There are basically two reasons to watermark a picture.  To try and discourage others from claiming ownership of an image you rightfully own, or to try and gain evidence of such behavior.  In the first instance you usually add a noticeable image on top of the original, with some sort of personal identifier.  How intrusive your watermark is (the more it distorts the original image), is up to you.  In the second instance, you usually try to add a small unnoticed watermark that can only be found if you know where to look.  In this way, if you see the image elsewhere you can point to the watermark as proof of ownership, discrediting the re-poster.

Adding a watermark does not prevent copying and/or re-posting, and is not suitable for protecting the identity of the subject.


In this post I will show you a free program that can be used to watermark a single image or a batch of images.  There are several free programs available, but this one is reliable and easy to use, and has been available for years.

The program is called TSR Watermark Image.  I recommend getting it from cnet.com in order to guarantee authenticity.  Here is the link: CNET DOWNLOAD SITE.
If you want to go to the developer's site, here is the link: TSR WATERMARKER

It is very simple to use.  You create a profile, which is basically the watermark you want to use.  The free version only allows one profile.  There are limited options which you can adjust and see in a preview window.  Some options include the size of the text, location of the text, rotation, orientation, and opacity.  More options are available if you purchase the full version.  Once you make your profile you can select the images you want to apply it to, and where you want to save the modified images.  

I like this program and I recommend it if you need something free for occasional use.  It is very simple.  Personally, I don't feel that a single style of watermark is appropriate for all images, nor is the placement of the watermark.  So I would not batch apply a watermark, and I would also use a more robust program for my watermarking.

Below are the two screens with the options you can choose, and an example of a watermarked image.

[ Last edited by  kaleu at 20-7-2012 23:16 ]

When i started contributing and sharing real pictures, that was the first thing i did, watermarked all the real pictures so that others wont be able to claim credit for them and that those originated from me.

[ Last edited by  devilgodspeed at 20-7-2012 23:29 ]

Personally I think that the watermarks that you (DGS) use are so strong that they ruin the picture.  I prefer the hidden watermark philosophy, possibly with a small visible warning.

One service that I am surprised TinEye doesn't offer is subscription monitoring.  Upload your pic, then have it check once a week and alert you if a duplicate is found.

Then again, none of my pics are good enough to really worry.  If I were Cass or Happysex then I would want this.

[ Last edited by  yazoo at 20-7-2012 08:13 ]