Watermark in text

[Phil47]

I am trying to find a way to watermark my photos using text for uploading to the net to try and prevent image theft.
Canon Zoom Browser adds text but only 1 pic at a time.
I have searched this forum without success and searched the internet without success except for Alamoon which does one pic at a time ok but to do in batches requires you upgrade at a cost of about half the price of upgrading to PSP x5.
I read a comment by a subsciber here dated 2010 referring to PSP x3 but it said that after going to Image->Watermarking->Visible Watermark, you have to load a "pre-made image blah blah..." Where do you get this pre-made image from please? Remember, I only want to add a couple of words of text. Surely this is not beyond the capabilities of Corel?
Alamoon does it very easily. It doesn't take numerous windows and dozens of clicks with multiple layers to negotiate etc etc.
Thanks,

Phil.

[Cassel]

There is a watermark script i created and it is free. You can find it here: http://creationcassel.com/store/index.p ... cts_id=286

It allows you to use any watermark you want, and do a batch processing for a whole folder of files at the time.

[Phil47]

Cassel,

Thanks so much for your help. I went to the link you provided but could not see any sign of how to download your script.
Could you please tell me what I have to do?

Thanks and regards,

Phil.

[Cassel]

You have to go through the checkout as if you were to buy it, but it is free. It is just the way the store is set up (since i also have other products sold for a price).

[Phil47]

Cassel,

Thanks again. yes, I did that and downloaded the Script and followed the enclosed instructions and saw the Script appear and run and say it did not complete for some reason or other. Now I try to repeat that operation and for the life of me I cannot so I will go back to Alamoon as it is so simple and satisfactory.

regards,

Phil

[Cassel]

Phil, check your emails. And let me know what version you are using.

[Phil47]

Version 13.2.1.32

[Cassel]

Did you follow the steps in the video too? It is illustrated using PSP X3 too. Email me if you have problems.

[Phil47]

Cassel,

Sorry but the first instruction stumped me and having no audio is a drawback..

Does your script leave that big 'cross' on the watermarked pic?

Thanks,

Phil.

[LeviFiction]

Hello,

So a few things.

1) That huge cross is a result of the image she copied to the clipboard before using the script. It's the watermark she's using. So don't worry about the cross itself. Pay attention to the fact that she's using an image she made herself to create the watermark. So this is premade before running the script. Then copied to the clipboard.

2)If the script is ending in an error, you can try running the script on a single image that is currently open inside of PSP. No need to use the batch scripting option. Just run it from the Script toolbar. When you run the script if it claims an error you need to open up the Script Output palette to see what the issue is.

To do that go to View -> Palettes -> Script output

And you can post that here so we can see what's going on.

3) With the Visible Watermark, you asked where to get the image. Well it's almost the exact same thing that Cassel's script is doing. You make it yourself before hand. This can be plain text on an image, it can be an icon. Whatever you want. All you need to do is create an image. Then save it as a PSPImage or as a PNG for best quality and to retain a transparent background.

This command then lets you pick that image from your HDD, and you can size it, position it, change the opacity, and add a little embossing if you want unnecessary fanciness.

It's actually very easy to use.

Even better, if you record a script using the Visible Watermark tool that script can also be used in the Batch Processing area and applied to all other images. Yes it includes a one time setup but it's not bad.

If you would like a tutorial on doing this, I can do that.

4) If you would like another tutorial on using Cassel's script as well I can also do that. I think her video was very good but if you need sound with a more personalized feel to what you're trying to achieve, I am more than happy to provide that.

5) One big difference between Cassel's script and the Visible Watermark command that I think you should be aware of is that the Visible Watermark command always converts to a Raster. This isn't a bad thing, but if you make the initial image too small and you bump up the size considerably you will notice a lack of quality in the text.

Cassel's script just pastes the watermark onto all images that the script is run on. So you're at the mercy of the watermark you're using and the image you're pasting on to for size. But it maintains the vector aspect so if you find the watermark didn't quite fit you can resize it later. For the most part, however, you'll be making the watermark specific to certain image sizes since for most Photographers these don't change too drastically.

