Thanks for this clever approach. And I agree, that in principle "watermarking" to prevent theft generally makes the photo pretty ugly, whereas "copyright/signature" watermarking is valuable for visibility and recognition. I guess the ideal way to do this is to use the brush watermark in a macro to automatically add the layer. That also makes it possible to customize the blend mode and intensity of the watermark. Next stop: automatically apply this watermark to a batch of photos and then I'm super happy.
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. I suspect you're right about creating a Macro to do this if you need to apply it to a lot of images as a separate layer. I tend to deal with low volumes of watermarking, mostly on Instagram photos. It's to advertise my work rather than prevent people from stealing it. It's extremely easy to remove a watermark these days.
Thank you Robin, just subscribed. I installed Affinity photo suite with their special offer this weekend so haven’t had time to engage with the software yet, thought it best to find a channel that would help me better understand the concept and the way of thinking for it first. So pleased that the algorithm brought me here. Recon i’ll be a regularly watcher and learner moving going by the first few videos i’ve watched. I must say that I like your teaching style and methodology, you frame it, not blast through it, it’s how I work too as a former Teacher and lecturer. I’m a wannabe youtuber too! Thanks again.
Thank you very much. I'm always trying to improve the quality of my video delivery so I'm very pleased with your feedback. It won't stop me trying to get better though.
You're welcome. The magnified area around the mouse pointer is a feature of my video recording/editing software to help people watching see what the pointer is doing. Some computer operating systems have something similar which is usually called Magnifier. It's best to google your computer OS followed by magnifier to find out how it works.
Great video and information, especially about the copyright, I've been telling and showing people this for years. Use the watermark to advertise and not protect. Many thanks
I've watched a few TH-cam videos showing how to create a watermark and many use different techniques, but yours is the best (of course) as it gives much greater control over the finished product. However, I take photos at events for the local city council with a camera club and the council makes a sizeable donation to the club for these photos. The photos can run to well over 100 and adding a watermark one-by-one is tedious, to say the least. A macro seems the best option to add the watermark to all photos using batch processing. The only problem with this is that the macro adds the watermark right in the middle of the photo, rather than the bottom right hand corner where I want it. Is there a way to do this?
Robin, great lesson. If you can answer... any way to add a semi-transparent box behind the customer watermark brush? I created my own using your steps but on some photos it won't stand out without a little box behind it. Thank you
I would draw a rectangle shape on a layer behind the text. Fill it with white and then set the opacity to around 40%. You can then save the entire thing as a brush.
Hi. Thanks for the tutorial. Unfortunately, I’ve gone through this process several times now and when I come to add the watermark to the image, I click the brush tool, a large white box appears. When I then select my watermark and drag it across, it won’t stick, it just flies back into the right hand window. Can you please advise what I am clearly doing incorrectly? Thanks
It's very difficult to say what you might be doing wrong without watching you do it. The only thing that springs to mind is that you might not be trying to apply the watermark to a pixel layer. Try adding an empty pixel layer to the top of the image and then adding the watermark to that. If it works, you know that was to the problem. It might be that your image layer was created from a RAW file which is embedded or linked so it isn't a pixel layer unless it's rasterised.
The tutorial was very good, but in the future please include what version of the product is being used. I just installed Affinity Photo 2 as a new user. It looks very different from the version shown here. Some of the features on my version were difficult to find.
What features are you finding difficult to find? I'm doing a video about why your copy of Affinity Photo may look different to mine so thius is ideal. It usually isn't down to the vesrion at all. Thanks
The Artistic Font with other tools was found by pressing >> at the bottom of the left tool column. Brushes appear as Brs in a small panel on right that looks like this: Nv Xfr His Ch Layers Ad Brs Sto. I am sure this is due to customization. I just installed the program. @@RobinWhalley
Thanks. That sounds like the Brushes panel. It will be due to turning panels on and off. I’ll probably do another video on how to control the interface.
If I remember rightly, you need to make any colour part of the design before saving the brush. I don't think you can change the colour of the brush once saved although I could be wrong.
Interesting approach, I'd never have thought of using a brush! I just have a PNG file that I paste in as a layer and use that. But a brush would be easier, I'll give it a go.
Thanks. I think it will work for you. I've found it much easier except for when I'm using something like Web Sharpener Pro which adds the watermark for me. Even then I use a graphic created with this watermark brush.
