How to add watermark to photos

Content theft is a major concern for anyone who shares photos or images online. With just a right-click someone can save your work and use it without permission. That’s why it's important to take precautions to ensure you receive proper credit.

A watermark tool is designed to overlay signatures, logos, or text on images to assert copyright ownership.  Some watermark tools are free, while others require payment, offering more features for those willing to pay or working within a limited budget.

I tested many tools, but the one I liked the most was the Pixelbin AI editor to add a watermark to photos. It offers excellent features for adding watermarks to photos. Whether you're a professional photographer or a content creator, using the Pixelbin AI editor to add a watermark can help protect your images from unauthorized use while enhancing brand visibility.

In this blog, I’ll guide you through different types of watermarking tools and their key features. I’ll also walk you through the step-by-step process of adding watermarks and explain the benefits of doing so.

What is the meaning of a photo watermark?

A photo watermark is a semi-transparent logo, text, or signature placed on an image to identify the owner and protect it from unauthorized use. These marks maintain the original image's visibility while clearly displaying the creator's information, such as a name, signature, or logo.

Photo watermarks are used to acknowledge the original creator and prevent unauthorized use. They can range from simple text to complex logos or graphics depending on personal preference. In the digital and creative industry, photo watermarks are needed tools for both protection and promotion.

Benefits of adding a watermark to photos 

Adding a watermark to photos gives protection for copyright and intellectual property, acts as a marketing and branding tool, and can be used to identify the photographer. 

Watermarks make it more difficult for others to steal or misuse your images while also helping to build brand recognition and ensure proper credit.

There are various benefits of adding watermarks to photos.

• Protect against misuse: Watermarks help prevent your creative work from being stolen or used without authorization. They serve as a visual deterrent, reducing the chances of misuse.

• Establish ownership: A watermark clearly shows who the photographer is, even if the image is shared widely.  Watermarks serve as a digital signature, clearly indicating that you are the owner of the original creator of the content.

• Protect from fraud: Watermarks help prevent the unauthorized use of a low-resolution sample in place of a high-resolution, paid version. 

• Marketing and branding: A trustworthy watermark helps your company become more well-known by being an identifiable component of your brand. A watermark image advertises your company and may encourage potential customers to find you.

• Provide digital records: Some watermarking tools allow you to include information like creation date and time, which can be useful for tracking and verifying image authenticity.

List various tools to add a watermark to photos.

Adding a watermark to photos is important, as it offers several benefits, including protection, branding, and identification. There are many tools available to make watermarking a quick and simple process. 

Whether you’re a photographer, a content creator, or just someone who wants to add a personal touch to their images, here are some tools that offer various features to suit your needs. Here’s a tool that can help you add watermarks to photos. 

1. Pixelbin

The first on the list is Pixelbin, a powerful and user-friendly platform that makes it easy to add watermarks to photos. It is available as a free watermarking tool and offers a range of other features for image editing.

It features AI tools like auto-enhance to optimize colors and contrast in images. Remove objects increase sharpness and retouch photos to professional quality. It supports various file formats like JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, PDF, and WEBP.

In my experience testing the Pixelbin AI Editor I found it very intuitive and user-friendly. With only a few simple steps you can easily get results. Simply type your desired watermark text into the AI editor. The tool also provides zoom-in/out features and allows you to customize text color as needed.

Key features:

• Easy to use
• Support various formats 
• Quick result
• Apply text or image logo

Steps to add a watermark to photos using Pixelbin

Step 1: Visit Pixelbin.

Step 2: Log in with your Google account, and it usually redirects you directly to the Pixelbin Console Dashboard. Or if you're signing up for the first time, you need to verify your email or fill in additional details before being redirected to the console. From the console, you can access tools, including the AI editor. It’s a text-prompt-based image editor.

Step 3: You have to click on “Upload image” or drag and drop their file here. Click on the upload image that you have to upload an image that you want to add a watermark to photos.

Step 4: Write text in the AI text editor on the right side of the screen. Add a small-sized jar watermark to the background. Click the enter button.

Step 5: Wait for a few seconds, and you will see the changes in your uploaded images—that small-sized jar watermark is uploaded in the image.

Step 6: If you are satisfied with the result, you can download it. 

2. iLoveIMG

iLoveIMG offers a very simple suite of online editing tools, including compressing, resizing, and watermarking. The tool supports JPG, PNG, and GIF image formats and allows customization based on your preferences. Adding a watermark is simple; just upload an image and add your text.

The tool supports both simple and batch image watermarking. When I tested an image, I clicked the Add Text button from the sidebar, which opened a text box for editing. 

I can personalize the font size, color, and transparency using the features from the upper menu. Select a suitable font that you like. To avoid distracting viewers watermarks should be simple and clean in design. However, you can experiment with text options to make them look polished and professional.

Key features:

• Upload and watermark multiple images
• Apply a text or image logo
• No signup needed
• No technical knowledge required

Steps to add a watermark to photos using iLoveIMG

Step 1: Visit iLoveIMG -> Watermark Image.

Step 2: Click “Select images” to upload the photos from your computer or drag and drop them into the window.

Step 3: Click the “Add image” button to upload a watermark from your computer or click “Add text” to create a text-based watermark.

Step 4: Use the options on the right sidebar to customize your watermark by adjusting its opacity, font, color, and shadow.

Step 5: You can change the position, size, and opacity before applying it.

Step 6: Once satisfied, apply the watermark to all your images and download the result. 

3. Pixlr

With the help of Pixlr Text Pane you can create a custom watermark in seconds. You can create a unique watermark with basic styling tools like shadows, strokes and color adjustments to reflect your brand identity.