[Phil47]

Levi,

I really appreciate your help.

Re 1) Ok thanks.
Re 2) I was trying the script with only one pic.

For the rest of your comments I have to advise that for those of us who only use PSP say from time to time, anything that is new has to be gone through is precise detail. What you say in a sentence might need three more sentences so that it is fully understood and can be followed. You know what you are talking about but I don't. Sorry! The precise code comprising numerous clicks has to be entered in sequence or the process does not complete.

That is why Alamoon is so much better than PSP for this single purpose. I can use it easily but it only does 1 pic at a time unless you cough up more dollars.
But were I to prefer to pay twice that amount to upgrade to PSP x5 I still would not be able to watermark (with text) my pics using PSP!
Begs the question why can't Corel put a simple text watermarking function similar to Alamoon into PSP as an option? You know, Alamoon does it for Free. Not everyone wants the complicated function - so complicated that scripts have to be written for it to be performed.

Thanks again,

Phil

[LeviFiction]

Alamoon gives the exact same options as PSP's Visible Watermark command. Minus one or two.

The script is simply to automate the process for batching. It's not necessary to script it if it's only 1 image at a time. The only way that PSP is harder is that it requires an extra setup step. But once the setup is made, it can be used time and time again without issue.

What's more, is this method can be used without upgrading to PSPX5 so long as you have PSP8 or higher. (I'm assuming you have PSP because you say Upgrade) So if you can deal with the initial setup I can promise this will work well.

I will however warn you, you're going to regret asking for step by step. As I'm not great with my words so I'll be posting links to tutorials on various tools.

Step by step guide to Visible Watermark.

1) Create a new image:
Width = 800
Height = 800
Vector Background

2) Grab the text tool. (Prior to X3 or X4 this looks like an "A", in later versions it looks like a "T".)

Click somewhere on the canvas and start typing. With PSP's text tool you can create text of varying color, and fonts if you like to get fancy. For example I could put "Art By:" in Arial and then "LeviFiction" in Script. All by highlighting the words or letters and changing their various options on the Tool Options palette at the top of the program.

The Stroke around the text is created from the Foreground color in the Materials Palette
The Fill (text color) is created from the Background color in the Materials Palette

Here are some videos on the basics of the Text Tool
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBMt3zQDJa8
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOHuBEDe5IY

3) You can then grab the Pick tool and resize and position the text anyway that you like. Pick tool video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUALzzxjTms

Make sure the text is large, since if this is used on larger images it'll stretch it and if it's small it'll shrink it and you want to make sure the text is readable in all instances.

4) Crop out any unused area of the image. Crop Tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCUarE9NKxU

5) Finally, save this as a PSPImage somewhere on your HardDrive. So go to Save As, then from the file type drop down box select "PSPImage" then give your watermark image any name you want.

We use PSPImage because it'll keep the vector text (So you can edit it later if you want to) and will mantain the transparent background.

6) Next open up an image that you want to create a watermark on.

7) Select the Visible Watermark option from: Image -> Watermarking -> Visible Watermark. (I don't have a video on this yet)

In this dialog on the left you have a preview of the image you're using as a watermark. If this is your first time using the command it'll be blank.

8 ) Click on the Browse button just above the white preview square. It'll ask you to find an image to use as your watermark. Browse to the image we just created with the text. And hit "Open"

9) You can then position the image using one of the main options "Center" "Upper-Left" "Upper-Right" "Lower-Left" "Lower-Right" or "Tile" which will repeat the watermark over and over again across the whole image.

10) You can also change the size (by percent), the opacity of the watermark, and you can include an embossing effect if you prefer. The best part of the size is it's based on the size of the image. So once you have it looking the way you like, it'll size itself to fit each image you use this command on.

11) Now, along the top of the dialog you'll see a presets drop-down box that currently says "Last Used" with a "Save" (diskette) button next to it. Click the Save button.

It'll ask you for a name for this new preset. We save the preset so that we can call it any time we want.

12) Finally hit the "OK" button to apply the watermark.

