Best Ways to Remove Watermark Online

Jack

By Jack

Update on

Remove Watermark Online

Watermarks are one of the most effective ways content creators can protect their work from people stealing it.

Since watermarks cover up a portion of the video or photo without ruining the media and making it clear who it belongs to, removing a watermark from someone else’s work is difficult.

Manually removing it can ruin the video and often leave traces behind. Therefore a professional tool to remove watermarks online is ideal.

A watermark is just a transparent image layered over a video or photo. Removing the watermark is incredibly easy if you have the original video file (or even the project file).

Most of the time, this won’t be the case. So, try our solutions below if you want to remove a watermark from a photo or video.

Basic Solutions to Remove Watermark Online

We’ll first be looking at some general tips for removing watermarks. These don’t require any special watermark removal tools and are fairly simple to follow.

1. Use the Original Program to Remove Watermark Online

Just like we said previously if you have access to the original files and the program which was used to add the watermark, you can remove it with ease.

For example, you may use Paint or Photoshop to add a watermark to your work.

Use the Original Program

Every program works differently, and the steps to remove the watermark won’t be precisely the same for each program, but here’s a basic outline of doing so:

  • Step #1 – Run the graphic editing program that was used for watermarking.
  • Step #2 – Open the photo with the watermark in the program.
  • Step #3 – Click on the watermark layer to select it.
  • Step #4 – Press the “Delete” key on your keyboard or right-click the watermark and delete it.
  • Step #5 – Go to “File > Save as…” and save the photo without a watermark.

Most of the time, if you are removing watermarks from your own work, it’s that simple. However, if you need to remove a watermark online for someone else’s work, it is more complicated.

By the way, here is a full Inkscape Review.

2. Crop the Watermark Out to Remove Watermark Online

If the watermark isn’t too big and only covers a small area in the corner of the image, cropping it out will work. You can find a few cropping tools online, but here’s how to crop out a watermark using a graphic editing program.

Remove Watermark Online
  • Step #1 – Open your photo in an image editing program.
  • Step #2 – Click on the cropping tool icon.
  • Step #3 – Highlight the part of the image you want to keep (excluding the watermark).
  • Step #4 – Apply the crop (usually double-click the area) and save the new image.

Of course, if cropping out the watermark would make the image worse, try another solution. But if the watermark is only slightly intrusive, this will work fine.

3. Make Minor Edits with a Graphic Design App

If you’re confident with your design skills, then you can try making a few minor edits yourself. Sometimes, if the watermark is very transparent and not massive, even a simple change in the hue or saturation can make it less visible.

Another edit you can try is adding an overlay. Again, this will depend on the specific image and how you’re going to use it. Take a quick look around the graphic design program you have access to and see what features might come in handy for removing a watermark.

4. Cover the Watermark

You could cover it up depending on why you want to remove the watermark. This is probably the easiest solution because you don’t have to do anything technical. You are just copying and pasting another image over the area.

  • Step #1 – Launch an image editing program and open the photo.
  • Step #2 – Find the graphic you want to cover up the watermark with.
  • Step #3 – Copy this image and paste it into the editing app (either CTRL + V or “Edit > Paste”).
  • Step #4 – Resize the new image to cover the watermark comfortably.
  • Step #5 – Save your new image with the watermark hidden.

Unless you are covering the watermark with your own watermark, this probably isn’t ideal. There will still be an intrusive watermark on the photo, so another (and more effective) solution might be preferable to remove the watermark online.

5. Using the Clone Editing Tool

Clone editing is an interesting tool. How it works is rather complex. You select an area on the image that you want to clone and an area to clone it to. This is a very effective way of covering up a watermark for images with ambiguous backgrounds.

fotophire eraser
  • Step #1 – Run the graphic design program and open your image.
  • Step #2 – Adjust the paintbrush size and style. Ideally, you should use a small and soft paintbrush so that you can blend the cloned area in with the rest of the image effectively.
  • Step #3 – Click on the clone tool and select a part of the image that is suitable for the watermarked section.
  • Step #4 – Slowly and carefully use the paintbrush to cover the watermark. If you make a mistake, then use CTRL + Z to undo it and try again.

