Add a watermark to an image

Text watermark on photos

Use this page to add a text watermark to photos before they leave the studio. Press previews leak. Partner decks leak. A small credit in the corner tells an editor who made the frame. That is the job. A watermark that covers the product is an argument with your own marketing.

White at 50-60% opacity on a dark photo; dark type on a pale one. Bottom right is conventional; top corners survive some of the crops social apps apply to the bottom. Center is for proofs you do not want used accidentally - "PREVIEW" - not for the hero you hope will be shared.

Apply after crop and resize so the type sits on the final frame. If you watermark a 4000-pixel file and then shrink it, the type may vanish. Size relative to the output you will actually publish. Then, if needed, compress.

CSS overlay vs a baked watermark on the file

On a site you own, you can sit type on top of an image. The JPEG you email still has no label. Bake the text here when the file will travel.

<figure class="shot">
  <img src="hero.jpg" alt="Oranges on linen" width="1600" height="1067">
  <figcaption class="credit">studio.example</figcaption>
</figure>

.shot { position: relative; }
.credit {
  position: absolute;
  right: 0.75rem;
  bottom: 0.75rem;
  color: #fff;
  opacity: 0.55;
  font-size: 0.85rem;
}