Add a Watermark to Your Images

If you share your photos or designs online, someone will eventually copy them. A watermark does not stop that, but it does make the source clear. This article explains when to add a watermark to your images, how to design one that works and how to apply it with Melon Cut's free watermark tool.

What a watermark does and does not do

A watermark is a mark, usually a logo or a name, placed on top of a picture. It tells viewers who made it, and it makes casual reuse less attractive. It is not a lock. A determined person can crop or cover it, so treat it as a signal rather than protection.

It is also not added to your pictures by itself. You choose to add it, and you choose where.

When it makes sense

• Portfolio samples and previews you share before someone has hired or paid you.
• Photos that circulate in groups, forums and messaging apps where credit tends to disappear.
• Original artwork you post publicly.
• Proofs sent to a client for approval.

For everyday brand posts that already carry your logo as part of the design, a second watermark is usually unnecessary. It can make a post look cluttered.

Design the mark first

A good watermark is simple. Use your logo, or a short version of your name. Fine detail disappears when the mark is small and semi-transparent. If your brand has a one-colour or compact logo variation, use that. Your brand guidelines should say which one.

Think about three things.

1. Size. Big enough to be noticed, small enough not to spoil the picture. Roughly a small badge, not a banner.
2. Opacity. Visible but not shouting. A fully solid mark is distracting, and an almost invisible one is useless.
3. Contrast. A pale mark on a dark area, a dark mark on a light one. If the picture changes tone across its width, choose a corner that stays consistent.

Where to place it

• Corner placement keeps the picture clean and is easy to apply to a whole batch, but it is also easy to crop out.
• Across the centre is hard to remove but interferes with the picture. Use it for previews and proofs, not for final work.
• Along a busy area of the picture, such as a patterned part, is harder to remove cleanly.

Keep it away from the social safe areas so it is not covered by buttons or cut by cropping. Posts keep 13% on each side and 12% at the top and bottom clear, and stories keep 8% on each side and 14% at the top and bottom.

An example workflow

You have twelve product photos to send to a stockist for review.

1. Pick the compact, one-colour version of your logo.
2. Add it to each photo, in the lower right, semi-transparent.
3. Send those files for review.
4. Send the clean versions once the order is agreed.

Name your files clearly so you do not mix them up.

Related reading

If you also create new pictures, a branded set will be easier to recognise as yours without a watermark. See Create Images That Follow Your Brand Guidelines.

Doing it in Melon Cut

In Melon Cut Design, the watermark tool lets you add a watermark to your own picture, and it is free. Choose Add watermark from the Generate menu and follow the steps for your picture. Other things in Design, such as making pictures and videos, use credits, which are explained on the pricing page.