Okay, next photoshop help... Watermark...

[Cygnus]

If someone could create a transparent watermark for me.

© Cygnus Studios

Here is a photoshop guide that is supposed to help. I can't get it right. This will be a transparent layer added to images on my website. The pro lab doesn't get the watermark, so it can't be on the photo itself.

[admin]

Hi Steve,

We use CS3 and create a new transparent layer, to which we ad text, in our case oZ lifetyle photography, which we put through the middle third of the image (avoiding heads). We vary the colour according to the background. In the right hand layers menu, you simple high-light the transparent text layer and reduce opacity to 25-30%.
If saved as a tiff or psd file you can leave the layer in and hide it by clicking on the 'eye' icon', flatten, save as a jpg at 100% and it is ready for printing.

If you will be presenting to clients regularly, I can highly recommend Pro select ( www.timeexposure.com )
For the investment of a few Hundred dollars, it prepairs images for slide presentation, allowing a toggle between colour, B&W, & Sepia, can add a vignette,
sort the images into love it, maybe and hate it piles, create orders, pricelists, proof sheets, Quick time movies with iPod tracks (50% of the impact at a showing comes form the correct choice of music - trust me on that) and export to a low res image set including your choice of water mark for publishing to the web. It would be the progam of choice for thousands of weddding and portrait photographers around the world. Best of all you can download and trial it for free for 30 days. You will pay for the program with your first showing.

[Cygnus]

When I upload my images to my website, I have the option of applying a watermark over the image that is only on the web image, not on the actual image. When someone purchases an image the pro lab gets the original image to print.

Example:



What I need is a watermark image that is clear except the text that is a jpg that can be uploaded as a picture. If that makes sense.

That way, the white surrounding the text is not shown. White text would be perfect. My photoshop skills suck, so I can't seem to get it without the background appearing also.

[OZZI-BLOKE]

So something like this.

This can't be removed on a jpeg as the image has to be flattened.
It can be removed from a PSD image as it can be saved in layers.
In Photoshop you open the image and select the text tool and write/type on the image and it is automaticaly
applied to a new blank layer. When done click on the tick. Then you can select you move tool and the text layer and move the text to where you want it. Finally adjust the opacity and flatten image if you want to save
as a jpeg. If you want to be able to remove the w/mark you will have to leave the image in a layered format
or make a different high res image for printing and a low res with w/mark for the web.

[Cygnus]

Here is one of the free to use ones offered: It is just plain looking.

[Analog6]

I made mine in Photoshop elements.  Open a new blank document with a transparent background, of the size you normally send to the site they are going to be on (eg 1024x768). The crossed lines are a good idea, you could have your studio name instaed of the generic words.


Create the text as a layer.  I usually use an outline text.  Colour it palest grey.  Try it over a couple of shots to test.  When you are happy with is flatten and save.  To get the C in a circle for copyright, call it up in word (from Insert/Symbol) and paste into your text in PS/PSE.


I have saved mine as a png in my FastStone folder, which is what I convert pics to web format with, and it adds it at the batch conversion stage.

[Cygnus]

I found a way to make one that I am somewhat happy with. I saved the image as a gif, then converted it to transparent color.

What do you think?

Option 1



Option 2



I am thinking this as a stock watermark:

[Ross and Cher]

To my untrained eye - 1 & 2 are too distracting! From memory in Photoshop (elements at least ) ALT and 0169 = the the c in a circle!

And yes, unfortunately, short of locking everything away, there is no fool proof method of preventing theft! Yet again the silent majority pay for the ... minority!!!! 

[Truckman]

I like #1...Ben

[Analog6]

Me too.

[Tim N]

Yea the 1st one is the best ... its subtle but there enough to be that distraction from MOST people stealing the photo