When i take photos, i like to know what date they were taken. Although i can see the date created stamp on my PC, i can't see it when the photos are physically printed out. I used the application to put a time stamp on nearly 100 photos and it was extremely easy. I give this app two thumbs up!

I've installed many GotD programs, never with any problem until now. These have included programs that installed processes that were added to the Registry startup. However, this time Kaspersky Internet Security warned me that the program setup was trying to insert one or more trojans into Registry startup. Kaspersky has tested as being among the very best anti-malware programs, so I normally believe it. Any explanation?

Just to point out: The application that does all and more than the GAOTD of today is FastStone Photo Resizer 2.6 (the current version).

The other applications can be useful for other purposes and just one of their softwares is for sale (FastStone Screen Capture). Check http://www.faststone.org/

Do not worry about EXIF information, it gives you the option of keep it or delete after a conversion as well as the original day and time. Furthermore there are other free softwares than let you manipulate exif information.

I can't do less than thank the people in back of this software and am sorry not to have written these comments earlier.

Regards,

I downloaded and installed in XP with no problems and compared side by side with the current one I'm using. WinWaterMark loses in all against FastStone Photo Resizer 2.6. (FS)
I don't understand why GOTD of today emphasizes just the watermarking.
FS has more than just watermarking: Resize (alone and batch mode), Rotate, Crop, Canvas, Color Depth, DPI, add Text, add border (nice and customizable), intuitive renaming, Adjustment of bright, Hue, Saturation, Ligth, etc.

The GOTD of today just has a better first sight impression but definitively won't make me change it.

I forgot: FS is completely free and his last update is from June, 8th.

#55
"OTOH, if everyone in the office gets a separate copy and activates it, well… spread the word?"
Yeah! That's the spirit. That's what I do when a giveaway seems useful for my colleagues. GAOTD is a great site. Spread the word!

The program takes up almost 5 MB of disk space. This makes it too large to fit on a floppy disk. I use a utility like WinWatermark as a portable program to work on images on several machines.

I keep a full blown word processor, a full data base program and a 36 KB watermark program on a single 1.4 MB floppy disk. All of the machines that I work on have .NET versions 2 and 3 installed on them so the 36 MB watermark program is able to function quite well.

My floppy has ImageWaterMarker, WordStar (with SpellStar)and the NutPlus data base management program installed on it. All of the programs are more than adequate for almost any situation I encounter. I don't ever lack features that I think are necessary to function as a chemical engineer. The other programs that I use are small and very fast - like the programs mentioned above. ImageWaterMarker is as capable as any watermarking program that I have used. Plus, it is very fast and it is freeware.

Sorry, that was the vivi cursor thing. :-) Check it out, looks like some really retro thin-a-ma-dong-whatever. I strongly recommend some female comments on this. :-)

@59 TNT

Where can I get what you're downloading?

I must say, this program is terrifically easy to use. I do almost nothing with digital images, so even though I have several image manipulation programs, I couldn't begin to compare features. But I can say how easy this program is to use. Click, click, click, crop, frame and label a picture. How nice!

Does just what it says with a very simple user interface. I don't watermark images for protection so much. Typically it's for identification - usually the date and filename, when they get inserted in a report.

Much like that old TV series, "Dragnet" ( and just to get into the spirit of things ) , here are "just the facts, Ma'am." ;-)

-- WinWatermark was also offered on GOTD on February 29, 2008

-- The WinWatermark version that was offered THEN was: Version 2.2.

-- The vote tally on 2/29/08 was: THUMBS UP: 318 (57%), THUMBS DOWN:236 (43%)


-- For an overview and the 63 comments that were made in-reference to WinWatermark (Version 2.2) back on February 29, 2008, click on this TIME MACHINE (oooooh spooky!)


-- To see BladedThoth's review of the February 29th GOTD WinWatermark... BTW, I miss da guy :( He made some really incisive points and compelling arguments both for and against a particular product. But I digress. CLICK HERE.

-- Okay, my work here is done (hope it was helpful). Ciao for now! :)

@ #55-

the giveaways are for “Strictly Personal Usage”

Should be "this giveaway"- the terms change according to the software author's preference.

Since this one's personal use only- not non-commercial use only, seems you can use it to your personal photo profit, but can't take it into an office and let others use it.

OTOH, if everyone in the office gets a separate copy and activates it, well... spread the word?

@ #48, Pat- the #XX items in the template have to be capitalized as shown in the list or it assumes it's text to be inserted.

that said, IIRC the free faststone capture is at Last Freeware Version, and I don't recall batch functions.

