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.
- 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 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.
PS. If you're interested I developed a (paid-for) tool that allows you to easily watermark a PDF file with multiple names, creating a unique copy for each name, so you won't have to mess around with images (although I can adjust it so that it does that, too, if you prefer).
Did you create the image you are trying to use as watermark? If it's an illustrator master export as png or pdf and check background is set to transparent. if it's in photoshop, check background is transparent or if not and image is flattened, mask background and export as png
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 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.
Lol I removed the background in photoshop so when I save as PDF or JPG it saves the black and white squares representing transparency... again, show me proof of how you do it and I'll believe you lol
Sorry sir,, it is protected company logo, BUT imagine any logo created as JPG with white background, I go into photosohop --> delete the white to remove background --> ends in black and white squares.
When I save as PNG, that file has a TRANSPARENT background indubitably. HOWEVER I am not able to add this PNG file into Adobe since.... well it doesn't accept PNG for some super odd reason.
Saving this file anything OTHER than PNG results in the black and white squares being visible.
After you have the PNG with the transparent background go to Acrobat and create a new blank page (File - Create - Blank Page). Then use the Add Image tool to insert the logo to the center of that page and save the file. Now go to the file where you want to add it as a watermark and use the Add Background tool (this works better with transparency than the Add Watermark tool, as far as I can see), and select that PDF. You can play around with the Opacity level to blend the contents of the logo with those of the page, but the transparent parts of it should be completely invisible.
Here's an example file I created using my own logo that demonstrates that, and a "watermarked" page I created using it.
Do you have Photoshop? If you have to remove the white background from a JPEG, that's the best place to do it. Once you have done that, simply save it as a PDF. From there, you can import it as a watermark in Acrobat.
David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
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