Using the clone tool takes a lot of patience and a steady hand. You also have to consider whether it’s possible to use the clone tool without making a mess.

Also read: How to remove Getty Images watermark from pictures.

Watermark Removal Tools

All of those basic solutions are the basis of how to remove watermarks online. Something that may be holding you back does not have the right tool to follow those methods above. In that case, here are the three best watermark removal tools you can use.

1. WebInPaint

WebInPaint is another way you can remove watermarks online. To use this tool and all it entails, you just need to open a browser and upload your image.

WebInPaint

Here’s a quick walkthrough on how to use WebInPaint:

  • Step #1 – Open the WebInPaint site in a browser.
  • Step #2 – Drag the image onto the webpage or click “Upload Image” to select it.
  • Step #3 – Click on the marker tool icon after uploading it.
  • Step #4 – Proceed to use this tool and cover up the watermark by drawing over it.
  • Step #5 – Click “Erase,” and the watermark should now disappear.
  • Step #6 – You can make further edits if needed. When the image is perfect, click “Download” and save the copy without a watermark.

The one downside is that as effective as WebInPaint is at removing watermarks, even though it is online, you will have to pay to download the new version.

Fortunately, the credits you require aren’t ridiculously expensive, so you won’t be completely out of pocket if you’ve got more than just a few photos.

2. Super Eraser (Mac Only)

Mac users can look into using Super Eraser. Like Wondershare Fotophire, a free download is available, but full access requires you to buy. This tool is specifically designed for removing watermarks and using the specially designed algorithm; it does this very effectively.

Super Eraser
  • Meant specifically for removing watermarks
  • Straightforward and easy to use
  • Compatible with all the latest Mac computers and OS X versions
  • Available is a free watermark removal tool

Windows users don’t have the luxury of using Super Eraser to remove watermarks online. The rest of the solutions in this article are suitable for Windows and Mac, though!

Alternative Solution: Hire a Professional

One thing can’t be denied: removing a watermark is a hassle. If you aren’t able to install Wondershare Fotophire on your computer and neither of the other tools was effective, manually removing it seems like the only other option you have.

Not so fast – instead of spending hours of tedious pixel painting and cloning, there’s another solution. Consider paying a freelancer or a graphic design agency to remove the watermarks for you. Especially if you are removing watermarks from more than one image and you value your time, this could be worth scraping together the money for.

Professionals are able to take on these tasks easier than you and I can. They have the best graphic design tools, and they’ve done this before. If you have a handful of watermarks that need removing, this is worth considering!

FAQs

  1. Is it legal to remove watermarks from images?
    • Removing a watermark without the creator’s permission can be considered a violation of copyright laws.
  2. Are there any free tools to remove watermarks online?
    • Yes, tools like WebInPaint, GIMP, and Pixlr are free to use.
  3. What are the risks involved in removing a watermark?
    • If you remove a watermark without proper authorization, you may face legal issues due to copyright infringement.
  4. Can all watermarks be removed easily?
    • While most watermarks can be removed, some may be difficult depending on their size, transparency, and location on the image.
  5. What are the alternatives to removing a watermark?
    • If you’re finding it difficult to remove a watermark, you could consider reaching out to the original content creator for a clean copy or seeking permission to use it.

To Conclude

Criticizing watermarks wouldn’t be fair. Content creators put a lot of effort into their work, and this allows them to prevent people from stealing their content and claiming it as their own.

That being said, if you include images in a presentation or something similar, you’ll want to remove the watermark online. Some of the manual methods above can be really useful, although they do require you to put in the extra effort.

Using a professional watermark removal tool will prove to be more effective and is simply much easier.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

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