Whats the best way to create an effective watermark?
Hey everyone!
Recently I have noticed an increase in UI/GFX theft, for example @PalaisV has GFX stolen from her by having a watermark removed.
What would be a good way to protect your work from such theft, but at the same time keep the quality and visibility of the UI/GFX clear for users to see.
Right now all I am doing is all my uis on a sheet with my name on it.
Of course cropping is possible and my credits can be easily removed. What is a good way to create an effective watermark that won’t bring down the quality and visibility of your user interface / gfx?
The best way to watermark your assets is to make sure that there are multiple watermarks (in a case like yours where you are using text) and to make sure that each watermark is located over multiple different colors or in a complex/important area. This makes it harder for people to remove your watermarks since you can’t just use the paint bucket tool (as there are multiple colors.)
Another easy way to watermark your whole image besides text is putting a pattern with some level of transparency on your assets. (Preferably not straight lines but a pattern that covers multiple areas.) For the same reason as putting watermarks over areas with multiple colors, this makes it way harder to steal.
I use paint.net, so I like to use the overlay effect they offer for my layers, because if anyone really attempts to steal my artwork, they usually end up with a bad result.
For how I do it, I keep my name big and sideways, while also being a bit transparent, like the image below.
The best way to create a watermark, but preventing theft, is to use a large text label that covers all your work. Then, you can mess around with the opacity so the text is light enough to see the objects underneath, but opaque and well placed enough so no one can try and cover up your watermark.
To protect my work, I usually slap my name on a spot that would be tough to edit without messing up the photo or I make it obnoxiously big.
If you’re looking to protect your work even more, I’d make a pattern saying your name over and over again, plaster it on top and adjust the opacity. That’s usually what I do before I sell my GFX, I have them give the robux before handing in a version without the pattern.
