Visisht Veldurthy While browsing through various social channels, we bet you must have come across several images and videos with a small logo on them. Even when you’re searching for photos on Google, you end up finding the ones you like, but with an almost transparent logo placed on them. Ever wondered why those photos have those logos on them? Know what those logos on the images mean? That logo or the text is called a Watermark.
If you do not know what a Watermark is, let’s find out what they are and what is their importance. But if you are already aware of what we are talking about, let’s refresh your memory with a quick dive into it!
What is a Watermark?
A Watermark, as explained above, is an almost transparent, if not entirely transparent, logo or lettering placed on an image or a video. Having a watermark has proven to be an essential step for any creator, be it a photographer or a video creator. Here are a few examples of watermarks placed on images.
It might seem like something that has been born during the digital era, but Watermarks have been around for quite a few years now. Watermarks were born way back when physical papers or documents were imprinted with a logo while dipped in water. That explains the word ‘Watermark.’ The lettering or logo on a physical paper used to be visible only when there was some light passing through it or while held up to the Sun. That explains how the Watermarks of today are almost, if not entirely, transparent.
Now let’s take a look at why creators use Watermarks and if they are beneficial or not!
Why do creators use a Watermark?
The process of creating something, be it anything ranging from a video to an image or even a document, is quite strenuous. With such effort and dedicated time put into something, the creator should reap all the benefits. The benefits here are both monetary and even recognition for the amount of work that has been put in.
But, unfortunately, over the years, there have been multiple cases of organizations stealing creators’ content and not providing any credit whatsoever. Hence, creators have started using Watermarks to ensure that their content is safeguarded.
Watermarks safeguard content
Creators use Watermarks on the content that they create. So, when an organization or a third-party user steals their content, the creators’ recognition is intact as the content has a Watermark. Since the content produced is quite simple to steal – literally with one right click – it becomes imperative for creators to have a Watermark.
This also holds true for organizations that create content regularly and want to protect it from their competitors.
Watermarks showcase professionalism
This is primarily true for creators who capture pictures. Photographs with watermarks generally look much more professional to the layman’s eye than ones without them. Although we mention this, it remains crucial to point out that tasteful Watermark placement makes the content look professional. So, all the creators out there, be a little careful with the Watermark placement on your content piece!
Watermarks avoid illegal content circulation
Watermarks, in a way, act as a filter that drives away people who use a creator’s content for free. For obvious reasons, a Watermark immediately becomes a big no-no for someone who uses/downloads content straight from the internet. The reason being – they cannot share it without the Watermark, cannot remove the Watermark, and cannot claim that content to be their own.
While we have come to an understanding about why creators use a Watermark, the question still remains:
Are Watermarks really all that beneficial?
Sure, for individual creators who create content by themselves, a Watermark is a great addition. Especially for individual photographers or video creators. But when it comes to creators who make short videos on video-making platforms, there arises a different issue altogether.
Many video-making platforms and apps provide a lot of features for the creators. These features include video editing options, templates, filters, and many more. The best part of some of these platforms is that they offer these features to the creators for free! But, and we quote the famous William Shakespeare, “All that glisters is not gold.” The platforms and apps that offer such features (usually) have a catch:
- To use the features, the creators must pay some amount.
- Only particular creators with high audience numbers have access to premium features.
- The output videos are of lousy quality. Hence making the creator pay for higher quality video.
- Features are offered, but the output videos have the app’s watermark in which it was created.
The first three points mentioned above are based on popularity and money. So, let’s shift our focus to the fourth point.
Features are offered, but the output videos have the app’s watermark in which it was created.
The app benefits from the creator’s content, while the creator ends up with a video with a Watermark of the app. Most of the apps in the market that provide features related to video editing end up using this option.
In the case of creators who stick to just one app for video creation, this point does not make a difference. But, it is a definite shortcoming for creators who would like to cross-promote their content. If a creator makes a video on such an app and wants to promote that video on other handles like Rizzle, Instagram, or even YouTube – they end up with a watermark. That scenario is definitely not feasible. Why? A different app’s watermark hampers the video’s authenticity and likability.
But, thankfully, apps like Rizzle come in handy in such cases. Rizzle believes in its quality and features and does not ask for payment from its creators to get a non-watermark video. Not just that, but even when creators use original templates and trends (found on and made by Rizzle), the non-watermark videos are free to download. This allows the users to cross-promote their content on different apps and unleash their creative side without any limitations.
Now that you know about the advantages and disadvantages of watermarks, and want to create one for your content, here are some tips.
How to create a Watermark?
We are sure you were left wondering, “all this sounds great, but how to make a watermark for my images or video?” Without further ado, let’s look at how one can create a Watermark for images or videos.
The best way to create a Watermark for your work is to use Photoshop and design it yourself. This is helpful when you are adding a Watermark to your photos. But there are a few things that you have to remember before adding one to your photos or videos.
Be careful with placement.
When placing your Watermarks on images or videos, make sure that they cannot be easily cropped out. Try adding them in the frame or where the subject of your image is quite prominent. This way, it would become difficult for anyone who would try to steal or illegally use your content to crop out the Watermark.
Take a subtle approach.
Your Watermark should be subtle yet attention-grabbing. Sure, this might sound like a yes and a no situation, but there’s a reason for that. The focus shifts away from the subject of the photo or video in case the Watermark has many colors. So, make your watermark monochromatic, include a bit of transparency, and ensure that it is subtle enough.
Make it legible.
You might want to experiment with the different fonts to stand out from the rest of the competitors. This might end up being a boon and a bane. The only factor that you have to take into consideration is to make Watermarks legible enough for viewers. This is what will help people know about your brand and increase visibility.
Limit your text.
In case you want to add your brand name, try going for logos. If it is not possible, and you want to add text, ensure you limit it to two words. Since Watermarks are generally very tiny when looking at the entire photo or video frame, it will be next to impossible for viewers to read it.
These are a few pointers that you need to keep in mind while designing your Watermarks. If you are developing one for a video, you need to follow the same rules. Another pointer that applies to videos is not having a Watermark at the end but throughout the video. This is because video content, nowadays, can be cropped or snipped out and edited as one pleases. To add Watermarks to videos, you can use iMovie, available for Windows and Mac, or veed.io.
Did you find this blog about watermarks informative? Then do let us know in the comments section below! Or, if we inspired you to create your video, go ahead, download the Rizzle app. Start your video creation journey right away with 1000s of free-to-use templates and filters! On a side note, if you are a creator and want to learn more about video thumbnails, you have to check out this blog!
