. Following the same instructions in steps 1-2 above, prepare your image file before you begin designing your watermark. Once your image is ready to go, click on the Text icon in the editor panel below your photo to launch the Text Editor and add text to your uploaded image. At this point, you may type in your desired text — this can be the name of your brand, your name, or your website URL — and click on the arrow at the top right of your screen to apply the text to your image. Many content creators choose to add a copyright symbol to their watermarks to further ensure that their original content is not repurposed or copied without their permission.
Select your preferred font, size, orientation, and placement. Customize your watermark and demonstrate your unique identity by choosing from a collection of more than 200 classic, modern, minimal, funky, and whimsical fonts in PicsArt’s extensive font library. With so many to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect font style that reflects your brand’s identity or your personal style!
How to Make a Video Watermark for YouTube
Making a YouTube watermark or a watermark for your original video is as simple as making a watermark for a photo!
1. Upload Your Video
Upload your video file and your original watermark to your device’s photo library. Once you’re ready to start editing, add your video file to the PicsArt app by selecting the video from the video library and tapping on the Add icon at the bottom of your screen.
2. Add Your Watermark
Click on the Add Photo icon in the editor panel at the bottom of your screen. You will be taken back to your photo library to find your watermark image in your saved photos. Select the image you want to use as your watermark and click on the Add button at the top right of your screen. Your watermark image will now be layered on top of your original video. Position, modify, and adjust your watermark’s opacity as you wish. You may also add a text watermark to your video by using PicsArt’s Text Editor feature.
3. Apply Changes
Click Apply at the top right of your screen to ensure your changes are made to your video. You may still modify your video at this point, but be sure to apply your changes with each step to incorporate your modifications.
4. Save and Share
Click on the arrow at the top right of your screen to save and share your video.
Watermark General Rules
No Distractions
Your watermark should never distract the viewer from the photo or video or interfere with the main image in any way. In fact, many designers and photographers choose to colorize their watermark with a complementary shade from the main image. That way, the watermark almost looks as if it is a part of the main image. If the watermark is the first thing the viewer sees, it’s probably too big, too prominent, or too decorative. Keep your watermark simple to let your content shine!
Where Should I Put My Watermark?
Your watermark should maintain a minimum distance — known as clear space — from other content. No matter where you put it, be sure to keep it consistent. If you like the way it looks on the bottom right corner of your photos, make sure it appears in the same spot on all of your content to give your content a recognizable look.
What Size Should My Watermark Be?
Strike the perfect balance by considering proportions when sizing your watermark. Remember, your watermark should not be the first thing the viewer sees. Play around with the dimensions of your watermark until you land on the perfect size.
Now that you know how to create a watermark with PicsArt, you can be sure that your work will be distinctive and, most importantly, difficult to steal. Now, go! Promote your awesome content!
Make Awesome
PicsArt all-in-one Photo and Video Editor, Collage, and Sticker Maker is the world’s largest creative platform with over 150 million monthly active creators and influencers. PicsArt has collaborated with major artists and brands like Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, One Direction, MONSTA X, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app today to level-up your photos and videos with thousands of quick & easy editing tools, trendy filters, fun stickers, and brilliant backgrounds. Unleash your creativity with PicsArt and upgrade to Gold for awesome premium perks!