How to remove watermarks from photos

On the Internet, you will see images with an overlay (often the name of the site) which spoils the readability a little. This is how some sites protect their iconographic documents. We call it a watermark… just like banknotes! However, with image editing software, like Photoshop or GIMP, it is quite easy to remove them. The fact remains that it is illegal to use an image without the consent of the creator.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: With Photoshop

Step 1. Launch Photoshop

Its icon is a light blue "Ps" on a dark blue background. Double-click the icon to run Photoshop.

You must subscribe on the Adobe site. It will cost you 23.99 € / month for the classic application. To evaluate it, Adobe made Photoshop available free of charge for a period of 7 days

Step 2. Open the watermarked image in Photoshop

It could not be easier ! Operate as follows:

click on File;
click on To open;
navigate in the tree structure of the hard drive to find your image, then click on the icon;
click on To open.

Step 3. Select the Magic Wand tool

In the left toolbar, its icon is… a wand with sparkles.

Step 4. Set the tolerance around 15

In the frame at the top of the parameters, find the mention Tolerance and type as value 15, the selection range will then be restricted.

If you selected an unwanted area, you would just need to go back by hitting Control + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (macOS). In this case, it would be good to decrease the tolerance

Step 5. Click on the watermark

It will appear surrounded by flashing dots, it is selected. If the watermark is made of multiple colors, it won't be fully selected, that's okay until you click somewhere else in the image.

Step 6. Hold down the Shift key

With this key pressed, continue to click on the parts of the watermark that have not yet been selected: you increase the selected area. Stop when the entire watermark is surrounded by a flashing dotted line.

There is another method which is to use the tool Lasso. Click on a lasso (freehand, polygonal, rectangular…), then go around the watermark which will then be selected.

Step 7. Know how to deselect an area

To do this, hold down the alt = "Image" key (Windows) or the Command key (macOS), while clicking with the magic wand on the area to be deleted. If you notice that the selection area is too wide, decrease the tolerance.

Use the tool Quick selection set to a low tolerance. Hold down the mouse button, click on the area you want to deselect and drag the tool for a second or two over the area you want to select and it will be.

Step 8. Expand the selection by 2 or 3 pixels

With the watermark selected, expand the selection boundaries a few pixels outward. Operate as follows:

click on Selection (2^e menu from the left) in the top menu bar;
click on To modify;
click on Expand;
enter 1, 2 or 3 in the field to the right of Dilate;
click on OK.

Step 9. Use content-based fill

This feature allows you to fill a selected part of the sampled content. Operate as follows:

click on Editing in the top menu bar;
click on To fill;
select Content taken into account in the drop-down list With;
click on OK.

Step 10. Select the Clone Stamp tool

In the toolbar on the left, its icon is a stamp. Click on it and select Duplication buffer. The previous operation has erased the watermark, but the result is not always clear, hence the use of the buffer.

Step 11. Adjust the size and hardness of the brush (brush)

While you can change both of these settings, start off as follows:

click on the round icon in the upper left corner;
drag the size slider (at the top) to get the size you want. If you make a mistake, you can correct it without any problem;
set the hardness to 0 in the same way.

Step 12. Take a sample

While holding down the alt = "Image" (Windows) or Command (macOS) key, click on an area close of the erased area, the brush will record this sample. Do not click on the watermark, but on the area which is just above or just below!

Step 13. Click on the area previously occupied by the watermark

Thanks to the buffer sample, you should have something fairly homogeneous. If you were not satisfied with the result, you would remove the click, take a closer sample (13^e stage).

Work with clicks and not by holding the mouse down to go faster. Thus, you will work more finely and transform the only areas that need it. Chances are, if the background of the image was not smooth and the watermark took up a long space, you would have to change the sample several times to get a consistent image

Step 14. Save the new image

When you are happy with your work, you should save your image as follows:

click on File;
click on Save as;
type the name of the file in the field File name (Windows) or Save as (macOS);
select Jpeg in the drop-down list Type (Windows) or Format (macOS);
click on Save.

Method 2 of 2: With GIMP

Step 1. Download and install GIMP

GIMP is Photoshop's counterpart in the field of free and modifiable software. It is certainly free, but very powerful. If you don't already have it on your computer, do so quickly as follows:

in your browser, go to the GIMP website;
click on Download 2.10.22;
click on Download GIMP 2.10.18 Directly;
run the installation file located in your downloads folder;
let yourself be guided by the instructions. For a French version, read this article.

Step 2. Run GIMP

GIMP's icon is a fox head with a brush in its mouth. Double click this icon to run GIMP.

Step 3. Open the image in GIMP

You will proceed as follows:

click on File;
click on To open;
Navigate through the hard drive tree until you find the image file, then click once on the icon;
click on To open.

Step 4. Select the (Clone) tool

It is also called a tool Cloning Where Duplicate buffer. Its icon in the Tool Palette is a stamp seen from the front.

Step 5. Select the soft brush

In the stamp options, select the shape of your brush: take the one shown in the illustration, it is also the default. You can always change the look afterwards.

Step 6. Change the brush size

Locate the section Cut, then set a size using the small arrows on the side, the upper one to increase the size, the lower one to decrease it.

Step 7. Take a sample

While holding down the Control (Windows) or Command (macOS) key, click on an area near the watermark, the brush saves the sample, which will replace the watermark.

Step 8. Click on the watermark as many times as necessary

You have a sample stamp: by clicking several times on the watermark, it will disappear and instead you will have the sample copied in the previous step. If at the first click, you see that the sample is not the one you want, take another sample (7^e stage).

Step 9. Remove the watermark completely

Chances are, if the background of the image is not homogeneous, you will have to change the stamp sample to have a consistent image. The trick here is to take the sample just above or below the part of the watermark that is going to be covered.