@@lesleytaylor8913 This is how I do it, there may be better ways. With your main image open, go to File->Open and choose your png file. This will open a new document containing the png. Use Cmd/Ctrl-A to select it then Cmd/Ctrl-C to copy it Go back to your main image and select the background pixel layer. Right click and hit paste (or use Cmd/Ctrl-V). This will paste your png in as a new layer. Select the new layer and adjust opacity to suit. Use the Move tool to resize and reposition as desired. You may want to move the png layer to the top of the layer stack to ensure it overwrites any edits in the image such as cloning artefacts HTH
@@alangauld6079 I had another try earlier today and have managed to just click and drag them onto the image and then re-size them to suit. Thanks for your answer though, I'll try that method too.
Robin, is it possible to change the watermark text color after it is created as brush? I like to adjust my text colors to work with the background colors of the photo, so as not to overwhelm my photo subject, but this color would change depending on the photo. I was hoping to insert the custom brush as a new pixel layer and then adjust its color. Any ideas? Wonderful video by the way.
Great video but i must be a dummy today because I cant figure out how to save the watermark. you mentioned keyboard short cut but just cant figure it out. I will keep tying though. Ron
Thank you so much for this amazing video, i am so close to finishing my first watermark. I gotta ask, at 5:49, my background isn't transparent, instead it whites out when i omit the black background.
Good question and I hadn't though about that. I don't think you can change the colour of a brush that's been saved from a selection like you can with a regular brush. What you should be able to do though is create a illustration that's in colour and then save that so that the colour is saved with it.
You need to install the font to your computer rather than to the software. How you install it depnds on your computer's operating system but it's usually quite easy. Often it's just something like right clicking on the font file and choosing an install option. The best way to find out what to do is google "install font on..." followed by your computer operating system.
Hi Robin, I don't see the text tool on the tool bar to the right (about 50 secs into your video). How do I add that to my tool bar so I can create the watermark?
You probably have the Text Frame Tool visible instead. The Artistic Text Tool is in a group with that. To select any of the tools in the group, press T on your keyboard. This helps you spot where the group is. Now click on the icon for the tool that's selected and hold down the mouse button. The other tools in the group should then show, and you can select the tool you want. Another possibility is that you've customised your Tools so that different tools are visible rather than the default. To revert to the default tools, click the View menu and then the Customise Tools option. You will then see all the available tools, although many won't appear in the toolbar. At the bottom of the list is a Reset button. Click that to return to the default, then close the panel. You should then be able to find the Artistic Text Tool.
@@RobinWhalley You are the undisputed expert on Affinity. First, thanks for getting back to me so quickly an secondly, your advice worked. Thanks so much my friend! Cheers from Atlanta GA!
how do i delete the custom brushes i created as i have tried to do this a few times and have a few brushes now with the same name and a number after it
You should be able to right click on the brush in the Brushes panel and then click the Delete option in the popup menu. You are then prompted to confirm the deletion after which the brush is removed. If this isn't happening for you, I would raise a support ticket with Affinity as something has gone wrong.
Thank you so much for your clear, concise and easy to follow instructions about how to create a brush AND a watermark! :)
You're very welcome. Thanks for the great feedback.
Thanks for this clever approach. And I agree, that in principle "watermarking" to prevent theft generally makes the photo pretty ugly, whereas "copyright/signature" watermarking is valuable for visibility and recognition. I guess the ideal way to do this is to use the brush watermark in a macro to automatically add the layer. That also makes it possible to customize the blend mode and intensity of the watermark. Next stop: automatically apply this watermark to a batch of photos and then I'm super happy.
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.
I suspect you're right about creating a Macro to do this if you need to apply it to a lot of images as a separate layer. I tend to deal with low volumes of watermarking, mostly on Instagram photos. It's to advertise my work rather than prevent people from stealing it. It's extremely easy to remove a watermark these days.
Thank you Robin, just subscribed. I installed Affinity photo suite with their special offer this weekend so haven’t had time to engage with the software yet, thought it best to find a channel that would help me better understand the concept and the way of thinking for it first. So pleased that the algorithm brought me here. Recon i’ll be a regularly watcher and learner moving going by the first few videos i’ve watched. I must say that I like your teaching style and methodology, you frame it, not blast through it, it’s how I work too as a former Teacher and lecturer. I’m a wannabe youtuber too! Thanks again.
Thank you very much. I'm always trying to improve the quality of my video delivery so I'm very pleased with your feedback. It won't stop me trying to get better though.
