I have a love/hate relationship with watermarks on photos but I know there is a place for everything. While my opinions are my own I also realize that not everyone has the artistic skill to create anything beyond a simple text watermark.
Adobe's Lightroom program has a very flexible watermarking utility that allows the creation of simple text based watermarks. For anything fancier Lightroom requires a pre-designed PNG file with a transparent alpha channel.
If you are not familiar with alpha channels, they are see-through layers that allow a background to come through the non-logo areas when overlaid on a photo. While making these is relatively easy for a knowledgeable designer they can be tricky for the novice. Fortunately there is a great online tool that can make that whole process as simple as one, two, three.
I recently discovered a fantastic online tool called Picture to People that simplifies making artistic logotypes in a variety of flavors. Need a 3D logo with a metallic texture? They have it. How about something that resembles glass? They have that too. Here are some samples I made after spending an hour, jaw agape, browsing through their various tools.
If you do have some artistic ability Picture to People can also create stunning full color and detailed logos from a simple black and white icon or logo. Below is just one example I created using their online application.
Isn't that beautiful? I literally created this in under ten minutes. It was that simple. The applications go beyond watermarking images. You can create a unified brand by incorporating your creations into your online portfolios and your printed material such as business cards and stationery. You're only limited by your imagination. Just make sure you select the option to create a transparent background before rendering the final image. You can then save it as a PNG.
Aside from text and logo effects, the site also has a large number of image special effects such as creating pencil sketches, watercolors, embossing and more. The only real drawback is that it does not handle large image file sizes. Some trial and error is needed to figure out some of the settings also. Otherwise it is a fun site to browse and play with.
I hope you find this online utility useful. If you find yourself using it in your work post a brief note about your experience in the comments section below.
Adobe's Lightroom program has a very flexible watermarking utility that allows the creation of simple text based watermarks. For anything fancier Lightroom requires a pre-designed PNG file with a transparent alpha channel.
If you are not familiar with alpha channels, they are see-through layers that allow a background to come through the non-logo areas when overlaid on a photo. While making these is relatively easy for a knowledgeable designer they can be tricky for the novice. Fortunately there is a great online tool that can make that whole process as simple as one, two, three.
I recently discovered a fantastic online tool called Picture to People that simplifies making artistic logotypes in a variety of flavors. Need a 3D logo with a metallic texture? They have it. How about something that resembles glass? They have that too. Here are some samples I made after spending an hour, jaw agape, browsing through their various tools.
If you do have some artistic ability Picture to People can also create stunning full color and detailed logos from a simple black and white icon or logo. Below is just one example I created using their online application.
Aside from text and logo effects, the site also has a large number of image special effects such as creating pencil sketches, watercolors, embossing and more. The only real drawback is that it does not handle large image file sizes. Some trial and error is needed to figure out some of the settings also. Otherwise it is a fun site to browse and play with.
I hope you find this online utility useful. If you find yourself using it in your work post a brief note about your experience in the comments section below.
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