A watermark is inextricably associated with a brand's vision and values. It can be a colourful logo, simple lettering or a symbol. This distinctive graphic serves a very important function in communication and file transfer. See what a watermark is and why you should add it to your graphic materials.
Watermarking - what is it and what is it used for?
The watermark on images has a very important function. First and foremost, it protects your rights - as the author - of a given photo, infographic or prepared presentation. All sorts of material is uploaded onto the web on a daily basis. Their reproduction often has little to do with copyright law, as users forget to sign graphics or the option to share a given post on social media instead of copying the content.
Adding a watermark shows that your work will not be used further under another name. It may not protect you 100%, but it greatly increases the likelihood that a user seeing such a symbol or caption will think twice before stealing your work. Contrary to what you may think, removing a watermark is not that simple.
A watermark is also a sign that is associated with your brand. It should be consistent with your marketing strategy and other graphic elements. It also increases recognition and exposes your name or company name online. Sometimes the insertion of a watermark is just to use the term: copy, sample, etc. This is to emphasise that copyright protects the creator.
Watermarks are used on photographs and documents to protect confidential information. They can also indicate the legal status of paperwork or valuable data. They are used, for example, for digital contracts as well as traditional ones. This is why they remain in use not only online, but also in the circulation of important documents.
It is worth noting that before the age of computers and the internet, the watermark on paper was important. It could only be seen when the document was highlighted or wetted and had exactly the same function as it does today on the web. Hence its name. 
How can a watermark be added?
Let's start first with how to make a watermark. It is best to outsource this service to a professional graphic designer so that it is also your own logo associated with your brand. This will give you consistency in your visual identity. It will be transparent on your photos or advertising materials, but it will immediately be associated with your company.
Outsourcing this task to a graphic designer has another big plus. Not only will a professional send you a preview of the design and fulfil your vision, but he or she will also prepare files for you to use at a later date. An example is the creation of an original banner, t-shirt or pen print. With properly prepared materials, this is much easier.
Watermarks aren't just for logos, of course - they can also be text. You can apply this in virtually any graphics program, whether it's more advanced or simple to use. In short: you need to upload the photo, apply the text and then set it to be translucent. Now all that remains is to download the modified photo and save it to disk.
Watermarking - when to abandon it?
Any transmission of material, important documents or graphics to third parties involves a certain amount of risk. There is therefore no clear answer as to when not to label your images. You place a logo or inscription virtually every time you want to protect your business.
The absence of such a watermark does not immediately mean that copyright suddenly has no meaning. Precisely for this reason, if you do not want your image to contain a transparent inscription (it may, for example, disfigure it somewhat), you do not have to add it. Later on, however, it will be much more difficult to determine who is the creator of the work in question.
Some creators also do not want to add a mark so that their works do not lose their original meaning. This is the case, for example, with photographs given to the bride and groom after the wedding and reception. In such projects, every detail is important and an additional mark could be a problem for the bride and groom.
However, the situation is different when it comes to adding photos with a sign to social media. There, it is more likely that someone will impersonate someone else's portfolio and simply appropriate the works. This is strictly prohibited under the law.
How do I remove a watermark from a photo?
First of all, it is illegal to remove the watermark from a photo in order to use it under your name. You could say that it acts as a virtual signature. Importantly, getting rid of it is not all that easy; it all depends on whether it is a logo, a caption on an entire document or a small symbol in the corner of a photo. You can therefore mask it (e.g. with a paintbrush in a graphics programme), apply a colour that matches the background or crop the photograph. 
Watermarking - which tools will work best?
You can rely on creating a watermark online. There are tools for this that you can easily turn on in your web browser, and there are often special apps for phones. It is just as easy to change the size of the image, give it a different shade or apply a filter. The websites are hosted on robust servers, so you can operate them safely from any computer.
The simple creation of a watermark does not even require a professional programme. You can even do this in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher by adding text to a photo.
Here are some simple tools for both home and business use:
- Canva - a popular app that is often used to create simple graphics for social media, as well as presentations or even e-books. You can upload your own images, including those without backgrounds. You then superimpose the logo of your choice onto the graphic, and use a single function to reduce or increase the transparency. Overlaying text is just as simple. You can save the file in multiple formats.
- Snappa - a very similar tool. No problem adding a caption or overlaying an image without a background.
- PicMonkey - this tool works if you register, and you only have 7 days in the trial version to use it. If you're looking to quickly insert a logo as a watermark (one at a time), this might be a good solution.
- Fotor - another popular online tool. With it, you will make a digital watermark and also insert it into a selected photo.
There are many more online applications. You could try Free Photo Tool or Crello. With a larger number of photos, however, tools for handling multiple files at the same time will come in handy. Among them are: Watermarkly, iloveimg.com, tools.pdf24.org or Visual Watermark. This will allow you to process more photos in less time.
Access to the tools is quite easy: simply switch them on or download them using a web browser. Virtually all computers support this type of application. Just using some of the functions may be difficult or impossible without, for example, registration or the purchase of additional services. Images can be saved in a number of extensions, including JPG and PNG, and there are often ready-made templates available for use, e.g. in terms of font and design.
Of course, for professional use there are more advanced graphics programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Inkscape. If you have a lot of artwork or clients for whom you prepare hundreds of images per month, use the ability to process multiple files simultaneously. This way, you'll place a watermark in a particular place, and it's completely automatic.
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