Last updated 24 August 2026
One mark, or many
A single watermark in a corner is unobtrusive but easy to crop out. The tiled option repeats the text diagonally across the entire image instead, which is much harder to remove without damaging the image itself — the usual trade-off between a clean look and real protection against reuse.
A watermark is a label, not a lock
Worth being clear about what this achieves. A watermark marks an image as yours and makes casual reuse awkward. It does not prevent copying, and anyone determined enough can crop or paint it out. Treat it as a signature, not as protection.
Placement decides how much it actually does. A small mark tucked into a corner is the easiest thing in the world to crop away. A larger, low-opacity mark laid across the middle of the subject survives cropping, at the cost of being visible in a way some people dislike. Which trade you want depends on whether the image is a portfolio piece or a proof sent to a client.
Keep opacity low enough that the picture still reads. Around a quarter to a third is usually enough to be unmistakable when someone looks for it, without ruining the image for the people you meant to show it to.
Related guide: Which logo files to give a client, and why
Common questions
What does the tiled position do?
It repeats the watermark diagonally across the entire image instead of placing it once. That makes the watermark much harder to crop out, which is the usual point of tiling for anything meant to discourage unauthorized reuse.
What opacity should I use?
Low enough to stay unobtrusive, high enough to still be visible if someone tries to remove it — 20-40% is a common range. Very low opacity is easy to edit out; very high opacity gets distracting.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The watermark is drawn on an HTML canvas in your own browser. The image never leaves your device.