P: Ability to Watermark images shared online

Do Any of the Adobe Devs actually read these forums/threads?

Continued from my post, and as a follow up to @Sameer K answer...

Your suggestion completely breaks the way that Adobe has intended its users to actually use Lightroom.
Firstly, the whole idea is that Lightroom is a non-destructive editor with cataloguing and tagging abilities. It loads in your RAW files and you do the edits on top of that but it does not actually do anything to your raw files.

I prefer doing my edits on Lightroom Classic and using it to manage my catalogues. and on final export I add my logos using the watermark feature in Lightroom Classic

(A) Currently if I want to use the share/proof feature (as it stands) so that I can get my client involved and they select images and then I should be able to then filter that selection set in Lightroom to go make my edits. This is the process...

1. Import RAW images into Lightroom Classic
2. Create a collection
3. Sync Collection to cloud
4. Open Lightroom Web and go to Album (still dont get why this has not been aligned, why is Classic a collection and Web a Album??)
5. Turn on proofing
6. Share link to client
7. Allow them to make selections
8. Back in Lightroom Classic, filter for selection/commented
9. Make edits
10. Export to HDD in new folder
11. Deliver to client

There are a number of flaws to this way of working without Full protective waterproofs.
Main one being that if you are running a business, this opens it up to your client just taking your images and running without payment. Sure they might not get the edited files or full res, but most photographers do a pretty good job doing the initial shots that some might not need a lot of editing. Clients may be happy with the unedited images. This then costs you time and money not only from a shoot (which could be the whole day) but also on setup time and catalogue time (minus the edit time in this case).
Another Flaw is that the client can change their mind on which images they want as there is no way for the client to notify you that they are happy with their selection, unless they contact you and let you know that they have made their choices and you then unshare the album or turn off sharing. This also means that its more overhead if you are working with multiple clients. There should be a "accept selection" button or something, that then locks in the selections that then also maybe sends you a notification somehow or an email that the client has completed their choices. If the client wants to make further changes, they would need to mail you to ask you to unlock the album again so that they can change their selection... this notifies you (because they emailed or contacted you) and then you dont go ahead and edit unwanted photos wasting time.

B) The way you are suggesting....

1. Import RAW images into Lightroom Classic (ORIGINAL)
2. Export all images to HDD with watermarks (so hard code onto image and take more space) in new folder
3. Import all watermarked images back into Lightroom Classic (these are not linked to originals in any way)
4. Create a collection/album (WATERMARKED)
5. Sync collection to cloud
6. Open Lightroom Web
7. Go to Album and turn on proofing
8. Share link to client
9. Client makes selections
10. Back in Lightroom Classic get the feedback or comments or selections from client on the WATERMARKED album/collection
11. Go back to ORIGINAL album/collection and try and figure out which ones the client selected
12. Make edits
13. Export with logos
14. Deliver to client

This way is a bit more secure for sure, but it doubles up your workflow and takes up more space than what is necessary and makes things very clunky as you need to go back and forth between albums/collections to read comments or check on selections.

C) The way this Should (suggestion) work, or could work. (I'm sure it could be streamlined further)...

1. Import RAW images to Lightroom Classic
2. Create a collection/Album
3. (possible step here) Add preferences or options on collection on which watermark to use
4. Sync collection to cloud
5. Open lightroom web
6. Go to Album, Turn on Proofing (this could also be where you turn on the option for watermarking, probably the easiest change on the backend/software side)
7. Share link to client
8. Client makes selections/adds comments
9. Once happy, they click a button, maybe a "Accept or Submit" button, this sends you a email or changes the colour on the collection in lightroom or somehow notifies you that the client has completed and submitted their choices. Could also make it that the Album locks from making further changes to selections now. Maybe a notification pops up for the client warning them that this will lock the album or prevent further changes with a accept or cancel option.
10. (After receiving notification) Go back to Lightroom Classic see album colour change or choose album
11. Filter by selection or comment or liked.
12. Make edits to those and address comments
13. Export finals in the usual manner
14. Deliver

This I would say is better streamlined from a Space, organisational and workflow perspective and also opens up for a more collaborative experience not just with a client, but possibly with a boss or if you are only the editor, can communicate with Photographer more efficiently.

I am happy to discuss further or if I made a assumption or mistake somewhere... open to chat
Sorry for the long post, but it has been a few years now that these features are lacking and I feel this discussion needs to be had

Okay... so I have recenlty been trying to find an efficient and simple way to share images to clients and allow them to pic their favourites or the ones I should upload and share to socials or websites.

I use Lightroom Classic as my prefered platform and love it, and through my research I found that you can create a collection and sync this to Lightroom CC/web which then allows you to be able to create a link and share to clients (bit of a oversimplification in explination there)

There is one MAJOR thing I feel missing from this feature.
Adding watermarks for proofing. I mean sure the client wont get the full res image or maybe not the edited image, but what stops them from downloading what you shared (sure you can disable downloads, but there are ways to just save the image) and them then saying to you they happy and got what they wanted.

As a suggestion, this needs to either be added as a setting to the collection (sort of like a Photoshop adjustment layer) or something that can be enabled and edited on the proofing dialogue
If its added to a collection, this may open the ability to make editing sets easily, so lets say you make a collection and colour it with warmer tones and then you could duplicate the collection and do another one to cooler tones on top of the existing edits, sort of like an adjustment layer

Hello, I would also love this feature. Surprised it's not already offered!

 @Sameer K  Any chance this feature to be available any time soon ?

It would really ease our work

agree 100%

we need this feature

eric

This is a very clunky way to watermark client images. It should be a only click and your done process, pretty simple. Have a look at the way Capture One do it, not ideal in some regards but they did get this part right!

Hello! I would like the photos to have a watermark on them when people access the link to the photos. I would like the watermark to automatically be on the photo, except on my account as the photographer. Currently, I have to export all the photos with the watermark and then reupload them to google photos and share the link. If this is unable to happen, I would like to at least be able to export photos from one album to another album so that I can have the watermark on all my photos automatically. Instead of having to export them somewhere random then reupload them to Lightroom.

Now that is a complete waste of time especially for a sports photographer taking 1600 to 2000 images a game! 

I agree 100%