Make a Watermark in PhotoImpact 10

Before You Start:

Version 10: Standard Mode vs Basic Mode

PhotoImpact 10 has two work modes, Basic and Standard. Please use the Standard Mode in this tutorial. To check your mode, click Workspace on the Menu Bar. If the Standard Mode is greyed out, that means you are already in the Standard Mode. If not, click Standard Mode now.

Warning: If you switch from Standard to Basic Mode, and you have custom settings, you will lose all your custom settings.

Version 11

Please use the Advanced Mode. You can find out which mode you are in by the checkmark next to the current mode in the My Workspace menu. If you have created a mode based on the Advanced Mode, feel free to use that.

Changing modes in PI 11 does not alter your custom settings, assuming you have saved those into a mode or profile of your own.

1. Open a New Image — color white, 320x240 (you'll find this size if you click on the arrow next to Standard).

2. Click the Text Tool. In the Attribute Bar, choose Arial Black; size: 32; color: Black; Mode: 2D Object.
Type your name.

3. Change to the Crop Tool. Click on the Options icon, click "Active Selection/Object(s)". Double-click in the uncovered area to crop your image, or click the Crop check-mark icon on the Attribute Bar.

4. Right-click and Merge All.

5. Go to Effect / Fills and Textures / Emboss. Click on the Options button. You will see the box at left. Click the "5 o'clock" square and change the depth to 2. Leave the Coating Color the default grey. Click OK.

You will have a graphic like this —

Change to your Pick Tool.

6. Now, save it in your Easy Palette:
Right-click on your image, click All. Right-click again, click Convert to Object. Drag it to your EP (left-click, drag, let it go over the EP), give it a name, or not, and you have a Watermark!

To use your Watermark:

7. Open the image you wish to watermark.

Note: The image must be "RGB True Color [24-bit]" Look at the bottom right-hand corner of your PI—click on the "i" in a circle. This will tell you the data type of your image.

(Optional, but a good idea—duplicate the image [keyboard shortcut CTRL-D is easy] and close the original image.)

8. Drag your watermark from the Easy Palette onto the image. In PI 10, click on your Pick tool and click on the Properties box, or, in either version, go to Object > Properties or right-click, Properties. Move the dialog box that comes up, if necessary, so that you can see your canvas. Make sure the Preview box is checked. Click on the arrow next to the Merge drop-down box.
In the picture at left, the arrows next to four of the merges indicate those that work in this instance. One by one, click on them and see the changes in your watermark.

Lighting is probably the best all-around choice.
Overlay is another all-around choice—the shadow & highlight colors are taken from the picture below it.
Hard Light has nearly black shadows and might be necessary in a bright, busy, picture.
Soft Light is very subtle, perfect for some pictures but will be lost in others.

Here you can see the different merges, shown in the same order as listed above.

When you find one you like, and that suits the image you're placing it on, click OK to close the box.

If you need to resize the watermark, use your Transform Tool, clicking on the first icon on the Attribute Bar and making sure the lock icon is in the locked position.

9. When you are satisfied with the merge and the placement, right-click and Merge All.

Try different fonts, dingbats, or path shapes to make your watermark just as you want it to be.

A couple of notes on customizing your watermark:

If you'd like to rotate your watermark with the Transform Tool, this will need to be done before Step 3. Resizing after the watermark is okay, but rotating it at that stage is apt to leave a ghost image of the bounding box behind!

When making your watermark, you can use different light-source directions (in the Emboss dialog box) if that suits your image better.

I hope you've found this tutorial helpful. Have fun with it!
Any questions or comments, please drop me a mail :)

Virginia