How to add watermark to images and documents is an important question for any writer, graphic designer or digital content creator. Thanks to this measure, it is possible to avoid plagiarism and protect the copyright of your creations. Are you interested in knowing how to preserve the originality of your designs and prevent others from using them without your consent?
There are various tools to add watermark to images, documents, infographics, videos and other digital creations. Depending on the type of file, you can use programs like Word or LibreOffice, Photoshop, Canva, or an online editor like Watermark. In most cases, the procedure is very simple and can be done from your computer or mobile phone.. In this post we explain different ways to add watermarks to images and documents.
What is a watermark and why add one to my creations?
Let's start by briefly explaining what a watermark is and why it is a good idea to add one to your digital creations. You've probably seen watermarks on images from repositories like Shutterstock, Unsplash or Pixabay. Unless you pay for a subscription, the images you download will come with a watermark. This is to prevent you from being able to use them without citing the source from which you got it..
In essence, a watermark is an image or text that is superimposed on another image or document to indicate its origin, authenticity or ownership. Typically, this mark has a reduced opacity so that the main image or text can be seen or read without problems. All in all, the watermark is almost impossible to erase, ensuring that the work of the original author or owner is recognized.
Therefore, if you are a graphic designer or photographer, or create digital content under a brand, you should add watermarks to your creations. The same happens if you write important documents, such as projects, proposals or business plans, and you want to protect your intellectual property. Below, we explain the simplest alternatives available to add watermark to photos and documents.
How to add watermark to photos and graphic designs
As we said before, there are multiple tools that you can use to add watermarks to photos, images and other graphic designs. Most applications and programs for producing and editing images include this function. However, we are going to explain to you how to do it easily using an online application like Watermark o Watermarkly, either from your mobile or computer.
Use an online application
Using an online application is the fastest and most effective solution for adding watermark to photos, images and graphic content. In this case, We have chosen Watermark to explain step by step the procedure to follow. In addition to being very intuitive and free, this page allows you to customize the text, color, font, position and opacity of the watermark. To use it, you just have to follow these steps:
- Go to the Watermark website and click on the button “Select files to upload” if the photo is in your gallery, or click on “Import from applications” if the image is saved online.
- Once the image is loaded, you will see a options panel from where you can add the watermark, whether text, signature or logo.
- Write the text you want to use and edit the opacity, font, size and style. Or select the logo from your gallery and adjust the size and opacity. It is recommended to use white and an opacity of 50% for watermarks.
- When you are satisfied with the result, click Finish or Download to save the image to your computer or mobile.
How to watermark Word and PDF documents
Adding a watermark to a .docx or PDF file is very easy from text editors such as Word, Documents (Google), Adobe Acrobat or online applications such as ilovePDF. We are going to explain how to do it from the Microsoft Word program and from the ilovePDF platform.. The procedure is very similar in all of these tools, so you will know what to do if you learn to do it from one of them.
From the Word text editor
- Open the document you want to modify in Word.
- Click on the tab Integrated (or Page Layout in earlier versions of Word) and then click Watermark.
- A drop-down menu will open with some predefined options of watermarks.
- You can choose one of them or click Custom watermark to create your own.
- If you choose Custom Watermark, a dialog box will open where you can select whether you want to use a image or text as a brand. You can also adjust the size, position, transparency and color of the mark.
- Once you have configured the watermark to your liking, click Accept and you will see how it is applied to the document.
Watermark a PDF
To watermark a PDF, We are going to use the iLovePDF online app, which offers a quick and easy solution. In addition to being free, you don't have to register to use it and it allows you to make other modifications to your PDF files.
- Enter the iLovePDF page, slide the cursor over the option All PDF tools and select Add watermark.
- Click on Select PDF file to browse the file in your gallery, or drag and drop the file to upload it.
- Once the file is uploaded, you will see two options on the right side: Place text and Place image. Choose the type of watermark you want to place and edit it to your liking.
- Click on Add watermark and wait for the application to have the PDF document with the watermark ready. If it doesn't download automatically, click Download PDF with watermark.
As you can see, watermarking images and documents is a simple and quick procedure. However, remember that there's also programs and applications to remove watermarks. All in all, it is an effective way to give a professional touch to your creations and protect them from possible misuse.