How Do I Watermark Photos?

Pro Smuggers can display their images on SmugMug, big and beautiful, and place custom watermarks to protect them.

No worries, watermarks will not appear on prints ordered through SmugMug.

FYI: We only watermark images that are 801px and up on the longest side. We do not watermark photos whose longest side is equal to or less than 800 pixels because a display copy and the original are the same image.

I want one!

First: make a JPEG, GIF or PNG image of your watermark. PNGs with transparency (like the example shown at the top) are a great way to get your name or logo on your work without covering too much area.

Tip: Here's a step-by-step tutorial.
Upload your watermark image to a SmugMug gallery. An unlisted one is a great choice if you like to keep things tidy.

Gotcha: We use your watermarking image every time you apply that watermark to your photos, so please don't delete it or hide it.
Navigate to the photo and choose Tools > This Photo > Make into Watermark.
We'll take you to a place where you can fine-tune its placement on your images. Play with the slider to set its transparency.

Don't forget to give your watermark a descriptive name! This will help you identify and choose the right one when you're applying watermarks.
Click Submit to save your changes.

Go crazy. Create as many exotic watermarks as you'd like. Want to change your logo? Edit & delete watermarks in your Account Settings under the Business tab.

Apply them!

Want watermarks applied while you're uploading photos?

Go to your gallery settings, choose yes for Watermarking, and choose which watermark you'd like applied. From now on, photos you upload to this gallery will automatically get watermarked.

To apply watermarks to photos already in a gallery:

Choose Watermarking from the Tools Menu. Then choose thumbnails, choose add and click the watermark button.

Tip: Block access to your originals. We don't watermark originals because we use them to make prints.

Removing watermarks

Change your mind? Remove watermarks from many or all photos in your gallery:

Choose Watermarking from the Tools Menu. Then select your thumbnails, choose remove and click the watermark button.

Edit or Delete watermarks

After you create a custom watermark, you'll find you can tweak or delete watermarks in your Account Settings. Click the Account Settings button on your SmugMug homepage and look for the Business tab, then "Branding."

Changes will only affect photos you watermark in the future, not photos you've already watermarked.

If you want the changes to take effect on existing photos, just apply the updated watermark via the Tools Menu.