How to Add a Professional Watermark in Lightroom (Text and Logo)

How to Add a Professional Watermark in Lightroom (Text and Logo)

Every photographer I know has a watermark horror story. A client takes a proof image and sends it to the printer. A photo gets reposted on Instagram without credit. Someone uses a “for review only” shot as final delivery. I learned this lesson early, back when I was shooting press photos for local Nashville bands and handing over low-res JPEGs without a second thought. A watermark would have saved me more than one awkward conversation.

How to Watermark Your Photos in Lightroom (and Actually Get Paid)

How to Watermark Your Photos in Lightroom (and Actually Get Paid)

There’s a story I’ve heard from too many photographers to count. Shoot a wedding or a portrait session, send over proofs so the client can pick their favorites, and then… silence. No final payment, no response, just your unwatermarked images sitting on someone’s Facebook page while you eat the loss. It’s the kind of thing that sounds like it happens to other people until it happens to you. I’ve been lucky, but I’ve also been careful, and a big part of that comes down to something as simple as slapping a watermark on anything that leaves my hard drive before a job is fully paid.