Watch the full tutorial

Three Ways to Watermark in Darktable

Darktable’s watermark module covers three distinct use cases:

  1. Image watermark — your logo or any PNG file
  2. Parametric watermark — SVG-based text that pulls live data from your image EXIF
  3. Double watermark — combining both at once

Part 1: Image Watermark (PNG)

To use a logo or image as a watermark, place your PNG file in the Darktable watermarks folder:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/darktable/watermarks/ Windows/Linux: see the Darktable documentation for your path

The file must have a transparent background — Darktable won’t remove backgrounds automatically. Once the file is in the folder, restart Darktable and it will appear in the watermark module dropdown.

Key settings:

  • Opacity — around 40–50% is usually the sweet spot for non-intrusive watermarking
  • Scale — set relative to image, larger border, height, or smaller border depending on your output
  • Position and alignment — place it wherever it’s least invasive; fine-tune with the offset controls
  • Rotation — available if needed

Part 2: Parametric Watermark (SVG)

This is where Darktable stands out from most photo software. SVG watermarks are text-based files that can pull live parameters directly from your image — focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, filename, your website, and more. The watermark updates automatically for every image.

The most useful built-in template is promo.svg, which includes your website URL and EXIF data. To customise it:

Option A — Text editor: Open the SVG file in any text editor. Find the text strings you want to replace (search for darktable to find the default website) and substitute your own. EXIF parameters follow the format $image.exif_parameter — use any parameter Darktable supports.

Option B — Inkscape: Open the SVG in Inkscape for a visual editor. You can modify text, reposition elements, change colours, and even embed your logo directly. Save a copy before editing so you keep a clean original.

Other useful built-in templates worth exploring include metadata.svg, which displays image parameters with icons — handy for sharing images with a photo club or client where you want to show shooting conditions at a glance.

Part 3: Double Watermark (Logo + Parametric)

The cleanest way to combine a logo and a parametric watermark is to duplicate the watermark module instance:

  1. Add the watermark module with your SVG parametric template (e.g. promo.svg) — position it at the bottom
  2. Duplicate the module instance
  3. In the duplicate, switch to your PNG logo — position it at the top, scale down, reduce opacity

Two module instances, each doing its job independently. No SVG editing required, no headaches.

Batch Watermarking

If you want to watermark 25 images at once rather than activating the module image by image, use Darktable’s batch export — the watermark module applies automatically to every image in the export. Check the batch export tutorial for the full workflow.