# Watermark

> Add visible attribution to exported photos and videos — text or logo — and control its placement, size, and opacity so it protects without overpowering the image.

Source: https://darkroom.co/help/export/watermark
Section: Export
Updated: 2026-06-10

On a platform where images get reposted without credit constantly, a watermark is often the last layer of protection before you publish. Darkroom's is a proper, full-featured one: place either a text mark — your name, an @handle, a copyright line — or an image mark like a brand logo, then tune exactly how it sits on the photo. It's been a dedicated export feature since the [watermarking release](/blog/2020-02-watermark-subscription), and it's available to [Darkroom+](/help/membership/darkroom+) members.

You'll find it inside the [Export view](/help/export/export-view): open **Export Options** and enable **Watermark**. Once it's configured, Darkroom remembers the setup and reuses it across exports, so your output stays consistent without re-creating the mark each time.

![The Darkroom watermark editor showing the nine placement anchors](https://darkroom.co/assets/images/posts/1__KEMXyvtTzRud__xojPqpkMw.jpeg)

*To position your text or logo, tap one of the nine anchor points or drag it exactly where you want it.*

## Setting it up

A **text watermark** is the fastest path and ideal for names, handles, and copyright lines — you can set its color to stay readable against your photo and choose a typeface that matches your tone. An **image watermark** is the better choice for a brand logo or a custom mark with its own visual identity; use a transparent PNG so only the mark itself shows.

Placement and weight are where a watermark either disappears tastefully or shouts. You can drop it into any of nine anchor points or drag it freely, then dial in its **size**, an **offset** to fine-tune the distance from the edges, and an **opacity** that balances visibility against subtlety. Corners are usually the least distracting spot — keep the mark clear of faces and the key subject.

## Getting the balance right

The right settings depend on what the watermark is *for*. If the goal is genuinely deterring theft, don't drop the opacity so low that the mark is trivial to crop or clone out. If the goal is mostly aesthetic — a quiet signature on a portfolio piece — reduce the size before you reach for lower opacity, which keeps it crisp rather than washed out. Either way, test legibility on both bright and dark scenes, since a mark that reads cleanly on one can vanish or glare on another, and platform recompression can eat a faint mark entirely.

For brand and production work, it pays to keep more than one style on hand: a heavier, harder-to-remove mark for public, repost-prone feeds, and a subtler one for client previews. Pairing a visible watermark with [copyright metadata](/help/export/export-settings) gives you attribution that's both human-readable and machine-readable. And when you're delivering at volume, fold the watermark into your [batch exports](/help/manage/batch-actions) so an entire campaign goes out marked consistently. One last habit worth keeping: after a crop- or transform-heavy edit, recheck placement — shifting the composition can throw the mark's visual balance off.

## Related

- [Export Settings](/help/export/export-settings) — pair watermarking with copyright metadata
- [Export, Save or Share](/help/export/export-view) — where watermarking happens
- [Batch Actions](/help/manage/batch-actions) — apply a watermark across many exports