How the watermark tool works
The tool opens each photo in your browser, draws your text or logo on top of it and saves a new copy. Your original stays as it was. Because everything happens on your own device, nothing is uploaded.
You can add a watermark in two ways:
- Text: your name, your website, a copyright line such as "© 2026 Jane Doe", or a note like PROOF, SAMPLE or DRAFT. Pick a sans, serif or monospaced font, regular or bold, any color, and an outline or a soft shadow that keeps the text readable on both light and dark parts of the photo.
- Logo image: your logo as a PNG, SVG, WebP or JPG file. Its width is set as a share of the photo width, and it keeps its own proportions. A logo with a transparent background blends in best; a JPG logo always brings its rectangular background along.
Opacity decides how strongly the mark shows. Try 30 to 60 percent first: visible enough to name the owner, light enough that the photo still speaks for itself. Rotation turns the mark, and for tiles it turns the whole pattern, so minus 30 degrees gives a diagonal pattern from the lower left to the upper right.
Corner, free or tiled
There are three ways to place the mark:
| Position | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Corner or edge | One mark at one of nine points, with a margin from the edges | Portfolio images, social media posts, a discreet signature |
| Free | One mark exactly where you drag it on the preview | Placing the mark on a calm part of the photo, or over the subject so it cannot be cropped |
| Tiled | The mark repeated across the whole image, at an angle you choose | Proofs for clients, previews of images you sell |
In Corner or edge mode, the margin is the same on all four sides and grows with the photo. When the mark is turned, the tool keeps its turned outline inside the margin, so a tilted corner mark never runs off the edge. If a mark is too wide for the margin on a narrow photo, it is centered on that side instead of being cut off.
The same look on every photo
A mark of 200 pixels looks large on a 1,000 pixel web image and tiny on a 6,000 pixel camera file. To avoid that, every size in this tool is a share of the photo width: text size, logo width, margin and spacing. When you set the text to 5 percent, it is 50 pixels high on a 1,000 pixel wide image and 300 pixels on a 6,000 pixel one. A freely placed mark is stored as a spot in percent of the width and height, so it lands in the same place on every photo of the batch.
Portrait and landscape photos in one batch therefore get marks that match their width. Pick each photo in the list to check it in the large preview; the small previews in the list update while you change the settings. Phone photos open upright, using the orientation saved by the camera, and the copy you save has the turn built into its pixels.
What a watermark can and cannot do
A visible watermark tells everyone who made the picture and makes it less tempting to reuse without asking. It is not a lock, though. Keep these points in mind:
- A small mark in a corner can be cropped off in seconds, and editing tools can paint over a mark on a plain background such as sky or a wall.
- A mark that crosses the subject, or a tiled pattern, is far more work to remove, but it also changes how the photo looks. Choose by what the image is for.
- Keep your full size originals private. Sharing a smaller copy with a watermark gives others less to work with.
A watermark is also not a legal step. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, a work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form, and registration is voluntary. Its Circular 3 on copyright notice explains that a notice is optional for works published on or after March 1, 1989. A notice has three parts: the © symbol or the word "Copyright", the year of first publication and the name of the owner, for example "© 2026 Jane Doe". The circular lists advantages of using one, such as making people aware that copyright is claimed and identifying the owner for anyone who wants permission. A text watermark in that form shows the same information on the picture itself. For questions about your rights, ask a lawyer; this tool does not give legal advice.
Formats, quality and metadata
With Save as set to Original, each file keeps its format: a JPG stays a JPG, a PNG stays a PNG and a WebP stays a WebP. GIF and BMP files are saved as PNG, HEIC photos from an iPhone and AVIF files as JPG. PNG is lossless. JPG and WebP are compressed again with the quality you set, 92 by default, which is hard to tell apart from the original. JPG cannot be transparent, so a transparent PNG saved as JPG gets a white background.
The saved copies carry no EXIF data, so camera details and the GPS location of the original are not copied. To check what a photo reveals before you share it, use the EXIF viewer and remover. To make files smaller for the web, run them through the image resizer or the image compressor, and to mark a PDF instead of a photo, use Watermark PDF.
How to use the watermark tool
- 1Drop one or more photos on the box, choose them from your device, or paste an image.
- 2Type your text or choose a logo, then set size, opacity, rotation, font, color and effect while you watch the preview.
- 3Pick a corner, drag the mark freely, or tile it across the image, and check every photo in the list.
- 4Choose the format and download one photo, or all of them as a ZIP file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a watermark to a photo?
Drop the photo on the box, type your text or choose a logo, then pick a corner, drag the mark where you want it, or tile it across the picture. Adjust size, opacity and rotation while you watch the preview, and press Download. Your original file stays untouched.
Can I watermark many photos at once?
Yes. Drop as many photos as you like and they all get the same watermark. Size, margins and spacing are measured as a share of each photo's width, so the mark looks the same on a small web image and a large camera file, in landscape or portrait. Download them one by one or all together as a ZIP file.
Should I use a corner watermark or a tiled one?
A small mark in a corner keeps the photo pleasant to look at and still shows who made it, but it is easy to crop off. A tiled pattern covers the whole picture, so it cannot be cropped away, at the cost of a busier look. Tiles suit proofs you send to clients and previews of images you sell; a corner mark suits portfolio images.
Can someone remove my watermark?
A visible watermark makes copying less attractive and tells people who the picture belongs to, but it is not a lock. A corner mark can be cropped, and editing software can paint over a mark, especially a small one on a plain background. A larger, tiled mark at moderate opacity is much more work to remove.
Do I need a watermark for my photos to be protected by copyright?
No. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, a work is protected the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form, and a copyright notice is optional for works published on or after March 1, 1989. A watermark is a visible reminder of ownership, not a legal requirement and not legal protection by itself.
Which image formats can I use?
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and HEIC photos from an iPhone, plus AVIF where your browser can read it. Each file keeps its format by default, HEIC and AVIF are saved as JPG, and you can switch everything to JPG, PNG or WebP. For the logo, a PNG or SVG with a transparent background works best.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Your browser opens the photos, draws the watermark and saves the new files on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server. If you switch on Remember my settings, the settings and your logo are kept in this browser only.