The rise of Pinterest has made bloggers increasingly aware of the importance of watermarking images. Not only does watermarking images protect against theft, it also makes viewers of the image aware of where the content originated. Watermarking is not a fool-proof protection, but it is a good start.

Instagram has seen their own rise in use and possibility for sharing and marketing. There are numerous plugins enabling users to share their images in blog posts and in sidebars. Images can be shared from Instagram to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare, and Tumblr. Now Instagram has rolled out their online platform, and the time has come for us to pause and learn how to watermark our images.

There are several apps available for watermarking images, but I chose iWatermark because it is available for Mac, Windows, iPhone and other Apple products, and Android. There is a free and a paid version, which is available for $1.99. Both versions offer the same features. The difference between the two is the free version includes a statement on your image: “’iWatermark Free – Upgrade to remove this watermark’.” iWatermark allows users to create a text watermark or a graphic watermark.

Creating a Graphic Watermark with iWatermark

My preferred method for creating a watermark is the graphic method, because in this case you can use your logo and further your branding and marketing efforts. Creating the graphic watermark is easy. You simply need make your logo white or grey, reduce the opacity, and perhaps change the size. Some will be able to do this, and some will not. Please, enlist the help of a graphic designer if you do not know how to do this. It will only take them a couple of minutes, and the quality will be much better.

1. Once you have your graphic watermark, email it to yourself from your computer.
2. With your device, open your email, download your watermark, and save it to your image gallery.
3. Open iWatermark, and choose “Select Photo.” Then select “Open Photo Gallery.” (Any image will do – for some reason you need to open an image in order to create a watermark).
4. Once you have chosen your photo, you will be asked what you want to do. Choose “Create Graphic Watermark.”
5. At the bottom of the screen you will see three options; “Edit,” “WaterMarks,” and “Save.” Choose “Edit,” and you will be directed to your image library, where you will choose the logo image you saved earlier.
6. Now choose “Save and Exit” at the bottom. Name your watermark, choose save, and you should get a message it was saved to the roller.

Congratulations – you have created a graphic watermark! Now let’s add it to images.

Adding a Watermark and Uploading it to Instagram

I prefer taking a picture with the camera on my device – rather than taking the photo with Instagram itself. You also have the option of taking a picture with iWatermark. These are the instructions for using your device camera.

1. Open iWatermark and choose “Select Photo,” and then “Open Photo Gallery.”
2. Next, choose “iWatermark Photo.”
3. Your image will pop up, and you will also see the roller, where your graphic watermark was saved. Tap the watermark name, and it will appear at the top left of the image. Tap the screen to remove the roller. You can position or resize the watermark with your fingers.
4. When you have placed our watermark where you want it, choose “Save” at the bottom, and then “Save to Photo Library.” TIP! Remember the square space you are allowed in Instagram!

Awesome! Your image is watermarked, now go to your library and make sure it is there, so we can edit and upload it with Instagram! If your image is there, open Instagram, click the camera icon, and choose “Photo Gallery.” Now frame your image, choose your filter if you so desire, and upload.

If You Prefer to Take the Photo with Instagram

If you prefer to use Instagram to take your photos, watermarking becomes a little trickier. Instagram was developed as a social sharing tool, and so is programmed to upload your image to Instagram as soon as it is saved. Thankfully Geek is the New Chic gives us a way to save your Instagram image to your camera roll without uploading it. Her suggestion is to simply turn your phone to airplane mode, which disconnects from the network, thus saving to the camera roll. Once it is saved to the camera roll, you can open iWatermark and watermark your image per the instructions above!

Creating a Text Watermark with iWatermark

Creating a text watermark with iWatermark is easy, and provides several options, including special characters, font, size, color, and opacity. Once the text watermark is complete, it is saved to the ROLLER, and is available for use on any of your images.

1. Open iWatermark, and choose “Select Photo.” Then select “Open Photo Gallery.”
2. Once you have chosen your photo, you will be asked what you want to do. Choose “Create Text Watermark.”
3. At the bottom of the screen you will see three options; “Edit,” “WaterMarks,” and “Save.” Choose “Edit,” and choose “Text.”
4. In the middle of the screen you will see a box to type in your watermark text. At the top will be copyright symbols and options to include date and time. Include options from the top if you wish. Just tap them and they will be entered into the text box. Then tap the text box and enter your text.
5. At the top left you will see your bright red watermark. Choose “Edit” at the bottom again, and you can edit the font, size, opacity, color, and angle.
6. Now choose “Save and Exit” at the bottom. Name your watermark, choose save, and you should get a message it was saved to the roller.

You have now created a text watermark that can be used on any of your images, and you are ready to follow the instructions for adding the watermark and uploading to Instagram! Here is a little collage I created following the steps above; creating the watermark from my logo, creating the watermark in iWatermark, taking the images with the camera on my phone, adding the watermark to the images, and editing and uploading to Instagram. Then I emailed them to myself and put them together with PicMonkey – FUN!

Watermarking images for Instagram is another step some may not want to take, but it is an important step if you want to protect your images, protect your content, and further your branding and marketing efforts. Once you have created your watermark, it is a quick step, and one that will (and should!) become second nature.

Unfortunately as an Android user, it is near impossible to easily take screen shots. For more detailed screen shots of iWatermark, please visit the developer website, Plum Amazing.