Watermark Brush



Have you ever wanted a watermark brush?  Yes?  No?

Think about it - having one in your brushes list will make it really easy to digitally sign all of your photographs and artwork - your intellectual property.

All of the images you post on the web, Facebook, Deviant Art and all of the other different sites are available for anyone to download - did you ever think of that?

This means it's a reasonably good idea to make sure you have digitally signed all of your work, securing ownership.

This is an easy procedure so let's get going ...

The Steps


Create a new, transparent blank file with the same resolution as your photographs.


watermark new blank file


  1. Select the Horizontal Type Tool, choose a font such as Arial or Myriad Pro, set the Alignment to Center and Bold.  In this example the font size was set to 72 just so it would be nice and easy to see.

  2. The first thing to do is create the Copyright symbol.

    • In Windows - press the Number Lock key, hold down the Alt key and type 0169 on the number pad.
    • On a Mac - press Option + G

  3. With the Copyright Symbol in place type any text you want as your Watermark text.

  4. When complete, click the little check mark on the options bar.

watermark text


Now it's time to embellish the Watermark.

Open the Effects Menu and then choose Bevels from the drop down list.

There are a lot of choices available but the Inner Ridge and Scalloped Edge seem to provide the best results. 


watermark scalloped edge


At this point the text is finished but a drop shadows an also be added.  In the Effects menu drop down the list and select Drop Shadows. 

Once again there are lots of choices but the one labeled Low seems to be a good choice.


watermark drop shadow



Making The Watermark Brush


This is the easiest part of the procedure. 

The first thing is to select the Brush Tool and then drop down the brushes in the options bar.


watermark brush selection


If the Default Brushes are not selected then drop down the Brushes list and select Default Brushes.

Now drag a rectangular selection around the text and go to Edit > Define Brush From Selection ...


watermark define brush


Enter a name for the watermark brush and click OK.  That's it - you're done and the new brush will be found at the bottom of the Default Brush list.

When you need to use it just select it from the brush list, choose an appropriate color and tap once with your pen (or left click with your mouse) to put a watermark copyright on your work.

Here's one I put on one of my pictures of little Libby ...

watermark libby


And, for good measure, a nice close-up of the watermark ...


wtermark close up




Other Brushes


A watermark brush is a very useful brush to have but you can make some fun brushes as well using the same procedures.

From An Image

For instance, if a selection is made on a part of an image then Edit > Define Brush From Selection ... will make a grayscale brush of the selection.  Like this ...

watermark hibiscus watermark hibiscus brush
Hibiscus
 Hibiscus Brush


From A Tracing

This one is simple but will take some time to trace with a Wacom pen. 

First - do the tracing on a layer (this may take a bit of time).  When it's done, turn off the visibility of the Background (white) layer and draw a rectangular selection around the tracing and then Edit > Define Brush From Selection ...

Here are a few that I did - the top one is the Ford Mustang Badge from the front of a 60's Mustang.  The middle one is the Chevrolet name plate from the front of a 56 Chevy and the bottom one is a tracing of a gargoyle.


watermark tracings


Design Your Own

watermark initial brush

Create a new file and add a layer.

Grab your Wacom pen and draw or paint anything.

Turn off the visibility of the Background (White) layer and draw a rectangular selection around your artwork on the layer.

Now - Edit > Define Brush From Selection ... and now you have a brush featuring your amazing artwork.

Now I've got a nice brush with my first initial and I can pretty much put it anywhere I want.







Now I have no idea how useful these brushes will be but it was fun making them.

Once the brushes have been created then all of the different brush dynamics can be applied to the new brushes just like the standard brushes.

With a Wacom tablet the pressure applied to the pen can change ...
  • Size.
  • Opacity.
  • Hue Jitter.
  • Scatter.
  • Roundness.
in the Brush Tablet Options.

Have fun making brushes - it's easy and it's fun!

Page Links

The Steps

Making A Watermark Brush

Other Brushes



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