I'll keep using XNView for individual evaluate/crop/rename, [and other freeware if I need 'processing'] but this tool has it's place after using the large-format viewer/etc. tool.

@19

Hey dude, if ya wanna leave comments for others, do it without resorting to abuse. or better still dont leave comments.

Came in handy today when I printed a bunch of pictures at costco. I renamed the files with the EXIF information and the file name is pritend on the back so now I know when and where the photos were taken.

Are these digital watermarks?

I like freeware. Its usually very high quality as its part of someones IT doctorate!

If you want to make money out of software then join Microsoft or produce something truely unique and amazing!

This GAOTD is unworthy.

Just downloaded it and tried it. Very useful, very easy to use.

I really have to laugh at all these people that grip about paying $xx.xx and then turn around and say something like... Photoshop does this and that. Did you steal Photoshop? or did you pay an outragous price for it yet moan and groan about $xx.xx. It's free "stupid" for the day, and if your computer crashes and you enjoyed the program, then buy it cheapskate.

irfanview: load an image, select 'edit' then 'insert text into image' allows inserting exif data,date, time, camera specific items as well and a bunch more via internal variables (use help button), aka 'placeholders'. you can also choose font, size, color etc. cannot use a semi-transparent text color tho or images. text is always 100% non-seethru.

i watermark screen dumps and photos used on internet forums to prove they are mine and dissuade people from using them on ebay, etc. this looks like an interesting program, will try it even tho i have a few that will batch add watermarks already. can't hurt to try it, you/we may like it.

I just looked up FastStone Capture recommended above...It looked great so I joyfully went to download it only to find that it is $19.95...:-(...! Does it have the same watermarker as in the free FastStone Viewer?

First, thank you for all of the giveaways! I LOVE free stuff! This is a nifty little program. It will come in handy with my primary business as a Realtor to ensure that other folks don't use my pictures as theirs. Also, I have a promotional product business and have manually had to design a watermark to email samples to customers - this is much faster and much easier.
Thanks and keep up the good work!

Wow. Still at 50-50. I will probably use it - it downloaded easily enough but abended when I closed it, so something wonky there.

HOW DO YOU WATERMARK WITH IRFANVIEW?????
I have v.4.0 and it isn't anywhere on any menu...Also not in their Help!--neither its Index nor its Search.....

MANY thanks!
Janet

Downloaded and activated Win Watermark easily.
The most important thing I want to do with WinWatermark is add dates to face of jpg photos.

Tried twice and failed.

Can someone give me step by step instructions?

This program is quite useful..

Especially for photographers who want to protect their photos

Thanks so much for sharing this^^

Your blog is quite interesting^^
Ill be back soon hoping to read more from this blog

I think this looks like a nice little program. I have several watermark programs already as I am a professional photographer, but I always like to check out new software offered here (free). This program has a very nice and simple user interface, and for anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time looking for the right icon to click or menu function to choose, this is an excellent option. It offers no more than many other freebies out on the net, but again, it is free, and don't quibble about the price, you're not gonna buy it anyway. As far as a photo editor, I still like Photoshop best :)

Yes but Adobe products don't have a batch watermarking feature.

Anyone who is an artist, photographer... anyone that NEEDS this software would already have something in place such as products from Adobe etc.
That being said, sure it's nice for an amateur to have a 'free' program to achieve this. I'd never pay for it though.

What a delightful little utility! It looks great, opens fast-enuff, and operates just fine in every way one would normally have a use for such. However...
1. The GUI could be made Resizeable, please.

2. Please include an in-program Text Insertion Tab, along with the Images/Watermark Tabs. Include rudimentary text formatting, too, as Outline, Bold, Underline, Rotation,3D,.... Do that, and charge the "premium" Euro you now ask. Maybe :-)
3. Output from .bmp image to Compressed (9) .png watermarked image did NOT reduce the file size substantially, as I'd presumed. This is NOT an "effective" Resizer, then?? Or is it that my resulting image combined BOTH images (.bmps) and that made the large .png file size? Hmmmm....

Lastly, y'all try freeware FastStone Capture 5.3, and it's Watermark Feature within FSC's built-in Editor. You will be amazed, and wonder how you had missed it's usefulness. That is, before the VERY good WINWATERMARK. Thanks for the evaluation!! Great day

Watermarking software is cool for a few things - branding, discouraging theft, & maybe the most traditional, when you have a web site with any images another site could use. In that case rather than pay your site's hosting company for the bandwidth visitors use downloading your web pages, by linking to the pictures on another site, they pay the biggest portion. In Firefox just right-click the WinWatermark image at the top of this page & select copy image location.

