How to Remove Watermarks From Photos

You can easily remove that protection

By

Coletta Teske Whitehead

Updated on December 10, 2020

Reviewed by

Jon Fisher

Design

What to Know

In the app you used to create the watermark, select the watermark text or image, and press Delete.
Or, use an image-editing app like Photoshop to crop a photo to remove a watermark.
Or, try a third-party online watermark-removal tool like Inpaint.

This article offers suggestions on how to remove a watermark from your image using the original app, cropping with an image editor, or using an online tool. Note that removing the watermark from an image for which you don't own the copyright is likely illegal. We advise that when you want to watermark one of your photos, make a copy of the photo and create the watermark on the copy.

Delete a Watermark Using the Original App

When your watermarked image was created with an app such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Paint 3D, use that app to remove the watermark.

Deleting a watermark might require unique steps depending on how it was created. These directions can be used to remove any watermark from any photo.

Open the app that you used to create the watermarked photo.
Open the file that contains the watermarked photo.
Find the photo that contains the watermark.
Select the watermark text or image, then press Delete.
Right-click on the picture and select Save as Picture. Give the image a name, choose a file format, and click Save.

If you can't select the watermark, it may be grouped with the picture. Choose the photo and then select Ungroup.

Crop a Picture to Remove a Watermark

When a watermark is near the edge of the photo, crop the photo to remove it. When you crop a picture, part of the image is cut off and the image is smaller.

You’ll find a Crop tool in image editing apps such as Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, and in productivity software such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

Here’s how to crop a photo to remove a watermark:

From the image editor, open the photo that has the watermark.
Select the Crop tool.
Drag the handles to select the section of the image you want to keep.
Submit the changes by pressing a Save or Done button.

Edit the Photo Using an Image Editor App

If you can’t delete the watermark or if you don’t have the original image without the watermark, use a photo editing software such as Photoshop, GIMP or Pixlr. The Clone Stamp tool in these apps will cover up the watermark with a part of the photo.

To remove a watermark with the Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop:

With the image open in Photoshop, select the Clone Stamp tool from the tools menu. It's the one that looks like a stamp.
Select a brush style and size that will cover the watermark. Use a soft round brush to make it easier to blend the cloned area and avoid sharp edges.
With the Alt key pressed, select a part of the image that doesn't include the watermark, and then depress the key. The area you select should have similar colors and textures as the part of the photo that the watermark is covering.
Brush over the watermark area to replace it with the background you sampled. You might need to keep resampling an area of the page to get it just right, and you can adjust the brush size from the menu at the top of Photoshop.

This method may take some time and practice if you aren’t familiar with Photoshop or similar tools.

Use an Online Watermark Remover

There are several online tools that make it easy to remove a watermark from your photos. If you’re looking for an online tool, check out InPaint.

Removing a watermark in InPaint is similar to using the Clone Stamp tool. Select the watermark, and the app does the cloning work.

Here’s how to use InPaint:

Go to the InPaint upload page.
Select Upload Image and choose the photo that contains the watermark.
Choose the Marker Tool.
Draw over the watermark. A transparent color will appear to show the area you're selecting.
Select Erase.
Select Download to save the photo to your computer.

You’ll need to purchase credits to save the image in a high-quality format. Otherwise, it will save as a low quality image.

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