Is there a smarter way to add a watermark?

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Level 1

1 points

Is there a smarter way to add a watermark?

When I say smarter I'm not referencing the person but rather the method of doing it. Right now the only way I know to add a watermark is to drag my logo above the timeline, modify it to my desired size and location, reduce the opacity and bam! Beautiful watermark. The problem is that the video I'm doing is 29 minutes long, and it is taking foreeeever to render out the entire thing. I sat here for nearly 2 minutes and it was still at 0 percent. Is there a way to add a watermark that doesn't involve such a mass render? Or is this the only way to do it in FCPX

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 23, 2015 7:01 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Oct 23, 2015 7:07 AM in response to jakeywunder

Don't render. Switch it off until you're ready to output, then export without rendering.

Also, build the graphic in a graphics application so it's the correct size, position, and opacity for the media. It'll simplify output processing.

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Answer 2

Oct 23, 2015 8:09 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

You can add a watermark graphic in Compressor during output to your distribution format instead of burning it into the master file. We do this because, during approval stages, the bug often changes as everyone contributes their invaluable opinion.

From the Compressor Help sisytem:

Watermark: Superimposes a still image or a movie file onto the video. This effect contains the following properties:

Position: Choose a position for the watermark from the pop-up menu, such as Center, Lower Left, Lower Left–Title Safe, and so on.
Scale by: Drag the slider to set the watermark image’s scaling between 1 (actual size) and 10 (10 times the actual size). You can also double-click the value and type a new value.
Alpha: Drag the slider between 0 (completely transparent) and 1 (completely opaque) to adjust the watermark’s opacity. You can also double-click the value and type a new value.
Repeat: If you are using a video clip for the watermark image, select this checkbox to loop the playback of the watermark clip throughout the duration of the source file.
Watermark: Click the Select button specify a still image or video file to use for the watermark.

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Answer 3

Oct 27, 2015 7:52 PM in response to jakeywunder

What David said and to add too... If you use a logo that is like a circle make sure you save it as a tiff or png file with an alpha channel so that the background is transparent.

Here is what I do... I use either Motion or FCP to make a one minute video of my watermark... logo bug... that I put in every video. Save it as a ProRes 4444 (the 4444 is for the alpha channel). And use that in my videos. If i need more than one minute I just dupe it in the timeline. Doesn't add that much more time for rendering or out putting the file. I don't have to think about making anything...

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