Branding is Very useful... it's a mini-billboard advertising you, the same way Showtime or other channels on TV show their logo in the corner of the screen while you're watching a movie. It's less to prevent copying, and more a reminder to think good things about Showtime. If you can get away with it in other things, a subtle graphic or text reminds the reader/viewer just who did all the work.

I don't get the negative reviews - we're talking 'free' for crissake. Even if this only has one feature that is easier or faster than, say, the same thing in Paint.net or whatever - then it's worth having on your PC. And if it turns out it's more trouble than "free" is worth, that's not a problem either - just uninstall it.

# 13 Kim,
I have been a user of Irfanview for the past 6 years but I don't quite think what it does can be called watermarking. It does read .gif files and adds EXIF / IPTC components but doesn't quite do 'watermarking'.

# 21 ziwjawk,
Good day to you too, but I beg to differ in my view about watermarking. I have a fairly large collection of very high quality pictures that I shot at Angkor Wat a few months ago or even the ones that I shot at Sri Lanka last year that I would like to share with a few friends / family. But when I put one lot up on one of the photo hosting sites (like flickr - not flickr but a similar one)with a clear setting that only on my invitation could it be seen , the next week some smartypants managed to hack into their set up and had published my photos (along with others') as 'HIS' as a part of some presentation. That is when I felt that I should have watermarked my photos. And as far as your words, “here is something I have but you can’t in its original form," the truth is that you DON'T in its original form and it is I who has put in all the pains to compose an excellent picture not to mention the cooky angles in which I hung upside down to shoot it :) So this is the other side of the coin where watermarking is definitely justified. While they are to be enjoyed, I don't think they are for 'public / commercial use' when things are put up on the net. At least, why not leave the credits where they are due when someone uses the pics?

Having said that, I must add that I am yet to come across another program (whether it be a paid one or a free one - although I don't expect the free ones to equal the quality) that watermarks pics better than or as well as the one used by Webshots.

I have to wait and see if WinWatermark 2.6 does as good a job !!

sriadverts

Just because something is offered as free - it doesn't mean you 'have' to download it.
Not impressed?...don't download - it's a simple idea...and it works.

Nice work GotD

It installed easily and got a nice easy interface.
My friend download the trial version of ViVi Cursor, and it's great!

Many thanks.

i agree with number 3 100%...nothing special here!

"Support almost popular image file formats"

I don't really have a need for this type of software, but if I did I probably would like it to support "popular formats" not just "almost popular formats".

Steve

Wonderful software! I'm recommending it to ALL my artist friends and to my customers who publish beadwork designs for their image protection!

Thanks a bunch for this one! Love it!

Thank you to GAOTD.

This is perfect and for those complaining about the price, I would agree but the purpose that I would use this program for is well worth the $29.95. My purpose also does not give me a reason to want all the other bloated and cute applications of Infraview which I have or any time to want to play with programs that I don't know to try to understand them. I had this program before when it was offered and it did serve my purposes very well. I had a computer meltdown due to a fire and have been needing a watermark program that was fast and simple to use. This happens to be my program of choice.

I can finally replace my lost program and can watermark the poetry and stories used in my e-zine that I copywrite for myself and others before it is sent to the printers in their manuscripts. This allows us to keekp our copyrighted proofs without worry until the actual copyrights are published. Being able to open one program and then do them all before closing it saves time. When you are doing copywrites and designs for hundreds of E-book writers as well as your own publications, you need things that will make your life easier. Before you all start complaining about the non-commercial use of the product, I do plan to buy the full version.

Complaints stating that the program is not needed, please speak for yourselves only as I an others may need the program and we do not complain about the programs that are not necessary to us with other daily offers. Some of the things offered do fall into specialized uses and from what I have read in the comments this may be one of them, but it also could be useful for the person with a photo collection that wishes to share them with family memebers and friends that the final use may not be known.

Protection of a copyright can mean the fact that you would earn the money from the pic or .doc compared another using your hard work to make a dime for themselves. Working with E-books has taught me just how easily this can be done and also how often it occurs. Even students in college that write an essay should copyright their work as plagairism is alive and well especially on the internet.

