Ultimate Watermark – Image Watermark, Image Protection & Bulk Watermarking

FAQ

How do I add a watermark to all images in WordPress?

Activate the plugin, go to Watermark → Add Watermark, choose Text or Image, set your position and opacity, and save. From that moment on every new image you upload to WordPress is watermarked automatically. To watermark images you already have, go to the Media Library, select the images you want, and run the Apply Watermark bulk action.

Can I remove a watermark and restore the original image?

Yes. Ultimate Watermark backs up every original before watermarking. Open Watermark → Backups, select an image, and click Restore — the original file replaces the watermarked one and the size variants regenerate automatically. There is also a bulk-restore action for whole batches.

Does the plugin preserve EXIF metadata?

Yes. Camera model, lens, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, original capture date, and copyright fields are preserved through the watermarking pipeline so photographers can rely on Ultimate Watermark for portfolio work. The Pro version goes further and lets you embed those EXIF values directly into a text watermark using placeholders like {camera_model} · f/{aperture} · ISO {iso}.

Can I watermark WooCommerce product images?

Absolutely.

• Free — automatically watermarks every product image as it’s uploaded, and you can bulk-apply to the existing catalog from the Media Library.
• Pro — adds per-product overrides (different watermark on a single product), per-category defaults (one watermark for “Photography Prints”, another for “Wallpapers”), and full variation-image support. The cascade is Product → Category → Global, so you can set a sensible default and override only where you need to.

How do I bulk-watermark existing images?

Open Media → Library, switch to list view, select the images you want to watermark, choose Apply Watermark in the bulk-actions dropdown, and click Apply. The plugin will walk through each image, back up the original, apply your watermark, and regenerate the size variants. For multi-thousand-image catalogues, the Pro batch processor splits the work into chunks so it survives long runs.

Will it slow down my site or my media uploads?

No. The watermarking pipeline runs once at upload time, never on every page view (unless you enable Pro’s on-the-fly display mode, which is cached). The plugin is built around the same Imagick / GD libraries WordPress core already uses, so you don’t need additional services or external API calls.

I have an old version of the plugin (1.x). Will my settings carry over?

Yes. On activation a one-time migration converts your 1.x watermark, settings, and per-attachment metadata into the new format. Your existing watermarks and applied-watermark records are preserved.

Does it work with page builders (Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, Bricks, Gutenberg)?

Yes. The plugin operates at the media-library level, so it’s invisible to your page builder. Whichever editor you use to display the image, it ends up watermarked.

What’s the difference between automatic, manual and bulk watermarking?

• Automatic runs every time a new image is uploaded — best for “set and forget” stores and blogs.
• Manual lets you watermark a specific image from its attachment screen — useful when you want different watermarks per asset.
• Bulk runs over a multi-image selection from the media library — best for retro-fitting a watermark to existing content.

Is there a free watermark plugin for WordPress?

Yes — Ultimate Watermark’s free version is fully functional: 1 watermark template, automatic + bulk + manual modes, conditional rules, full backup & restore, Imagick/GD support, and WooCommerce automatic watermarking. The Pro version unlocks unlimited templates, dynamic placeholders, Google Fonts, advanced WooCommerce overrides, and on-the-fly display watermarking.

Why aren’t my watermarks applying?

Check the watermark’s Rules tab. If you’ve configured conditions, the watermark only applies when those conditions match. To verify, open the watermark, switch to the Rules tab, and either remove the rules (empty rules = applies everywhere) or relax them. With WP_DEBUG enabled the plugin logs why each rule failed in wp-content/debug.log.

Can I use my own font?

Free version uses your server’s installed system fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Times, Verdana, Courier, Georgia). Pro adds 30+ Google Fonts (Roboto, Open Sans, Lato, Montserrat, Poppins, Playfair Display, Pacifico, Bebas Neue, and more) — they’re downloaded once and cached locally so your watermarks render the same on every render.

Will it work with my CDN / Cloudflare / object-storage uploads?

Yes. Watermarking happens before the image is handed off to a CDN or object store, so the file your CDN serves is already watermarked. If you use an offload plugin that uploads directly to S3/R2/DigitalOcean Spaces, ensure Ultimate Watermark loads earlier than the offload plugin (priority 9 versus the offload plugin’s default 10).

Does it support REST API uploads?

Yes. Images uploaded via the REST API (Gutenberg, headless front-ends, mobile apps) are watermarked the same way as classic-uploader uploads.

How do I uninstall?

Deactivate the plugin from Plugins → Installed Plugins. Watermarked images are NOT reverted to originals — restore them via Watermark → Backups → Bulk restore before deactivating if you want to remove watermarks. Deleting the plugin cleans up its database tables; the backup files in /wp-content/uploads/ulwm-backup/ are kept by default and can be removed manually.