Watermarking and Adding Copyright Info

This two-part technique is particularly important if you’re putting your photos on the Web and want some level of copyright protection. In the first part of this technique, you’ll add a see-through watermark, so you can post larger photos without fear of having someone download and print them; and secondly, you’ll embed your personal copyright info, so if your photos are used anywhere on the Web, your copyright info will go right along with the file.

Step One

We’re going to start by creating a watermark template. Create a new blank document in the Elements Editor (go to File, under New, and choose Blank File) in RGB mode in your typical working resolution (72 ppi for low-res, 300 ppi for high-res, etc.). Click on the Foreground color swatch at the bottom of the Toolbox and choose a medium gray color in the Color Picker, then click OK. Now, press Alt-Backspace to fill the Background layer with medium gray. Press the letter D to set your Foreground color to black.