The move tool is indispensable and this video showed me some tricks I had no idea existed. Thank you!
You're welcome and I agree with your point. That's why I published this video th-cam.com/video/ilHtqHciDcs/w-d-xo.html
oh... that idea andworkflow could speed up my: signing my painting process. i will give this a go for sure!
Great to hear. I hope you find it useful.
Thank you for this tutorial. Helped me a lot!
That's good to hear. Thank you
Excellent and very easy to follow. Well described...👍
I'm glad you liked it. Thank you.
Fantastic. I'll try and struggle through this on the next rainy day.
I'm sure you will get it to work for you.
Really appreciate the tutorial. Thank you!
You're very welcome. Thank you
Thanks for this Robin, will be giving this a go
You're welcome. I hope you find it useful.
Thanks for the great tutorial Robin. Please can you tell me how you highlighted and magnified the area around your mouse pointer? Many thanks.
You're welcome. The magnified area around the mouse pointer is a feature of my video recording/editing software to help people watching see what the pointer is doing. Some computer operating systems have something similar which is usually called Magnifier. It's best to google your computer OS followed by magnifier to find out how it works.
@@RobinWhalley thanks Robin. Is it Camtasia?
@@garywindsor5127 Yes it is.
Thank you so much, this tutorial is super!
You're very welcome. Thank you.
Great video and information, especially about the copyright, I've been telling and showing people this for years. Use the watermark to advertise and not protect. Many thanks
Thank you. I'm glad that you liked it.
Dank je wel voor de goede uitleg!!!
Heel graag gedaan
I've watched a few TH-cam videos showing how to create a watermark and many use different techniques, but yours is the best (of course) as it gives much greater control over the finished product. However, I take photos at events for the local city council with a camera club and the council makes a sizeable donation to the club for these photos. The photos can run to well over 100 and adding a watermark one-by-one is tedious, to say the least. A macro seems the best option to add the watermark to all photos using batch processing. The only problem with this is that the macro adds the watermark right in the middle of the photo, rather than the bottom right hand corner where I want it. Is there a way to do this?
Robin, great lesson. If you can answer... any way to add a semi-transparent box behind the customer watermark brush? I created my own using your steps but on some photos it won't stand out without a little box behind it. Thank you
I would draw a rectangle shape on a layer behind the text. Fill it with white and then set the opacity to around 40%. You can then save the entire thing as a brush.
Hi. Thanks for the tutorial. Unfortunately, I’ve gone through this process several times now and when I come to add the watermark to the image, I click the brush tool, a large white box appears. When I then select my watermark and drag it across, it won’t stick, it just flies back into the right hand window. Can you please advise what I am clearly doing incorrectly? Thanks
It's very difficult to say what you might be doing wrong without watching you do it. The only thing that springs to mind is that you might not be trying to apply the watermark to a pixel layer. Try adding an empty pixel layer to the top of the image and then adding the watermark to that. If it works, you know that was to the problem. It might be that your image layer was created from a RAW file which is embedded or linked so it isn't a pixel layer unless it's rasterised.
@@RobinWhalley Thank you. I’ll start again. In my mind I’m following all of your steps to the letter, but obviously not. Thanks for the prompt reply.
I'm having the same problem as this, the watermark just bounces back and doesn't place on an image and I tried Rasterizing it, didn't do anything
The tutorial was very good, but in the future please include what version of the product is being used. I just installed Affinity Photo 2 as a new user. It looks very different from the version shown here. Some of the features on my version were difficult to find.
What features are you finding difficult to find? I'm doing a video about why your copy of Affinity Photo may look different to mine so thius is ideal. It usually isn't down to the vesrion at all. Thanks
The Artistic Font with other tools was found by pressing >> at the bottom of the left tool column. Brushes appear as Brs in a small panel on right that looks like this: Nv Xfr His Ch Layers Ad Brs Sto. I am sure this is due to customization. I just installed the program. @@RobinWhalley
Thanks. That sounds like the Brushes panel. It will be due to turning panels on and off. I’ll probably do another video on how to control the interface.
Loved the video, is there a way to change the colours of the brush? Cheers
If I remember rightly, you need to make any colour part of the design before saving the brush. I don't think you can change the colour of the brush once saved although I could be wrong.
Interesting approach, I'd never have thought of using a brush! I just have a PNG file that I paste in as a layer and use that. But a brush would be easier, I'll give it a go.