Now to try to find a way that will stop your websites from being blogged into oblivion with the new WEb 2.0 that is coming on July 1st. Anyone with a website of their own should be worried about the things that others could say about their site. Yes, we all like to be optimistic and hope it would all be rave reviews. What we need to remember is there ara hackers in this world that love to damage sites and do this for fun. My question is what will stop hackers from leaving bad posts and comments that damage a reputation when they are not valid. Internet security police!!! Please!!! There is nothing. Now if programmers want something to worry about designing and safety issues - how about security for our websites when this WEb 2.0 arrives. Yes I do have the WEb 2.0 capability already. I try to stay up with current trends and this is definitely going to be part of the new future. Marketers, designers, copywriters, etc. need to know that WEb 2.0 will leave us wide open to a new way for hackers to make our lives miserable.

If you think I talked to long, then you don't have anything to worry about and probably don't need the offer today. If you understood even a part of what I just said then you may want to watermark everything you have ever written or pictures you have ever taken.

installed and works fine on xp sp2, will it is free

Writing a good computer program takes a lot of time and effort and I would like to strangle people who steal my work. So, some of the negative comments are not necessary.

My choice for manipulating images is IrfanView which I have been using for years.

I saw this and hoped it was a keeper; I wasn't disappointed. It installed easily, it does what it claims it will do and it has a nice easy interface. It wouldn't be of much use to someone unless they need utilities like this but for people like me who use a lot of graphics and publish them, its quite handy. I could set up a script and do a batch convert in Paint Shop Pro but this is a lot faster, easier, and less effort. It's very versatile and fast. I've seen a lot of freeware that does watermarks but this does a better job and is easier to use. I think the price is too high, these software publishers seem to assume that everyone is a business and they get greedy and want a piece of the profits so they charge ridiculous prices. I'm not a business and don't make money for what I do and can't and won't pay what I think is too much. I think $19.90 would have been a more realistic price. I probably wouldn't have paid the $29.90 for this but it's a nice handy little utility that will save me some time.

#19: Personally, I really appreciate people describing free software that does the same as the purchased stuff. You're quite right that "software authors too are entitled to make a living." That said, however, software users also have the right to know what else is available, so that, when they choose their software, they make an informed choice.

And if the free software doesn't actually do the same as the GOTD listing, then someone on this page will point it out, in wich case the selling company gets free comparative advertising, so they score.

I think maybe I would prefer that "software authors too are entitled to make a living"...by creating a superior product to the free equivalent.

Well, I use photoshop and my brother too. Yesterday he asked me about watermarks, and anything goes with photoshop... But I ask those who already tested this GOTD to tell me if it's much easier and faster to use WinWatermark instead of Photoshop... when doing watermarks...

Thx all! :)

I was always told that mixing water with anything electrical was a bad idea. For this reason I shall be avoiding this particular giveaway. I have also decided to throw my kettle away.

Mmm, I notice people clicking on the No on comments just to support GOTD.
If you don't like HONEST comments then don't read them and get a life.

People are giving honest views on the software which GOTD and the supplier want not just supporters of this site thinking bad comments on the software will close this site down!

I'll thankfully go off the thumbs up/down thank you and that's only slightly 51% Thumbs down at time of typing this.

What people forget here is the other free versions of something similar REMAINS free, Not just 24 hours so why people feel forced to mak those comments as negative is a mystery (or indeed users frightened GOTD will stop)

Most watermarks are easily removed with photoshop and the likes, So for those intent on stealing pictures will probably do so anyway.

Regardless of whether our images are "worth" us trying to protect, if I go to the trouble of taking and posting, I sure don't want someone snatching it and claiming it as their without the work and effort I put into it.

That was a ignorant statement, and I'll bet you don't think twice before you steal an image from some one

huh. ok, I've suggested adding original filename as an exif source in the templates to 'em, so it's not as flexible as I'd like. off for more exploration.

I disagree with the above poster. People steal pics all the time. I have many friends who are hairstylists and they have had others "steal" pics of their work to put up on craiglist and other sites that are online..all the while calling the work their own. I say it wouldn't hurt to get this free software. There are people in this nation that would steal the very spot you are standing in if you don't watch out..Remember what I said next time you go to walmart...

Good day all.

I pass on this one due to reasons dealing with watermarking. If you want your images to be unavailable simply do not publish them. By applying a watermark you are saying "here is something I have but you can't in its original form". If that is your point establish a site that obviously sells your images, don't tease. Tell what you have available, show portions, limit to reduced quality and size thumbnails, but do not put the entire image overlaid so it cannot be enjoyed into public use, which happens to be what the internet is. If you are commercial be so, otherwise no need for a watermark.