Pixlr’s free tools provide everything you need to design, customize and protect your image so you can focus on creativity without worrying about expenses. You can save your watermarked photo in JPG, PNG, PDF and WebP formats.

It allows you to adjust the opacity for a more subtle effect, giving your watermark just the right visibility without detracting from your photo. I tested an image where i had found that it changes text color, aligns according to your choice. 

Key features:

• Support various file formats
• Easy to use
• Versatility 
• Quality 
• Brand formats

Steps to add watermark to photos using Pixlr

Step 1: Visit Pixlr -> Design -> Watermark maker.

Step 2: Click on “Add watermark to photos” and then click on “Open image” and select the photo to add a watermark to.

Step 3: Wait for a few minutes; your image will be added, and on the left side, you will see the option Add new text (new default text) or various other texts that are also available.

Step 4: Write text that you want to add other options like Opacity, Transform, Rotate, set it according to your choice. 

Step 5: Click on the “Save” button to save your result. 

4. Picsart

Picsart effortlessly adds a logo to your photo or all your photos at the same time. You can use Picsart's watermark creator to add your logo, text, images, and shapes to your photos. Simply select the photos that you want to watermark and then select the watermark that you want to add.

Picsart will then add the watermark to all of your photos in seconds. Export your watermark design as a transparent PNG, JPG, and PDF. I tested one image, and I found that I could adjust the watermark to move, resize, or rotate.

I also tried the opacity tool, which allowed me to reduce the transparency of the watermark, making it more subtle. Position is the option where you can set your watermark position in the image according to your choice. The processing speed was noticeably faster compared to desktop tools like GIMP.

Key features:

• Easy to use
• Resizing, positioning, and adjusting the opacity of the watermark
• Add text, images, and a logo to your photos
• Support multiple formats.

Steps to add a watermark to photos using Picsart

Step 1: Visit Picsart -> Click on create on navigation bar -> In Image tools, click on seel all images tools -> Watermark Photos.

Step 2: Click on the upload button and add the image you want to add a watermark to.

Step 3: Select "Watermark" on the left sidebar and use the "+" button to upload your watermark.

Step 4: When you are satisfied with the result, download it. 

5. Fotor

Effortlessly watermark photos online to protect your digital photos with a free watermark maker. You can easily add a photo's watermark with your own text, logo, and even signature.

If you have no editing skills, adding a watermark to protect your digital photos is a piece of cake. Fotor provides various types of watermarks for you, like signature watermarks, date watermarks, tag watermarks, marketing, holiday, and website watermarks.

The watermark maker allows you to create watermarks with abundant fancy text fonts, sizes, and colors according to your choice. The batch watermark tool lets you put your watermark on up to 50 pictures with one click.  

Key features:

• Easy to use 
• Simple drag-and-drop facility
• Batch watermark maker is available 
• No skills required

Steps to  add a watermark to photos using Fotor

Step 1: Visit Fotor -> Photo Editor -> Add text to photo.

Step 2: Click on the “Add Text to photo Now” button below to get started.”

Step 3: Go to the text on the left toolbar for the present text templates. Choose the desired one, enter your own, and use it as a watermark.

Step 4: Optimize your text watermark by adjusting the text fonts, size, and colors.

Step 5: Download the results. 

6. Canva

Canva is a popular and accessible tool for adding watermarks to photos using its free watermark maker. It offers various templates for social posts, banner pics, presentation cards, and other email headers, and it has a large collection of photographs and graphics.

The graphic design tool is used by millions to easily create social media posts, presentations and marketing materials. You can use identification markers for your brand, including your logo, business name, mascot, or signature. Once your watermark is designed, you can download it for use on your photos.

You can easily drag and drop a photo into the editor, resize your watermark, and place it anywhere on the image. I tested Canva with an image for an office presentation where a fully opaque watermark was required. Using the “Adjust” and “Opacity” options, I was able to easily place and customize the watermark at the center, and the tools also support various formats.  

Key features:

• Easy to use
• Support various formats 
• Add text and logo watermarks 
• Custom template and batch editing 
• Beginner-friendly interface

Steps to add watermarks to photos using Canva

Step 1: Open Canva.

Step 2: Upload the photo you want to watermark or drag and drop your image file into a blank editor.

Step 3: Create your watermarks in 2 options: Text and Logo. Text: add a text box and type your business name or other text. You can also use a logo from your “Uploads” tab. Logo, click on “Uploads” and select your logo file. Click on the logo to add it to your design.

Step 4: Click and drag the watermark to the desired location on your photo.

Step 5: Once you are satisfied with the result, click on the download button.

7. Watermarkly

Using Watermarkly is very simple for adding watermarks to photos. It's as simple as uploading an image file to get started, but there’s also a desktop version for those who have a slow internet connection.

This tool is limited to watermarking image files only; it does benefit from integration with multiple storage platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive, which helps to consolidate content from a wide selection of teams.

It allows you to add text or image watermarks and offers various features, like batch watermarking and support for various formats, which is useful for protecting digital images. A photo watermark is typically a logo, text, or signature added to an image to protect it. 

Key features:

• Easy to use 
• Support various formats
• Batch processing 

Steps to add watermarks to photos using Watermarkly

Step 1: Visit Watermarkly -> Watermark photo for free.

Step 2: Click on “Select File” or drag your files here. You can click on the select file where you can select the image from your device to add a watermark.

Step 3: After selecting the image on the right side, click on “Next step.” 

Step 4: Now you will find 2 options: add text or add a logo. Adding text will allow you to add text by clicking on the add text button.

Step 5: Write your text as you like, and other options are available, like Font, color, Opacity, Rotation, Effect, etc.; select according to your choice. 

Step 6: Click on the next step button. Convert the file format that you need. 

Step 7: Download the result.