How to Add a Watermark to Your Photos

Imagine opening a random website, maybe with an article that looked interesting, only to find that YOUR KIDS' PICTURES are used on the site without your knowledge or permission. What's worse is that the author is claiming that they are HER kids!

That happened to a few women recently when they discovered that their babies' pictures were being used in a sick Instagram "game."

The best way to protect your priceless images is to make it more annoying for someone to use them. You can add a simple watermark to the pictures to help deter thieves from reusing your photos.

There are a few methods to do this, but the simplest method I've found so far is to use an online editor called:Watermark WS. The instructions are pretty easy, but I've shared some screenshots below for reference.

1. Log into Watermark.Ws. Sign up for a free account.

2. Choose either to upload a picture or use one from Facebook.

3. Once you upload your picture, it will appear in a small box like this. Choose "click to edit."

4. On the next screen, choose the type of watermark you are adding. I chose "text" for this example.

5. On the next screen, it will give you the option of using a copyright, registered TM, or TM symbol next to your text. I always choose copyright.

6. Type the text you want to show on your image. You can also choose your font. You can see how it will appear on the image to the right.

7. Using the tools on the left, change the size, position, and appearance of your watermark. You can also change the opacity to make the watermark lighter or darker on the image. I always try to put my watermark near the face(s) or the main part of the picture so that if someone steals the picture, it would be harder to crop out the watermark without disturbing the picture.

8. Once you are done, you will have the option to save the watermark you created as a "template." Know that if you use this option, the watermark placement cannot be edited in future pictures.

9. Finally, you are ready to download your photo.

As I mentioned, there are many other places to add watermarks to your pictures, but this was the easiest for me. Either way, protect your pictures, my friends.