If you care about your creative work on the Internet, it’s wise to just add a watermark to it. Whether for credit or recognition, applying a watermark to your image, poster or any digital work makes things easy for you. Many photo editing software include an option to add watermarks to your photos. However, if you want to make a custom watermark, Canva is an excellent resource for making free watermarks.
Canva is the best graphic and creative option for many users who want to effortlessly create digital posters, graphics, logos and more.
Check out Canva tips and tricks to learn your way around before you get started. Then read how to create a watermark on Canva web.
Create a Watermark Using Canva on Desktop
While Canva’s mobile app gets the job done, it’s the desktop version where the real action happens. Follow the steps below.
Stage 1: Visit Canva on the web.
Step 2: On the Canva Home Page, type Logo in the Search box and select the first result.
You must be wondering why we are looking for a Logo to create a watermark in Canva. We will first create a brand logo and then turn it into a watermark with editing and export options.
Next, we’ll show you how to apply the created watermark to your original image or digital poster in Canva. With that in mind, let’s continue with the steps.
Stage 3: You can browse hundreds of pre-made logo templates on the logo designer page.
You can also create a logo from scratch, but when designing professionals we prefer to use a logo template and Canva has always had beautiful templates. It is one of Canva’s strengths compared to the competition.
Step 4: Choose the template you like and start editing with the built-in editing tools.
Note: Many templates carry the ‘Pro’ tag. Canva Pro subscription is required to use certain images, text, templates and other assets in Canva. Canva Pro is available for $12.95 per month. You can even create your own Brand Kit using Canva Pro.
Step 5: You can choose a template for your logo on the left side of the design page. Now you can play games and add text, images, shapes, backgrounds and other options.
Step 6: You can change the font, rotate it and place it wherever you want.
Step 7: After designing the perfect logo, it’s time to play with transparency here.
It won’t look good or ideal if you try to use the custom logo as a watermark. A watermark should be subtle and blend into your digital art without destroying the original design.
Step 8: For an ideal experience, click the Transparency menu in the upper right corner and reduce the number to 50-60.
Step 9: Once you are satisfied with the watermark transparency, you can hit the Download button at the top.
Don’t forget to enable the Transparent Background toggle, otherwise you will end up with an ugly white background on the watermark.
Adding a Watermark to an Image in Canva Desktop
Now that you’ve created a watermark in Canva, it’s time to apply the watermark to the image. Go through the steps below.
Stage 1: Visit the Canva homepage and click Create Design in the upper right corner.
Step 2: Select Edit photo from the menu below.
Stage 3: It will open the image selector menu.
Step 4: Select the image to which you want to apply the created watermark and import it into Canva.
The image will take some time to load depending on the size of the image file.
Step 5: Select Edit Photo. It will open a new tab with the editing interface.
Step 6: First you need to upload the watermark image to Canva.
Step 7: Click Uploads in the left sidebar and use the Upload media option to add the watermark image to Canva.
Canva also lets you upload files from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Step 8: Click the watermark, add it to your image, resize it and place it where you prefer, bottom, top or center. In the example below, we added the watermark in the lower right corner.
This much. Hit the Download button at the top and download the image to your computer.
Make a Custom Watermark in Canva
You can also create a watermark in Canva using the mobile apps. However, the experience is not ideal and we advise against using it.
Follow the steps above and start creating personal brand watermarks in Canva. You can also use the same software to watermark images.
Next: Crello is another design tool that has made waves in the graphic design industry. Read the comparison with Canva to choose the better tool for you.