How to Make a Watermark in Photoshop

Adding a watermark in Photoshop has become the preferred option for marketing and claiming ownership. This is particularly necessary with the growing usage of social media when showcasing images and artwork. A watermark with your logo or text also aids in establishing your brand presence.

Although watermarking does not prevent image theft, it acts as a deterrent and shows ownership. There are a few ways to mark your artwork, such as using text or a logo.

A watermark can be applied with a custom brush or with a Photoshop Action. If using an action to watermark multiple images, you can automate the action to save time by using the Batch Edit function.

We are using a calligraphy typeface font called Wathelmina, but you can use any calligraphy font from Font Bundles. We also chose a floral flat lay photo to apply our watermark to.

Option 1 - Apply a Text Watermark

The first option we are going to explore is using text as a watermark. This is simply adding a new text layer containing your name, business name, or website. You will also be adding a font and color of your liking to your image. It is better to keep the font fairly small with good readability.

Step 1 - Add Text to Your Image

Open the image you want to add the watermark to. Then, select the Horizontal Type tool (T) and click inside your canvas to type your text.

Step 2 - Adjust Text Appearance and Opacity

Adjust the font size, color, and position of your text to fit your needs. You can also reduce the opacity from the Layers panel to make the watermark see-through.

Option 2 - Create a Watermark Brush

The second option involves creating a brush with some text or logo. The brush is then applied as a watermark to your images.

Step 1 - Turn your Image or Logo it into a Brush

First, open the logo that you want to use as a watermark. Choose a good quality size and resolution so that it can be used across images of all sizes.



Although you should use a high resolution from the beginning, you can enlarge low resolution images in Photoshop.

Keep in mind that the brighter your colors are, the more transparent they will be when you apply the brush.

So black and dark shades are the best choice. Also, even if your source image has color in it, the resulting brush will be monochromatic.

Now go to Edit > Define Brush Preset.

Give your watermark brush a suitable name on the pop-up window before clicking Ok.

Step 2 - Test your Watermark Brush

Test your watermark brush on an image of your choice. Create a new layer on top of the image by clicking on the small icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Rename this layer to Watermark.

Click on theBrush tool (B) from the toolbar. Locate your newly created watermark brush inside the Brushes panel to select it. Now test it out and adjust the size if needed.

Step 3 - Adjust the Watermark Opacity

You will notice that the areas that are not filled with black are a bit transparent. You can adjust the transparency of the whole brush by reducing the Opacity value on the top menu. We reduced ours to 30%

Another option is to reduce the Opacity of the Watermark layer instead.

Step 4 - Change the Color of the Watermark

You can change the color of your watermark brush to your liking. Just change the Foreground color in the toolbar to the one you want to use.

Brushes are a very efficient way of watermarking your images. You can even install and use brushes that already contain your watermark.

Option 3 - Create a Watermark Action

Creating an action using the Actions panel is another quick way to apply a watermark to your image. Let us show you how.

Step 1 - Use the Actions Panel

Start by opening an image you want the watermark applied to. Then, open the Actions panel (Window > Actions).

Next, click on the small square with a folded corner icon at the bottom of the panel to Create New Action.

Give a name to your action when prompted. Then hit theRecord button.

From now on, all the steps taken will be recorded in the action. You will know that Photoshop is recording by the small red record icon at the bottom of the Actions panel.

If you make a mistake during the process, you may need to stop recording. You could delete some of the steps before restarting, or start recording all over again.

Step 2 - Create a New Color Fill Layer

We are going to create a placeholder that will let us align the watermark to our image. So, create a new Color Fill layer on top of the background. Do this by clicking on the small black and white circle at the bottom of the Layers panel. Now, choose Solid Color from the menu.

We used black as the fill color. You can use any color since it won’t be showing in the final product.

Step 3 - Rasterize the Color Fill Layer

Next, right-click on top of the color fill layer and choose Rasterize Layer. This will flatten the layer contents and will let us transform them.

Enter Free Transform (Command/Control + T). Then reduce the size of the color fill layer contents by 5% in both width and height (they should be 95%). When done, hit Enter or click on the small check mark on the top menu to commit the changes.

Step 4 - Import the Image

Hide the color fill layer by clicking on the small eye icon on the left side of its thumbnail. Then go to File > Place Embedded.

Then navigate to the chosen logo or image and bring it into your document.

Resize the watermark image if needed. Hit Enter or click on the small check mark on the top menu when done to commit the changes. We reduced our logo to 50%.

Step 5 - Align your Watermark

Select both the logo and the color fill layer using the Shift key. Then, select the Move tool (V) on the toolbar. Use the Align controls on the top menu to position the watermark where needed.

You can keep the watermark centered, or place it closer to the border.

Remember, any movement needs to be done using the arrow keys or any other command. This is preferable to using drag and drop in order to be recorded properly in your action.

Step 6 - Adjust the Watermark

Now, we are going to adjust the watermark using some Layer Styles. First, double-click the watermark layer to open the dialog.

In theBlending Options tab, reduce the Opacity to 40%.

In the Drop Shadow tab, use the default values. If the current values are different, use the button at the bottom of the panel to reset to default settings.

Finally, to add a different color to the watermark logo, check the Color Overlay box. Then adjust the values to your liking.

Step 7 - Flatten the Image

Now that we are done, we want to flatten everything. Right-click on top of the layer’s thumbnails then select Flatten Image from the menu.

If you get a pop-up window asking you to discard hidden layers, click Ok.

Step 8 - Save your Image as a Copy

Next, go to File > Save a Copy. Leave the settings as then click Save.

In the dialog input the settings that you want to use for all your images.

Step 9 - Stop Recording

When you are finished, press the Stop button in the Actions panel to stop recording.

To add a watermark to an image, you only need to open it in Photoshop. Then select your action and press Play.

Step 10 - Apply the Action using Batch Edit

You can watermark multiple images by applying the action using Photoshop’s Batch Edit function. This is a great way to save time when adding a watermark.

To do this, go toFile > Automate > Batch.

To set things in motion, first make sure that your watermark action is selected in the Play section.

For theSource, select the folder where the images are stored. These are the images you want to apply your watermark to. Assign a different folder as the Destination where the images will be saved.

Next, checkOverride Action for both the Open and Save As Commands. Also, check the Suppress File Open OptionsDialogs and Suppress Color Profile Warning boxes.

Finally, add a-Watermark ending to the filename so you can identify your watermarked images easily.

When you are done with the settings, clickOk. Depending on the size and quantity of your images, the process may take some time.

You are now done with creating your watermark in Photoshop. Using these simple techniques, adding a watermark is pretty straightforward while saving you tons of time.