DIY Tuesday: 4 Steps to Watermark or Brand your Photos via Pixlr Editor.

Watermarking or branding your photos is something a blogger should consider. Although not everyone does it, it’s something that one should give a thought. Not only does it make your work more professional, it also prevent others from ‘stealing’ your work without giving you a proper credit. Giving credit when it’s due is a golden rule in a blogger’s book!

Pixlr Express does have ‘siblings’. :-p You could say that the other sibling is more fun – Pixlr-o-matic, while the other one is  more advanced, and that’s what we’re going to explore today. Pixlr Editor.

To a degree, Pixlr Editor looks a little like Photoshop. But wait…. it doesn’t mean it’s scary! I believe that once you get to know the basic tools there, you’re good to go!

While I was writing this post, I also came across this  excellent article that pretty much explain why ‘brand or watermark your photos’. Check it out. 

Based on what I’ve seen, most bloggers brand their images or photos, rather than watermarking them. Watermark tends to cover the image, while ‘branding’ is what you’ll see either on the bottom left or right hand side of the Image. And that’s what we’re going to do here, while at the same time, we familiarize this new editing site.

Killing two birds with one stone, I’d say.

Important: Please note that this is a beginner’s tutorial on a FREE editing site Pixlr and I am fully aware that you can batch your photos and watermark them that way via Photoshop or other clients online (but you have to pay extra for it!).

1. Getting Started.

Go to www.pixlr.com/editor 

Note: Click on images for better viewing. 

If you’re branding your own image, then click Open image from computer as shown above, otherwise click the other options that’s appropriate.

As mentioned, let’s familiarise the basic tools that would help us brand our image or work. Also on the right, you’ll see 3 Panels:

• Navigator – gives you the option to Zoom In or Out your Image , whichever is convenient for you.
• Layers  – tells you what’s currently on your screen and let’s you edit your work by clicking on the layer you want to edit.
• History – tells you the actions you’ve done on your Image so far, and when click, you can Undo or Redo the action.

Layer 0 – refers to the Image.

If you want to Resize your Image to a desired width and height for your blog, you can do so by clicking Image then choose Image Size.

To continue…

2. Adding your Text.

Select the ‘A’ icon and then click anywhere on the Image. The Text box will then pop up (as shown) and then the small rectangular box will also appear on the Image. Once you start typing on the Text box, this texts will appear in the rectangular box.

Important: Notice that on the Layers’ panel, another layer has appeared? The new layer with the ‘A’ icon above Layer 0, is your Text Layer.

Once you’ve added your text, the ‘A’ in the Layers panel will now contain whatever you’ve written. In this case, Sweetjellybean.com. You can technically change the label on the Layers panel, say put Blog Title instead, and it won’t affect on what’s written on the Image right now.

If you want to Edit your Text , make sure that Layer ‘A’ Sweetjellybean.com is highlighted as shown, and then click on the text itself on the Image to proceed with editing.

Changing the Text color is pretty simple, too. Shown above.

Now that we’ve changed Text’s color, another way of moving this ‘branding’  to a desired location is to use the Move tool.

Again, by selecting the icon, you can click and drag the Text (Sweetjellybean.com) shown on the Image.

3. Reducing Opacity or Transparency

Since we don’t want this ‘branding’ to get in the way and take your  readers attention away from the Image, you can reduce its Opacity or Transparency, see above.

4. Save!

Now that you’re a happy bunny with your ‘branding’ it’s time to save this Image!

What I like about Pixlr Editor is that you’re able to save this Image as .pxd. and also save it as .png or .jpg to use on your blog, whereas the .pxd file option is not available on Pixlr Express.

Pxd files are editable via Pixlr Editor, so you wouldn’t have to start from scratch if you want to alter something , or reposition the ‘branding’. And that’s what’s good about Layers, something Pixlr Express doesn’t have.

So that’s how the cookie crumbles…

The next screenshots are just extra tips on getting to know this tool site, such as copying your ‘branding’ to the next image without having to do it all over again.

So, it’s you’re choice really if you want to scroll further.

♦♦♦

More on Layers

More about Layers and how they’re amazing when you’re doing too many things, without the risk of damaging the original image below.

• When the little box is untick for Layer ‘A’, Sweetjellybean.com on the Image disappears, just like that, but not deleted. Same thing will happen to Layer 0, if untick.

Next – copying the ‘branding’ to your next or new Image.

• I’ve just loaded a New image, while you can still see the Old one behind it that has the branding.

Click and drag to copy branding from one image to another…

To copy the ‘branding’ from the Old image, simple click it, then on the Layers panel, select ‘A’ Sweetjellybean.com and drag this to the New image. Voila!

Easy peasy, don’t you think?

Here’s my take on ‘watermarking’ my photo. I feel that I need to learn more on this, but it was definitely worth a try! 

So, how do you feel about branding or watermarking your images? Do you think it’s time consuming? Or you’re not bothered about this subject?