How to Quickly Watermark Photos in Lightroom
Adding watermarks to your underwater photos is very easy in Adobe Lightroom. The watermarks are added after all editing takes place, to a single image or a batch of images, while you’re exporting your images to share.
Adding watermarks in Lightroom takes a minute to set up, and once you have the watermark added it’s a huge time saver when exporting images. Watermarks are a massive timesaver and can be added just like Lightroom Presets.
How do you Add a Watermark in Lightroom?
This tutorial video and companion article discuss how to add a water in step by step detail.
You can access the watermark editor from two areas: the top menu (Lightroom -> Edit Watermarks) and in the Watermarks panel of the Export dialog box. This tutorial will address the latter.
FEATURED VIDEO
How to Quickly Watermark Photos in Lightroom
Steps to Watermark Your Photos
1) Finish editing your photo and click Export, scroll to the bottom of the Export dialog box. There, you’ll see the Watermarking panel.
2) Now we will create a watermark that we can quickly select when exporting this (and future) images.
3) Ensure the box next to ‘Watermark:’ is checked and blue, then click the dropdown menu. Select ‘Edit Watermarks.’ Now you’ll see the Watermark Editor.
4) Select your Watermark Style. By default, Lightroom will add a text watermark using the copyright symbol (©) and your name. You can choose to keep this text watermark or chose to upload a .png file with your watermark or custom logo artwork.
5a) To edit the text watermark, simply make changes in the text box below the image preview.
5b) To upload a custom graphic, click the dot next to Graphic. Click Choose inside the Image Options panel and find your file. Click Choose.
6) Now we move through the panels in the right-hand column to customize the size, positioning and display effects of the watermark. This styling is totally up to you, however I’ve added a few tips to the end of the article.
7) Click Done once finished customizing your watermark. You will be prompted to save the watermark as a preset with a title. Try to use a name that will help you remember this watermark, as you may choose to add several variations in the future.
This brings you back to the Export dialog box, where you can export your image with the new watermark.
Pro Tip for Lightroom Watermarks
Speed up your workflow! Ensure that this watermark is selected in the Watermarking panel of the Export dialog box. Lightroom will remember this setting and you won’t need to make any extra clicks!
Improve Your Editing: Download my Free Lightroom Preset Pack!
Lightroom Watermark Tips
Opacity:
Turn the opacity down from 100%, especially if you’re using a large watermark. This is ideal for dark solid colors, since white would detract from the image itself. That said, if your white watermark is going against a cluttered background, crank up that opacity up to 100!
Watermark Size:
Try to keep it small. We use watermarks to deter theft and for branding, but we don’t want to be obnoxious to those viewing the photo.
Positioning:
Try to keep the watermark at the edges of the frame, generally the bottom right or left. Occasionally we will see watermarks across the center of an image, but I suggest that only if you have a one-of-kind image you’re actively trying to sell.
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