# Lightroom help! : Adding border with watermark upon export...



## bigtwinky (Jun 24, 2013)

I'm currently using Lightroom 4.3 (although don't mind upgrading to 5.0 if needed).

I'm trying to find a way to add a border + watermark around an image upon export.  A bit of background: I shoot music concerts and have a series of 20-30 images per show that I need this done, some are landscape some are portrait orientation. And keeping the correct photo order is important as I need to show the concert as it happened. I know it can be done in Photoshop via actions, but I'm really trying to move away from PS and do everything in Lightroom. 

Pictures speak louder than words, so here is the before (without border or watermark) and the after (same photo, nothing lost, with white border around and the photographer name on the bottom right).




Anyone have an idea?  Cuz I'm kinda at a loss....


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## edstumph (Jun 25, 2013)

have you tried using the print module for what you want?  You are able to print to a file also


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## Big Mike (Jun 25, 2013)

Yes, check out the print module.  Set up the layout how you want it and save it as a preset/template.


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## bigtwinky (Jun 25, 2013)

I played with the print module but would have to create two templates, one for each orientation.  Defeats the purpose as i need to keep the photos in the order they were taken. 

ive been playing with LR/Mogrify plugin which seems pretty powerful for exporting and such.  Seems the only way to get the name on the actual border is to make a seperate PS watermark and have that applied, which means a seperate template for each of the photogs that shoot for my media.  More setup, but should be good.

was just hoping LR was a bit more powerful for this.  

i appreciate the input )


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## KmH (Jun 25, 2013)

Lightroom was designed for working photographers as a compliment to Photoshop, not as a replacement to Photoshop.


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## Buckster (Jun 25, 2013)

bigtwinky said:


> I played with the print module but would have to create two templates, one for each orientation.  Defeats the purpose as i need to keep the photos in the order they were taken.
> 
> ive been playing with LR/Mogrify plugin which seems pretty powerful for exporting and such.  Seems the only way to get the name on the actual border is to make a seperate PS watermark and have that applied, which means a seperate template for each of the photogs that shoot for my media.  More setup, but should be good.
> 
> ...


The whole thing can be done in LR.  Probably can even be done in more than one way, as is the case with most Adobe products, but here's what I did:

1. In the print module, I set up and saved for future use a template to put a single image per page on a landscape oriented page, and checked Rotate to fit so that no matter if the original image is landscape or portrait oriented, it'll work.  I made the border by setting stroke to 20 points (max) and colored white. To make the borders fatter, just increase the margins or reduce the size of the grid. I made the background black so that the white border would show a consistent size all the way around the image.  I set it to Print to JPEG, selected the files to process and hit Print to File button.  Then I chose a folder where the parent images were to make it easy to find them again in LR and completed the operation.

2. After I printed them out to JPEG, I went back to the Library module, clicked on the parent folder for those images, and sync'd it up.  It found the new images with the borders that had just come out of the Print module and brought them in.  I then went to the Develop module and cropped off the black edges.

3. Next I rotated the images that should be in portrait orientation so they'd be upright.

4. With the black edges gone and all images oriented correctly, I selected them all for export, chose my settings and then chose "Edit Watermark" and set up a watermark that would work for this type of operation with the borders, as shown in your example.  I saved the watermark for future use, and ran the export.

The result is a success, and achieves what you're looking to do per your OP, all in LR, and without resorting to PS or any other software.

I made a video tutorial of it as well.  It takes a lot longer to explain than to just do, but here it is:


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## bigtwinky (Jun 26, 2013)

Buckster said:


> bigtwinky said:
> 
> 
> > I played with the print module but would have to create two templates, one for each orientation.  Defeats the purpose as i need to keep the photos in the order they were taken.
> ...



Daaaaaaamn Buckster, you totally rock!  Thanks for taking the time to look into it and make a sweet detailed explanation!


So it becomes a few steps.  But seeing as my images all keep the original ratio, I could sync the crop on all of them to remove that black border instead of one at a time.  Doing one at a time, with 25 images, 3-4 times per week, usually at 2am when all i want to do is sleep, would be too much haha.


But again, awesome job and thank you!


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## bigtwinky (Jun 26, 2013)

KmH said:


> Lightroom was designed for working photographers as a compliment to Photoshop, not as a replacement to Photoshop.



I do agree that it was designed originally to compliment.  I've been using LR since v2 and with each new version, they add more and more tools that require me to use photoshop less and less.  Ideally, I'd get rid of photoshop all together, but I know that's not feasible right now with the current v5 of LR.  Although the new cloning and healing is pretty sweet (something I've almost always done in photoshop instead of LR).

But good to see that there are ways, such as Buckster pointed out, to get things done.  Takes more steps, but still possible.  Hopefully by v7 or v8, I'll have ditched photoshop entirely


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## Buckster (Jun 26, 2013)

bigtwinky said:


> Daaaaaaamn Buckster, you totally rock!  Thanks for taking the time to look into it and make a sweet detailed explanation!
> 
> 
> So it becomes a few steps.  But seeing as my images all keep the original ratio, I could sync the crop on all of them to remove that black border instead of one at a time.  Doing one at a time, with 25 images, 3-4 times per week, usually at 2am when all i want to do is sleep, would be too much haha.
> ...


You're very welcome!  Always glad to help if I can!  :thumbup:

Once your print and watermark templates are set up and saved, it's really just going to be a few clicks total to complete the steps on as many photos as you like all at the same time from then on out, especially since you won't need to play with the cropping step.


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