Creating watermark in Elements. How do I watermark many photos?

[pseuser83]

I need help with watermarking my photos in Photoshop Elements prior to uploading my pictures to flickr or webshots.

I've been experimenting but I have not found a solution.
What I am doing is creating a new file (transparent) that is the size of my photos. So if my photos are 2592 x 1944, I create a transparent file that is 2592 x 1944. Then I create text (example: © my name). After I am finished with my text (size, color, opacity), I go to edit > define pattern.
After naming my pattern, I open up a photo and select the pain bucket tool and choose the watermark pattern I created. I then click over the photo.

With this method, it would be tedious to watermark many photos (one of my albums has over 100 photos).

Is there a way to let Photoshop Elements watermark many photos automatically other than the File > Process multiple files?

I don't want to use another software to watermark because I have used trial version of two softwares and it either reduced or increased my file size. For example, I one of my photos is over 2.5MB. One software reduced the size to 1.5MB or so. Another software increased my file size to 4.8MB.

[pseuser83]

Note: I am wanting to create a watermark where the watermark is placed in the exact position in every photo so that I don't have to go to every photo and reposition manually.

[Jeff Perry]

pseuser83, without me duplicating your technique, tell me does it place multiple copies of your watermark, or just one? If it does just one, is there a reason you don't want to use the built in watermark feature in PSE6?

Jeff

[pseuser83]

pseuser83, without me duplicating your technique, tell me does it place multiple copies of your watermark, or just one? If it does just one, is there a reason you don't want to use the built in watermark feature in PSE6?

Jeff

I have Photoshop Elements 3.
I don't really know what you mean by whether Photoshop creates multiple copies of my watermark.

[Jeff Perry]

I have seen images with a single, usually large and semi-transparent, watermark in the middle, and others where there are smaller, multiple (identical) watermarks evenly spaced all over the image. Both techniques "ruin" the image so it can't be used improperly (without permission).

I don't know if PSE3 has a watermark function. Check the help file. Perhaps someone else with pSE3 will help out.

In PSE6 the watermark function is a set-up in the Process Multiple Files module, which is why I thought you had PSE6, since you mentioned that process in your post.

Perhaps it is one of the set-ups. In PSE6 there is a section of the Process Multiple Files dialog there is a section with a pull-down menu called Labels, and one of the options is Watermark (the other is Caption).

The watermark option sounds like it will do what you want, place a single watermark, e.g, @name in the middle, bottom, top, etc., of every file in a folder.

Hope PSE3 has the feature.

Jeff

[pseuser83]

PSE 3 does have a watermark in the process multiple files. However, I want to custom design my watermark with the text tool and also position it on the lower right corner.

[Jeff Perry]

PSE6 does allow different fonts and sizes, colors and opacity, and also allows positions center, bottom right and bottom left, but that's it. Perhaps that's what you have in 3 as well.

Jeff

[AlicePalice]

I have PSE6 but not sure if the same would apply for you? This is from the Scott Kelby book:

1. create new blank document (File > New > Blank Document) in RGB mode in typical working resolution (72ppi for low-res, 300ppi for high-res, etc). Click on foreground colour swatch at bottom of toolbar & choose medium grey colour in the colour picker, then click ok. Now press alt-backspace (Mac: option-delete), to fill the background layer with medium grey. Press the letter D to set your foreground colour to black.

2. Press T to switch to the horizontal type tool. In options bar choose a font like Arial Bold from the font pop-up menu, and then click on the Align icon nd choose Center Text from the popup menu. Click the cursoir on the grey background, press and hold the alt key, type "0169" using your numeric keypad, and release the ALT key to create a copyright symbol. (Note, on a pc laptop, press and hold the funtion key to access your keypad, on a mac, press option-g). Then press Enter (mac: return) to move your cursor to the next line and type the name you want for the copyright on the photo. If needed, adjust the leading (space between lines) by seleting all your text (crtl-a, mac: command-a), and choosing a point size in the Set in the Leading pop-up menu in the Options Bar. Now hide the Background layer by clicking on is Eye icon in the Layers Palette.

