How to Add a Watermark to Your Digital Images Using Paint.net

There is nothing more annoying than discovering that someone has lifted your digital art from an online gallery and is posting those images elsewhere. It is especially upsetting if the thief or thieves are making money by either selling the artwork itself or on products. One way to help protect your digital images is to create a watermark to put on them.

There is no one way to put a watermark on your digital images. In playing around with Paint.net I found two ways that I liked to put a watermark on my digital images. Either of these will help to protect your digital artwork, and neither of them obscure the image too much.

Method 1

Step 1: Open Paint.net.

Step 2: Before beginning make sure all your windows are available by going to the Windows drop down menu and selecting them if they are not visible.

Step 3: Go to the File drop down menu and click on open to find and open one of your digital images.

Step 4: Go to the Layers drop down menu and select Add New Layer.

Step 5: Go to the Layers window on the bottom right side, and unselect the layer with your picture. You should now be looking at a gray and white checkered background.

Step 6: Go to the Tools window on the left and choose the text button.

Step 7: Go to the Colors window and choose white as your color. Then write what you want your watermark to say on the gray and white checkered layer. Center what you've typed as best you can.

Step 8: Go to the Layers window and select your picture again. You won't be able to see your watermark.

Step 9: Double click on the layer where you typed what you wanted your watermark to say. This will bring up the Layer Properties window for that layer.

Step 10: Change the Layer mode from Normal to Overlay, and the opacity from 255 to 135. You should now be able to see your watermark on your digital image!

Method 2

Step 1: Open Paint.net.

Step 2: Before beginning make sure all your windows are available by going to the Windows drop down menu and selecting them if they are not visible.

Step 3: Go to the File drop down menu and click on open to find and open one of your digital images.

Step 4: Go to the Layers drop down menu and select Add A New Layer.

Step 5: Go to the Image drop down menu and resize your new layer to the same size as your digital image.

Step 6: Go to the Layers window and deselect your digital image.

Step 7: Go to the Paint bucket on your Tools window and select it, then select the color white and color the new layer with that color.

Step 8: Use the text button on the Tools window and select black for your text color.

Step 9: Type in what you want your watermark to say on the new layer with the white background.

Step 10: Select the rectangle button on the Tools window.

Step 11: Go to the tool bar along the bottom beneath the drop down menus and change the brush width to 14.

Step 12: Draw a rectangle around what you typed for your watermark.

Step 13: Go to the Edit drop down menu and choose Select All.

Step 14: Reselect your picture on the Layers Window.

Step 15: Go to the Edit drop down menu and select Paste in to New Layer.

Step 16: Select the Layer with your watermark and then go to the Effects drop down menu and choose Emboss.

Step 17: Double click on the watermark layer to bring up the Layer Properties window for that layer.

Step 18: Change the mode to Overlay and the Opacity to 156 or whichever number you think makes your watermark look best.

Step 19: To further adjust the watermark you can go to the Adjustments drop down menu and select Brightness/Contrast to make the watermark a bit more or less visible, depending on what you are aiming for.Both these methods create a beautiful watermark that does not obscure your digital image to the point of being distracting. I personally favor the first method as it is easier to make less visible than the second method. However, one point in favor of the second method is that it would be more difficult for someone to use photo-editing software to erase it.