Thanks. I think it will work for you. I've found it much easier except for when I'm using something like Web Sharpener Pro which adds the watermark for me. Even then I use a graphic created with this watermark brush.
Hi. How do you paste a PNG file in please?
@@lesleytaylor8913 This is how I do it, there may be better ways.
With your main image open, go to File->Open and choose your png file.
This will open a new document containing the png.
Use Cmd/Ctrl-A to select it then Cmd/Ctrl-C to copy it
Go back to your main image and select the background pixel layer.
Right click and hit paste (or use Cmd/Ctrl-V). This will paste your png in as a new layer.
Select the new layer and adjust opacity to suit. Use the Move tool to resize and reposition as desired.
You may want to move the png layer to the top of the layer stack to ensure it overwrites any edits in the image such as cloning artefacts
HTH
@@alangauld6079 I had another try earlier today and have managed to just click and drag them onto the image and then re-size them to suit. Thanks for your answer though, I'll try that method too.
@@lesleytaylor8913 Click and drag sounds easier! I suspected there must be a simpler way... 🙂
brilliant, Sir, thank you!!
You are welcome. I'm pleased you liked it.
Robin, is it possible to change the watermark text color after it is created as brush? I like to adjust my text colors to work with the background colors of the photo, so as not to overwhelm my photo subject, but this color would change depending on the photo. I was hoping to insert the custom brush as a new pixel layer and then adjust its color. Any ideas? Wonderful video by the way.
I just noticed that someone already made this comment and you answered it. Sorry. Thanks.
No problem.
Great video but i must be a dummy today because I cant figure out how to save the watermark. you mentioned keyboard short cut but just cant figure it out. I will keep tying though.
Ron
After you create your watermark, save it as a custom Brush in the Brushes studio panel. The menu is top right of the panel.
Thank you so much for this amazing video, i am so close to finishing my first watermark. I gotta ask, at 5:49, my background isn't transparent, instead it whites out when i omit the black background.
Found it by going to "Document" -> "Transparent background". Thanks!
I'm glad you found it and sorry I couldn't answer sooner.
Great approach and easy to do, thanks. Is it possible to change the colour of your watermark, like you can with any other brush?
Good question and I hadn't though about that. I don't think you can change the colour of a brush that's been saved from a selection like you can with a regular brush. What you should be able to do though is create a illustration that's in colour and then save that so that the colour is saved with it.
@@RobinWhalley OK thanks Robin, I'll give that a go
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you
Great Fantastic love it
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
when trying this out i downloaded the font but could not import it. any chance you could do a video or explain it. thanks
You need to install the font to your computer rather than to the software. How you install it depnds on your computer's operating system but it's usually quite easy. Often it's just something like right clicking on the font file and choosing an install option. The best way to find out what to do is google "install font on..." followed by your computer operating system.
@@RobinWhalley this worked thanks
Hi Robin, I don't see the text tool on the tool bar to the right (about 50 secs into your video). How do I add that to my tool bar so I can create the watermark?
You probably have the Text Frame Tool visible instead. The Artistic Text Tool is in a group with that. To select any of the tools in the group, press T on your keyboard. This helps you spot where the group is. Now click on the icon for the tool that's selected and hold down the mouse button. The other tools in the group should then show, and you can select the tool you want.
Another possibility is that you've customised your Tools so that different tools are visible rather than the default. To revert to the default tools, click the View menu and then the Customise Tools option. You will then see all the available tools, although many won't appear in the toolbar. At the bottom of the list is a Reset button. Click that to return to the default, then close the panel. You should then be able to find the Artistic Text Tool.
@@RobinWhalley You are the undisputed expert on Affinity. First, thanks for getting back to me so quickly an secondly, your advice worked. Thanks so much my friend! Cheers from Atlanta GA!
Great to hear. Thanks for letting me know it worked 👍
when I do it in affinity photo 2 appears for every letters so much nodes near each other that it makes impossible to work
The number of nodes will depend on the font used. You also need to magnify some fonts a lot. It was the same in Affinity Photo 1.
Thank you sir
You are very welcome. Thank you.
how do i delete the custom brushes i created as i have tried to do this a few times and have a few brushes now with the same name and a number after it
You should be able to right click on the brush in the Brushes panel and then click the Delete option in the popup menu. You are then prompted to confirm the deletion after which the brush is removed. If this isn't happening for you, I would raise a support ticket with Affinity as something has gone wrong.
👏
Thanks 😀