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Creating a Dimensional Watermark
Aperture makes it easy to add a copyright to your images by including an option to add a watermark when you establish presets. The problem is that the colors of generic watermarks are hidden in some images and clash with others. Of course you could create watermarks in a variety of colors, but then you'd have to take the time to specify which one to use for each image you want to watermark. That defeats some of the convenience of using the presets.
My solution is to create a dimensional watermark that looks embossed and uses the colors in the image itself. To create a watermark for email pics do the following:
1. In Photoshop begin by opening a new file roughly the size of the email pics you normally send. For me that's 600 x 600 pixels at 96 dpi.
2. Make sure to select a transparent background.
3. Next use the type tool to create a copyright. I like Snell Roundhand and use a font size of 24 pt.
4. In the Layers Pane add a Layer Style to the text layer. I use Emboss at the default settings, but you can opt to adjust the settings.
5. Next reduce the Fill level to zero. (If you leave it higher, then some of the original color you used to type in the information will show through.)
6. Crop closely around the watermark. If you leave a little space at the end of your name , the watermark will be placed back a corresponding amount from the edge of the picture.
7. Save the watermark as a Tiff file and be sure to enable transparency in the second save dialog that appears.
8. Open Preferences in Aperture and choose the Edit button by Email Export Preferences.
9. Click the option to add a watermark and choose the watermark you just created. I prefer it in the lower right corner. I've found that an Opacity of 0.5 works well for me. When the watermark is created this way and used for email pics I don't need to use the Scale option.
You may need to create additional watermarks at other sizes for use with other Presets, but once you create them and set them up as presets, you can use them on any image.
Thanks.
I'm curious though... why not use the scale option? couldn't you still create an embossed watermark and use it to avoid creating one template for each export size?
Jade, the reason I don't use the Scale option is that the results I get tend to be unpredictable. It doesn't give me enough control over the final size and placement of the watermark. In theory it sounds great, but I haven't been able to make it work as well as I'd like. Creating watermarks for the image sizes I export most frequently and embedding them in the presets is most efficient for me.
Makes perfect sense Ellen. Thanks for the clarification.
I like the info you provided but also noticed the first step is to use Photoshop. What if we don't have PS..can we still create a watermark or copyright that will be applied to my entire Aperture library?
Nick, you can create a watermark with any program, such as Elements, that enables you to create a document with a transparent background and a Text tool. Elements doesn't have the Layer Style feature so your watermark would be just plain text. Then in Aperture set your Export Preferences to apply the watermark whenever you export a file.
Is there any program that can do this that comes with the Mac? I have neither Photoshop or Elements.
I'm not aware of a way to do this with a program that comes with the Mac. However you can download a free 30 day trial of Photoshop, create and save the watermarks that way and they'll continue to be work even i fyou don't buy PS after the trial is over.
Hey, thanks for the help. I have done everything except I cant seem find an option to reduce fill color to zero. I am using fireworks..but I think its the same basic format as PS.
Jake, I'm not familiar with Fireworks, but in Photoshop there is a slider under the Fill option in the Layers palette, and that's where you reduce the fill.
I am using Elements 4.0 on a Mac and I can't find the option to adjust the fill of the text, I have applied an embossed effect to the text and simplified the layer, but it doesn't show a fill option in the layers palette. Any advice?
Any idea how to generate a watermark like the one Vincent Laforet uses on his blog images? I like how it is small and subtle, yet repeats across the entire image. Thanks...
(example here: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008-08-09_af301831.jpg
Any idea how to generate a watermark like the one Vincent Laforet uses on his blog images? I like how it is small and subtle, yet repeats across the entire image. Thanks...
(example here: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008-08-09_af301831.jpg
Matthew,
Open a new document in Photoshop with a transparent background. Size it to the same size as the image you want to apply it to - there will be some flexibility but that's a good overall starting place. Use the text tool to create the © Matthew London in various places on the page. (© is option +G) . Save the file as a TIFF with transparency. In Aperture Prefs slect that image to use as your watermark. Decrease the opacity as desired. (In PSD you could also reduce the opacity of the text slightly.)
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
I so appreciate that you put this info out here. I'm trying so hard to make it work. I am using Aperture 2 to apply the watermark and PS CS3 to create the watermark. I did everything that you said to do in PS as far as I can tell. It's not working. I have two places to change the fill to zero. One is in the text layer and the other is in the emboss layer. Should they both be set to zero? Also, the opacity setting next to "normal"... What should that be set at?
I'm beyond frustrated.
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Sincerely,
Ange
"There's nothing like the smell of fixer in the morning"
Ange, I'm sorry you're having difficulty. The Opacity setting that's next to Blending Mode: Normal should be set to 100%. The Fill setting that's directly below that should be reduced to 0% or slightly higher if you want a hint of color to appear. Be sure to save the file with transparency enabled - and make sure that your initial document has a transparent background.
Thanks for great info. Here is another way to create watermark: http://watermarkz.net/
Thank you very much...worked perfectly and finally I am able to save a lot of time no longer having to reprocess (with image detail loss) them with a 3rd party app to add a watermark.