BlogAI photo editing

How to remove watermarks from photos for beginners

Maryam OseniOctober 31, 2023
How to remove watermarks from photos for beginners

TLDR: Removing watermarks from photos is easy with Photoroom's free magic retouch tool that uses AI technology. The process is similar to removing timestamps, text, and other unwanted objects. Photoroom offers a user-friendly alternative to complex software like Photoshop, making it ideal for small business owners, bloggers, and creators who need quick, professional results without extensive editing skills.

As a solopreneur or small business owner, you likely take a lot of product photos and lifestyle shots for your brand. So, you know there is nothing more annoying than a stock watermark or an unwanted object in an image you want to put on social media or use for marketing. If you have ever had to crop out a product photo to remove a watermark or completely discard a good brand picture because of too many unwanted objects in the background, this one is for you.

Depending on the location and size, removing watermarks and unwanted objects from photos can be a simple or complex process. We'll show you how to retouch your images and get rid of unwanted distractions and imperfections without professional photo editing skills. 

It's important to note that removing watermarks from photos without permission may be illegal and can lead to copyright infringement issues. Always make sure you have the right to use the image before attempting to remove the watermark. If in doubt, it's best to contact the owner of the photo and request permission to use it without the watermark.

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How to remove a watermark with Photoroom 

Photoroom is an online photo editing platform explicitly built to make complex editing possible with just a few clicks and lets you easily remove unwanted objects like watermarks, date stamps, emojis, and other distractions from your pictures. It supports various image formats, making it versatile for all your editing needs.

Photoroom's standout feature for watermark removal is called AI Retouch. This innovative tool combines advanced AI technology with user-friendly functionality to make object removal quick and effortless. Unlike traditional editing methods that require precise selection and manual touch-ups, Magic Retouch automates much of the process, allowing even novice users to achieve professional-looking results.

The intelligent algorithms powering the Magic Retouch will seamlessly blend the retouched area into the rest of the image, so it looks natural. You don't need any technical expertise to get professional results.

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Removing watermarks on your mobile phone

To remove watermarks on your phone using Photoroom, all you have to do is:

  • Open the Photoroom app and select “Retouch” to add the watermarked photo to the retouch area.

  • Adjust the brush size and slide your fingertips over the watermark to brush it off.

  • Select “Done” and click “Save Image” to download your watermark-free picture to your gallery.

Let’s dive into it step-by-step.

Step 1: Open the Photoroom app on your phone. If you don’t have the mobile app, download it from the Google Play Store or App Store and sign up in less than a minute.

Step 2: Upload the watermarked photo by clicking the purple “+ Start from Photo” button at the bottom of your phone screen and selecting “Camera Roll”. Alternatively, you can choose “Retouch” at the top of your screen to upload the watermarked photo directly to the retouching area.

mobile watermark removal guide 1Step 3: In the retouching area, there is a slider at the bottom of the screen. It helps you adjust the brush size of the retouch tool. Slide left or right to select your brush size.

Brush over the watermark with your fingertips to erase it from your photo. Here, Photoroom works its magic to ensure that whatever is behind the watermark blends smoothly. Glide over the watermarked area as many times as you want to achieve your desired results.

Step 4: Once you are satisfied with the results, select “Next” at the top right corner of your phone screen to proceed to the edit area. Here, you can add any other effect to your watermark-free image.

mobile watermark removal guide 2Step 5: Click the purple upload icon at the top right corner of your screen to proceed to the download area. 

Step 6: Finally, click on “Save Image” to download the final image directly into your photo gallery.

mobile watermark removal guide 3Removing watermarks on your laptop or PC

Step 1: Login to Photoroom Web and you will see your main dashboard.

Step 2: Click the “+ Select a photo” button to upload the watermarked image. Alternatively, you can select the "Retouch" tool from the tools catalog. This will take you directly to the retouching area.

web watermark removal guide 1Step 3: In the retouching area, there is a slider at the top right of the screen. This slider helps you adjust the brush size of the Retouch tool. Slide left or right to select your brush size.

web watermark removal guide 2Step 4: Once you have the right brush size, click and drag your cursor over the watermark to erase it from your product photo. Here, Photoroom works its magic to ensure that whatever is behind the watermark blends smoothly. 

PRO-TIP: If the watermark is sitting on your product like in the example above, reduce the brush to a very small size and zoom in on your image. You will be able to make precise short strokes on the affected areas instead of one long stroke. Shorter strokes ensure that your product blends perfectly without any smears. 

Step 5:  Once you have fully erased the watermark, click the “Confirm” button at the bottom right corner of your computer screen to save your changes and proceed to the download area.

web watermark removal guide 3Step 6: On the left side of your screen, Photoroom has a suite of tools to help you implement other edits on your image. You can resize your image, add Instant Backgrounds, and use many other features. 

