Watermarks
Watermarking is the process of overlaying or embedding a visual marker onto an image or a displayed file. It is typically used to identify ownership of the copyright of the image or file. When the image or file is displayed, the watermark is visible to the viewer and will be present in any screen captures, photos or video recordings made of the displayed image or file.
The watermark itself can be either an image, such as a company logo, or text, such as copyright verbiage or owner name. Watermarks can be very perceptible or almost imperceptible, depending on how obvious you want it to be to the viewer.
Digital watermarking may be used for a wide range of applications, such as copyright protection, source tracking (different recipients get differently watermarked content), fraud and tamper detection, and content management on social networks.
Files.com offers the ability to automatically apply watermarks to images and PDF files when they are previewed using the Files.com web application.
Two types of watermark, image based and text based, are supported. An image based watermark can be used for copyright protection, fraud and tamper detection, and content management, by displaying your company logo to the viewer. A text based watermark can also be used for source tracking by displaying unique information that identifies a specific recipient. If copies of the watermarked image or PDF file appear elsewhere online, the watermark information can be used to determine which recipient was responsible for copying, capturing or recording it.
Watermarks can only be applied automatically to images and PDF files. If watermarking is needed for other files types then it should be applied manually by the application used to create the file.
The automatic watermarks are only displayed when previewing the file using the Files.com web site. If the file is downloaded, transmitted or copied then it will not contain the automatic watermark. The best practice is to prohibit the downloading, transmission and copying of these files so that access is limited to the Files.com web site in a "preview only" mode.
An image file can be uploaded and used as the watermark. Files.com supports most of the common image file types including PNG, GIF, JPG and BMP.
A text string can be configured for use as a watermark. When using text, the following dynamic variables can be used within the text:
- For Share Links:
{{name}} - the name of the recipient
{{company}} - the company name of the recipient
{{email}} - the email address of the recipient - For Folders:
{{user}} - the Files.com user name
You can configure automatic watermarks for previews that occur within the Folders view of the Files.com web site and for previews that occur for recipients of Share Links.
Configuration can be performed using the Files.com web site or by using the Files.com API.
To apply a preview watermark to the contents of a folder, log in to Files.com as an administrator and navigate to the folder. Access the Folder Settings for that folder and navigate to the Watermark previews section, where you can configure either an image watermark or a dynamic text watermark.
For image based watermarks, you can upload the image file to be used as the watermark.
For text based watermarks, you can specify the text, including dynamic variables, to be used as the watermark.
The alignment, opacity and maximum size (image only) for your watermark can also be configured.
- Alignment - Specifies where the watermark will be positioned within the preview. Alignment position is based on a 3x3 grid, where you can choose from NorthWest, North, NorthEast, West, Center, East, SouthWest, South or SouthEast.
- Opacity - Specifies how visible the watermark will be on the preview. Enter a value between 1 and 100 to specify the percentage opacity for the watermark. A setting of 100 will set the watermark to be completely opaque (no transparency) and a setting below 50 will set the watermark to be mostly transparent.
- Maximum Size - Specifies the size of an image based watermark, as a percentage of the size of the preview. A setting of 50 will set the height and width of the watermark image to be 50% of the preview's height and width.
Note: The watermark configuration will apply to the folder and its subfolders. You can configure different watermarks for different folders. However, configuring a watermark for the top level "home" folder will cause all folders to inherit the watermark.
A global list of all the folders that have preview watermark configurations can be found in Settings, within the Watermarked previews section. You can also configure preview watermarks within this section.
To apply a preview watermark to a Share Link, log in to Files.com as an administrator and navigate to the Sharing Settings, where you will find a Share Link watermarks section, in which you can configure either an image watermark or a dynamic text watermark.
For image based watermarks, you can upload the image file to be used as the watermark.
For text based watermarks, you can specify the text, including dynamic variables, to be used as the watermark.
The alignment, opacity and maximum size (image only) for your watermark can also be configured.
- Alignment - Specifies where the watermark will be positioned within the preview. Alignment position is based on a 3x3 grid, where you can choose from NorthWest, North, NorthEast, West, Center, East, SouthWest, South or SouthEast.
- Opacity - Specifies how visible the watermark will be on the preview. Enter a value between 1 and 100 to specify the percentage opacity for the watermark. A setting of 100 will set the watermark to be completely opaque (no transparency) and a setting below 50 will set the watermark to be mostly transparent.
- Maximum Size - Specifies the size of an image based watermark, as a percentage of the size of the preview. A setting of 50 will set the height and width of the watermark image to be 50% of the preview's height and width.
Note: To enforce the preview watermark, make sure to enable the Previews only setting for the Share Link when creating it.
Details for configuring preview watermarking for folders can be found at the Files.com Developer Portal.
Note that, when using the API, preview watermarking for Folders is part of the Behaviors API. The Behaviors API is responsible for configuring Folder Settings within the Files.com platform. You can use the Behaviors API to create, read, update and delete the preview watermarking configuration for any folder.
Details for configuring preview watermarking for Share Links can be found at the Files.com Developer Portal.
Note that, when using the API, preview watermarking for Share Links is part of the Bundles API. The Bundles API is responsible for configuring Share Links within the Files.com platform. You can use the Bundles API to create, read, update and delete the preview watermarking configuration for any Share Link.
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