Custom Watermarks

[toxicdj]

This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it

 

 

When trolling through images on Google, I'm sure everyone has seen pictures with a faint, but still relatively annoying white image over the image you want.

People do this for a lot of reasons. To protect their work from copyright infringements, so people will ask for the work instead of just using it. And in most instances, they are selling their work and don't want it pirated.

Now I dont know how useful this tutorial will be to many of you. But I find it never hurts to have a watermark handy in any case.

This is a very simple tutorial, but very worthwhile.

Plugins Needed:

CustomBrushesMini

Now... on with the tutorial...

Create a new document. Size and resolution dont matter. But I usually use W:800 H:600 Res:300.

With your primary color set to black, use the paintbucket to fill in the background. This layer is not permanent. It will just make your watermark easier to see.

Create a new layer. This is the layer your water mark will be made on. Here you can do whatever you want. I'm going to use my current sig.

So now you should have something that looks similar to this. The placement doesnt really matter. I just prefer it in the middle.

Now as I'm sure you have all noticed, a watermark is usually grayscale and somewhat transparent. So what we are going to do now is go to Adjustments/Black and White.

It should now look something like this.

Now select somewhere other than your watermark and press Ctrl+I to invert the selection, then Ctrl+C to copy it to the clipboard. Create a new document and leaving image size as is, set resolution to 300.

Create a new layer and delete the original background layer.

Press Ctrl+V to paste the image onto the canvas.

Size doesnt really matter here. In fact the larger the image the better.

Press F4 to bring up "Layer Properties" and set opacity to 120.

it should now look like this:

Save the image as a .png, and open up a new document again.

change the background to whatever, then go to Effects/Tool/Custom brushes mini.

Click ":Add new brush" and load your image.

Resize your watermark to however you want it, then WOO HOO! You're done!

Here's my finished product: (Artwork under watermark done in Photoshop and for demonstration of watermark only)

[helga]

I've tried following your steps, however, when I open a New Image there is nothing to copy from the clipboard. 

[barbieq25]

You are correct Helga...there is actually a step missing...

 

The tute says:

Now select somewhere other than your watermark and press Ctrl+I to invert the selection. Ctrl + C to copy the selection.

Create a new document and leaving image size as is, set resolution to 300.
Create a new layer and delete the original background layer.
Press Ctrl+V to paste the image onto the canvas.

 

Welcome to the forums too

[david.atwell]

Since Toxicdj hasn't been online in ten months, I've made the edit. Good catch. :-)

[GetSporked]

I just add a new layer and add a text then make it transparent :L

[david.atwell]

And that works, but this is a more polished effect.

[buffumjr]

I was playing with 4.0.  It took a bit of experimenting, but here's what I arrived at.

 

1.  File->New

2.  Set color wheel primary and secondary to transparent, ZERO OPACITY.  IMPORTANT!

3.  Set Image Width 1 pixel.  Height what you want. When you leave width, the background shrinks to a line.

4.  Set Image Width to what you want.  You now notice you have a transparent background.

5.  Create your signature or logo using whatever satisfies you.

6.  Save to a location you'll remember.  You'll use this over and over.

7.  With a clean Paint.NET, open your new signature file.

8.  Move your signature from upper left to where you want it.

9.  Layers->Import From File.  Bring in your photo to be signed.

10.  Layers->Properties, Mode->Overlay.  OK.

-done-

 

Once 1-6 are done, you need do only 7-10 each time.  AND, there's nothing to say you can't have multiple signature files.

Oh yes, from back in "the day" of MS-DOS, to get the © symbol, ensure NumLock is on, hold down ALT, and, on your numeric keypad, type 0169, then release ALT.  Then, press NumLock again to get your arrow keys back.

 

Enjoy.

Edited July 2, 2014 by buffumjr

[sashwilko]

I was playing with 4.0.  It took a bit of experimenting, but here's what I arrived at.

 

1.  File->New

2.  Set color wheel primary and secondary to transparent, ZERO OPACITY.  IMPORTANT!

3.  Set Image Width 1 pixel.  Height what you want. When you leave width, the background shrinks to a line.

4.  Set Image Width to what you want.  You now notice you have a transparent background.

5.  Create your signature or logo using whatever satisfies you.

6.  Save to a location you'll remember.  You'll use this over and over.

7.  With a clean Paint.NET, open your new signature file.

8.  Move your signature from upper left to where you want it.

9.  Layers->Import From File.  Bring in your photo to be signed.

10.  Layers->Properties, Mode->Overlay.  OK.

-done-

 

Once 1-6 are done, you need do only 7-10 each time.  AND, there's nothing to say you can't have multiple signature files.

Oh yes, from back in "the day" of MS-DOS, to get the © symbol, ensure NumLock is on, hold down ALT, and, on your numeric keypad, type 0169, then release ALT.  Then, press NumLock again to get your arrow keys back.

 

Enjoy.

For step #2 you could click on either of these tools     or      then hit Delete on your keyboard Also at step #6 remember to save it as a .png to remain transparency.

[buffumjr]

Thank you.  I didn't have any luck selecting for deletion in all my trials and errors. Nothing helped, not tolerance or anything else.   If the reader has the same luck I did, my technique will work, reliably.  As to the PNG, yes, it does that automatically, unless you tell it not to.

 

Saw a watermark at my photography club that was a knockout.  Highly stylized signature, in the center, in the same color as some of the background detail, bent to a vanishing point, it wasn't instantly recognizable as a watermark.  It was THERE, but not visible, unless you knew to look for it.  And because the color was eyedroppered, simple selection and deletion or healing was rendered more difficult. (but not impossible)

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Added PDF link