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From now on, when you run "Visible Watermark" the last settings you used will be shown. So long as you don't change those values you can just run the command and hit "OK" right away and it'll apply the exact same watermark to each image.

You can also record a script running this command and use that script in the Batch Processing command.

Recording and playing a script is easy.

1) Make sure the Script toolbar is open. On the view menu select View -> Toolbars -> Script.

2) On the Script Toolbar hit the big red Record button.

3) Run the Visible Watermark command, with the watermark and settings you want to run quickly.

4) Hit the "Save" button on the Script Toolbar. It'll ask you for a name for the script

To run the Script just select the Script on the Script Toolbar and hit the Blue play button (blue triangle). It'll pop open the watermark command with the settings you wanted. Hit Okay and it'll be applied.

Again, this script can also be used in the batch processing command.

I sort of demonstrate this process in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxtEpQXe-0I

though I go through more than just recording the script so once it's saved you can stop watching.

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Finally, if you ever want to change the text of the watermark but keep the settings. All you have to do is edit the watermark image, which, if you remember, we purposely left editable. So it's easy to change and update whenever you want.

Hope this helps. If you feel Alamoon is better, all the best to you.

[photodrawken]

As a followup to LeviFiction's excellent tutorial about creating a visible watermark, here are my thoughts:

You want to create a watermark that cannot easily be removed, which means a watermark whose components cannot be easily selected:
1. Choose a typeface having serifs and thick and thin strokes. In this example, I used Adobe Caslon Pro Bold.
2. Use a stroke and fill which both have gradients, in this case I used the "Rainbow" gradient and reversed the gradient:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
3. The base text looks like this (layer opacity is set to 50%):

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
4. Apply both a "Bevel" and "Emboss" layer effect:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
5. When applied to an image using the Visible Watermark function, also add a slight embossing as part of the process:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Phil47]

LeviFiction,

Thanks for persisting with my situation.

I managed to get a watermark text on a pic just as a trial but of course had a few probs along the way.
I still need to run through it a few times until I am sure I have the text as I want it.....but.....how do I open up a.psp watermarked final photo with any programme other than PSPPx3?
All the ones I have will not work. I can see the pic in the file but that is all unless I use PSPPX3. Can I upload this/these .psp pics easily and will my website accept them?

A couple of other queries cropped up as I went through your instructions -
1. At the beginning you mention me needing to have PSP8. What is that?
2. Under 2)Grab the text tool you say "The Stroke around the text..."What is that?
3. After I had finished creating the text on the new image I was not able to use the Crop tool as everything else on the tools menus was greyed out except the A of the Text Tool. Only by chance double clicking on the image did the cropping square show up in the image so that I was then able to use it.

Thanks again,

Phil

[LeviFiction]

Okay, PSPImage files are meant for PaintShop Pro. They maintain your layer structure, vector information, settings, values, everything. This format is great because it allows you to come back and continue editing where you left off. It also prevents you from saving your changes permanently over the original photo in case you make any mistakes. Once you have the image finished and ready to go. Select "Save As" from the File menu and you can choose which file format you want to save in.

When the "Save As" dialog pops up you'll see a drop down box for "Save As Type:" The first four in this list are the most common.

For a website I would suggest either JPG or PNG. JPG is the most common for photographs that you want to share with people. PNG is also popular and widely used but because it handles compression differently than JPG it will also result in larger images.

As for your other questions

1) PSP 8 is Paint Shop Pro version 8. There have been 8 versions of PSP since version 8 came out. (PSP X2 had a second version called PSPX2.5) PSP 8 is the minimum required version because that's when they introduced scripting.

2) Stroke, or line surrounding each letter of the text. My text tutorial video that I gave you links to demonstrates this stroke option (Around minute 5 on the second text video). It's controlled by the Stroke Width value on the tool options palette.

3) When you finish text you either have to select the Green Checkmark button on the tool options palette or double click on the image to accept the text before editing anything else. I know it's a little wacky. But PSP enters into a sort of text editing mode that you need to exit out of before you can use other tools. Again I think that's covered in those videos.