Create watermarks with Photoshop - Here's how

In this practical tip, we will show you how to use the Photoshop image editing program to create a watermark for your images.

Watermark with Photoshop - How to protect your pictures

If you put your pictures on the Internet, you certainly don't want them to be used for other people's purposes without authorization. A watermark offers good protection against picture theft, but the photos remain easily recognizable. Adobe Photoshop has its own Digimarc plugin for this, but it is subject to a fee. We'll show you how to protect your pictures with just a few clicks, free of charge.

• First, open the desired image in Photoshop.
• Create a new layer in the layer window and fill with "Edit" -> "Fill area" in the menu bar with black.
• If you have an image in landscape format, you must now rotate the work surface by 90 degrees. You can do this via the menu "Image" -> "Rotate work surface" -> "90 degrees in UZS". If the picture is in portrait format, you can skip this step.
• Next, add the "Striped Cone" style. You can get there by selecting the "Styles" item in the "Window" menu bar. In the style palette you will find the button "striped cone". Click to apply the black layer style.
• If you turn to the layer window, you can see from a small symbol on the right of the black layer that effects are being used. Click on the small arrow to the right of the layer to open the applied layer effects. Deactivate "Flattened Edge and Relief" by clicking on the eye symbol.
• If you right-click on the 1st level, the context menu appears. Select "Group in new smart object" here.
• If you rotated the work surface a few steps beforehand, you can now rotate it back to the original format.
• Now it's time for the lettering. Use the text tool to insert a lettering in white and place it at the desired location.
• In the next step, you change the blending mode for level 1 in the level window from "Normal" to "Multiply in reverse" and reduce the opacity of the text level.
• Reduce the image in the layer menu via "reduce to background layer". Your watermark-protected image is ready. But be careful: To save, select "Save as"! Otherwise the original file will be overwritten and you will no longer have the image without a watermark!

If you want to learn more tips and tricks around the photo editing software Photoshop, read also how to create a 3D logo with Photoshop.