3. Highlight your name (but not the copyright symbol) with the Type tool and increase the size of your name by using the Set the Font Size pop-up menu in the Options bar. When its at the right size, highlight just the copyright symbol, and resize it upward until its quite a bit larger than your name. Try the type at around 50 points (unless your last name is huge, then you may need to go for something smaller) and the copyright symbol at 150 points.

4. Go to the Effects palette, and from the effects flyout menu, choose Large Thumbnail view. At the top of the palette, click on the Filters icon (the first on the left). In the pop-up menu in the palettes upper right hand corner, choose stylize. Now double click on the emboss effect. A warning dialog will apear letting you know that the Type layer must be simplified - press OK.

5. In the resulting Emboss dialog, set the angle to 135 degrees, height to 3 pixels and Amount to 100%. Click OK and this will apply a beveled effect. To smooth th edges of the Type layer, go to the Layers palette and click on the Lock Transparent Pixels icon at the top of the palettte (the 2nd icon from the right). Then, from the Filter menu, choose Blue, and add a 2- or 3- pixel Gaussian Blur.

6. Go back to the Layers palette and change the blend mode of this Type layer from the Normal to Hard Light. This will make the watermark transparent. Now you can make the Background layer visible again by going to the LAyers palette and clicking in the empty box where the Eye icon used to be. You can now see the Emboss and blurring effect clearly.

7. Open the photo you want to contain this transparent watermark. Make sure this photo and the document with your embossed watermark are both visible within Elements (is no, exit Maximise Mode by going under the Window menu, under Images, and choosing Cascade.)

8. Press V to switch to the Move tool, then click and drag the watermark's Type Layer from the Layers palette (in the embossed watermark document) and drop it onto your photo (youre dragging a layer between documents). Once the watermark is in your new document you can resize it as needed. Just press ctrl-T (mac: command-T) to bring up Free Transform and click and drag one of the corner handles. Add the shift key to rezise the type proportionately. Press Enter (mac: return) to complete your transformation

9. Now go to the LAyers palette and lower the Opacity of your Type so its clearly visible, but doesnt dominate your photo

10. Now for the 2nd part - we'll embed your personal copyright info into the photo file itself. Go under File menu and choose File Info. This is where you enter info that you want embedded. This embedding of info id supported by all the major file formats on the Windows and Mac platforms.

11. In the dialog, change the Copyright Status popup menu from Unknown the Copyrighted. In the Copyright Notice field, enter your personal copyright info, and then under Copyright Info URL, enter your full web address. That way, when others open your file in elements they can go to the fle info, cick on the Go to URL button and it will launch their web browser and take them directly to your site.

12. Click ok and the info is embedded in to the file. Once copyright info has been embedded into a file, Elements automatically adds a copyright symbol before the files name, which appears in the photos title bar.


Sorry if there are typos - didnt realise how long it was when I started to type!

Another way is to make it into a brush and save the brush to use when needed.

[jjvera00]

See the following tutorials for creating signature brushes.


http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2610&postcount=14

[pseuser83]

See the following tutorials for creating signature brushes.


http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2610&postcount=14

Remember that I want the copyright to be automated.
I don't want to go through each photo manually and apply a brush or a pain bucket tool. This will take a long time for over 100 photos.

Will I need Photoshop CS 1/2/3 instead?

[Juergen D]

I don't want to use another software to watermark because I have used trial version of two softwares and it either reduced or increased my file size. For example, I one of my photos is over 2.5MB. One software reduced the size to 1.5MB or so. Another software increased my file size to 4.8MB.
FastStone does all you want. It will give you either a slightly smaller file size (85-90%) or a somewhat larger size (130%). I would use it and go with the larger size...

Juergen