To inhibit unauthorized use of protected material, DF Studio offers the ability to watermark images before distributing them to external sources, via Messengers, PDF proofsheets, Web Portfolios, or remote publishing services.
Watermarks are applied directly to the preview files before distribution (original image files are never altered), and can take the form of an image, custom text, or specific text based on the context (such as the email address of a Messenger recipient).
Configure a Watermark Image
The watermark image for a DF Studio account is managed in the Branding and Watermarks section of the account settings screen. Click the Settings link at the top right of any DF Studio page, then click “Branding and Watermarks” in the right column.
Drag and drop a JPG or PNG file into the Watermark Image section to replace the current watermark image, or click on the current watermark preview to browse local files and folders for the new file. Transparency is not required in the watermark image (opacity can be adjusted in the watermark settings), but transparency included in a PNG file will appear in the watermark as it does in the original file.
Preview a Watermark’s Appearance
Specific watermark settings are configured individually for each Messenger, Web Portfolio, or publication to a remote service. For a preview of sample watermark configurations, click the “Sample Watermark Options” button in the Branding and Watermarks Settings page.
The resulting overlay represents the same options that are present when configuring watermarks individually for a Messenger, Web Portfolio, etc. The following aspects of the watermark may be configured:
Type: Superimpose the uploaded watermark image for the account, a short piece of custom text, or the email address of a Messenger recipient (when applicable).
Position: Choose an edge or corner for the watermark placement, or center the watermark on the image.
Opacity: Settings closer to 100% will obscure the image more completely; settings closer to 0% will allow more of the image to show through the watermark.
Mode: Specify whether the watermark should appear once, in the designated position, or tiled repeatedly across the entire image.
Mode Controls: Specify the size of the watermark. The watermark can also be tilted halfway to the left or the right.
Configure Default Watermark Settings
Administrators of Enterprise and Unlimited DF Studio accounts can specify default options for all Messenger watermarks on the account. Contact DF Studio Support with a list of preferred settings for each of the specific options outlined above, and the account will be configured to use those settings by default any time a user creates a Messenger with watermarked images.
It is also possible to enable watermarks on all Messengers by default. (Without this configuration, users turn on watermarks in the New Messenger overlay as described below.)
These defaults do not restrict the user from changing or disabling the watermark options of any Messenger sent from the account. Users in the DF Studio account will always have full access to the watermark options as described above, including sending a Messenger with no watermark at all.
Add Watermarks to Images
DF Studio offers the opportunity to add watermarks to images whenever they are being distributed outside of the DF Studio account. When configuring the distribution of images requiring a watermark, make the following selections:
In a Messenger, turn on Watermark in the “Options” section of the New Messenger overlay. Then click the “Configure…” button to adjust specific settings.
Watermarks are not supported on LIVE Messengers or Multi-Messengers.
When generating a PDF proofsheet, turn on Watermark in the “Watermark Options” section of the overlay. Then click the “Configure” button, if desired, to adjust specific settings.
In contexts where VSP is active, watermarked images are required, and are generated using the default watermark settings for the DF Studio account.
When publishing a Web Portfolio, check the “Watermark” option in the Create Web Portfolio overlay, then adjust the specific settings using the controls that appear in the overlay.
When publishing to a remote service (such as WordPress), check the “Watermark” option in the Publish Assets overlay, then adjust the specific settings using the controls that appear in the overlay.
Once all of the settings are complete and the overlay is submitted (for any of the above distribution paths), DF Studio will generate custom versions of the selected images with the watermark embedded according to the specific settings. These settings apply only to the images involved in the current distribution, and will not affect previously watermarked images (nor original files, the visual content of which is never altered by DF Studio). Once the custom watermarked images have been generated, the distribution (Messenger delivery or publication) will commence.