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Question

Adding a TRANSPARENT image (like png) watermark to PDF

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
September 15, 2024
3 replies
3980 views

Hello.

I am a content creator and need to protect my Adobe document from piracy. I want to add a watermark, but unfortunately the only formats accepted are JPEG, PDF, and some other non-transparent supporting type.

Therefore, my watermark looks very bad with the white background.

Is there any way at all to add a transparent image background? Is there a reason PDF doesn't accept any transparent-image compatible file type when adding a watermark?
Thank you.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

The solution is simple... Take your image with transparency and save as PDF. It is it a PNG, use Photoshop. If you only have a JPEG, you will have to remove the unwanted background in Photoshop and save as PDF. (Don't save with Photoshop compatibility.)

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

I

ivan5E64Author

Participating Frequently

I have a normal JPG image, making it it PDF in photoshop or any app doesn't make it transparent background. Only time I'm ever able to make a transparent background in an image is when I save it as PNG.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

You didn't read my post completely:

If you only have a JPEG, you will have to remove the unwanted background in Photoshop and save as PDF.

JPEGs don't support transparency so you have to do some extra work.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

try67

Community Expert

- PDF files can be transparent.

- Is this the online version of Acrobat? Because in the desktop version you can certainly use PNGs...

- Adding a watermark does not prevent your file from being pirated. Just makes it a bit more risky to do so, unless you know how to remove it (which is not too difficult)...

I

ivan5E64Author

Participating Frequently

- Adding a watermark helps against piracy as it's harder to pirate yes. That is why I am doing this. Beyond the point though...

- This is the Adobe app, I installed it via Creative Cloud...

- If you can make an image PDF transparent, happy to hear you share the process lol.

try67

Community Expert

- I assumed you could use PNGs in the desktop version, but I can't see that option now... I'm almost certain it used to be possible. Maybe it was removed in a recent "update". I tried doing it with a script and it works fine, so the issue is with the UI, not with the capability of the application to do it.

The basic code for doing it is:

this.addWatermarkFromFile({cDIPath: "/C/Users/USER/Downloads/logo.png"})

- Well, the background of any PDF file that was not created from an image is transparent, basically.

derekwatson

Community Expert

Can't you use a PDF or PNG as both support transparency? What file type are you trying to use?

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/add-watermarks-pdfs.html

Derek Watson

I

ivan5E64Author

Participating Frequently

Not that I know of, wasn't able to make those versions give me a transparent background.

derekwatson

Community Expert

Both support transparency if you export without a background, check export settings in case background is set to white.

Derek Watson

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