Step 7: Click the “Download” button in the top right corner of your screen to instantly save the final image, free of watermarks. 

web watermark removal guide 4

Why removing a watermark can be useful

Watermarks are used to protect the ownership and copyright of images.  However, there may be times when you want to remove a watermark from your photo to use it for personal or professional purposes. 

  • Let’s say you've captured stunning product images for your online store, but they come with distracting, unwanted watermarks from the stock photo site you used. Removing these watermarks ensures a professional presentation of your merchandise. 

  • If you're selling on platforms like Etsy or eBay, you need pristine product images, and eliminating watermarks or logos from supplier images gives your listings a consistent and trustworthy appearance. This is especially helpful if you are a drop shipper or reseller trying to maintain a consistent and clean visual on your

  • As a creator, using watermarked images in drafts or mock-ups for client presentations helps to protect your work. But if the client approves the draft and you later want to present a more polished version of your work, you will need to remove the watermarks. 

  • Or perhaps you are working on projects where clients provide watermarked images as references with their own logo, for example. Once the project is complete, you will need to remove the watermarks from the final images used in the deliverables.

It's important to note that removing watermarks from photos without permission may be illegal and can lead to copyright infringement issues. Always make sure you have the right to use the image before attempting to remove the watermark. If in doubt, it's best to contact the owner of the photo and request permission to use it without the watermark.

Removing unwanted objects from pictures with Photoroom

As a business owner, you're constantly striving to improve your brand's image and marketing strategy, and one essential aspect of this is having visually appealing and professional-looking photos. However, this can be a challenge when you are working alone and don't have access to high-quality images or a professional photographer. Here are other ways Photoroom can help you create clean, professional images using the Retouch tool:

Remove timestamps from photos

If you've ever taken a picture with a digital camera or smartphone, you've likely encountered timestamps. These are the small, sometimes obtrusive, date and time indicators that mark when the photo was taken. While they can be useful for sorting and organizing your photo collection, they often detract from the visual appeal of the image.

If you're the face of your brand, sharing personal photos from time to time helps build credibility and rapport with your audience. There are times when you just do not feel up to the task and want to use an old photo instead. You can use Photoroom to remove date stamps from personal photos that you're sharing as part of your brand story, which helps maintain a polished image.

For photographers and creatives, presentation is key. Timestamp-free photos indicate a level of professionalism and attention to detail. Whether you're assembling a portfolio or showcasing your work on a website, presenting clean and polished images indicates your commitment to delivering top-notch content. It's a subtle yet impactful way to stand out in a competitive visual landscape.

Also, when using product images for e-commerce or marketing purposes, you can remove time or date stamps to ensure the focus remains on the product itself rather than when the image was captured.

Remove text from photos

Photoroom’s Retouch tool also helps you remove text you don’t want from your photos. The process is the same as eliminating watermarks and timestamps. This is helpful when you are repurposing content or creating marketing collateral. 

For example, if you have a product photo that has text on it that is distracting or irrelevant, you can use the Retouch tool to remove it and ensure that the focus is solely on the product itself. Similarly, if you are reusing pictures from past content or promotions, you can easily remove the old text from the photo to make room for the new text. This will save you the extra time you would have spent taking new product photos. 

You can also remove text from your image to protect your privacy. For example, if you take a picture outside with your car, you can use the Retouch tool to neatly erase your car’s plates without needing to use the distracting black squares. 

Photoroom vs. Photoshop for simplicity and ease

Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly a powerhouse in image editing. However, Photoshop has a lot of online tools and controls that make it really hard for beginners. Even experienced users and professional photographers can still struggle to erase specific objects cleanly. 

As a time-crunched solopreneur, you don’t have hours to learn complex editing programs or patience for tricky workflows that leave your images looking obviously retouched.

That’s where Photoroom shines. Retouching your image with Photoroom is like waving a magic wand (it literally glitters) to reveal unadulterated beauty. You don’t have to meticulously mask out watermarks and imperfections when you can easily slide your fingers over what you don’t want in your photos. 

Photoroom delivers a faster, easier editing experience for small business owners, bloggers, and creators who want to:

  • Quickly retouch photos without learning Photoshop

  • Remove watermarks, text, and/or dates with no masks or tracings

  • Avoid obvious editing failures from imprecise selections

  • Save hours on overcomplicated editing software

  • Get great results without graphic design expertise

Easily transform your images with Photoroom

Creating clean, classic, visual content continuously is essential for presenting a strong brand as a small business owner. However, with so many other aspects of your business to manage, you don’t have time to struggle with complex editing software. Our user-friendly online tool is designed specifically with small business owners in mind, offering a range of intuitive tools and features that make it easy to remove unwanted objects from pictures without any prior editing experience.

With Photoroom's online tool, you can easily remove unwanted watermarks, logos, and other objects from your images without compromising image quality, even for images with complex or textured backgrounds.

Photoroom is accessible on both mobile devices and desktops. You can download the mobile app from the App Store and the Google Play Store. Sign up in less than a minute and start creating cluster-free images.

Maryam OseniI write about multiple ways to make your product photography better with AI.

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