How to add a watermark to a photo
- Drop a photo on the box, click it to choose a file, or paste one with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac). A sample photo loads first.
- Type your name, studio or website under Watermark text. "© Your Name" is only a placeholder.
- Choose a Position: a corner, an edge center, the center, or Tiled across the image.
- Set Size (% of image width), Opacity (%), Color and Font. Keep Soft shadow on so light text stays readable on bright areas.
- Pick Save as and press Download watermarked image. The file name gets
-watermarkedadded.
How the watermark is drawn
The photo is copied onto a canvas and the text is drawn over it with fillText(), using globalAlpha for opacity. The font size in pixels is the image width times the size percentage, so the mark looks the same on a thumbnail and an original. Corner and edge marks sit half a font size from the edges. Text too wide for the photo is shrunk to fit, and the status line says so. Tiled marks are rotated 30 degrees and spaced three font sizes apart, with every other row shifted half a step. They cover tall and wide pictures edge to edge.
Worked example
With the sample photo (1200 x 800 px) and the defaults, the status line reads: Sample photo (sample-photo.jpg), 1200 x 800 px. Added "© Your Name" at the bottom right: font size 60 px (5% of the width), opacity 60%. That is 1200 x 5% = 60 px, placed 30 px from the right and bottom edges. Choose Tiled and the rows are 3 x 60 = 180 px apart.
Limits and edge cases
- Ranges: size 1 to 30 percent and opacity 10 to 100 percent. Bad values show a message and keep the last preview. An empty text box disables the download.
- Text only: one line, no logo upload. Symbols and emoji work if your device has a font for them. The fonts are the bold sans-serif, serif and monospace faces of your device.
- The saved file has no EXIF data, so copyright and author fields in the original are dropped. The limit is 64 megapixels. JPG turns transparent areas white, and animated GIFs keep only their first frame.
- Related tools: the Image Cropper to trim first, the Image Border Adder to frame, the Image Resizer to shrink for the web, and the Meme Text Generator for top and bottom captions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a watermark to a photo for free?
Drop your photo on the box, type your name or website under Watermark text, choose a Position, and adjust Size and Opacity while watching the preview. Then press Download watermarked image. No account is needed.
What opacity should a watermark have?
Many photographers use 30 to 60 percent, which stays visible without hiding the picture. This tool starts at 60 percent. Lower it for a subtle mark, or raise it toward 100 percent for one that is harder to ignore.
Is a tiled watermark better than a corner mark?
A tiled mark covers the whole picture, so cropping off a corner does not remove it, but it is more intrusive. A corner mark looks cleaner but can be cropped out in seconds.
Can someone remove a watermark?
Yes, with enough effort, using content-aware fill or AI inpainting. A watermark discourages casual copying but not a determined person. For real protection, post a smaller version instead of the full-resolution original.
Can I use a logo instead of text?
Not in this tool, which adds text only. You can type symbols such as the copyright sign or an emoji, as long as your device has a font that includes them.
Sources: MDN Web Docs, CanvasRenderingContext2D.fillText(), CanvasRenderingContext2D.globalAlpha and HTMLCanvasElement.toBlob().