How do I add a watermark when I export in Premiere Pro?

In Export mode, choose an image file in the Applied field, then set Position, Offset, Size and Opacity. Adobe says this works without modifying your sequence.

Which file type should my Premiere Pro watermark be?

Adobe recommends a PNG with a transparent background for logos and watermarks.

Will the export overlay show in my timeline?

No. Adobe says overlays are applied only during export and will not appear in the timeline.

Do I have to set the overlay again for every export?

Yes, unless you save it as part of a Custom Preset, per Adobe.

How do I change the opacity of a logo in the timeline?

Show Opacity Handles on the track, then drag the opacity control rubber band up or down.

How to add a watermark in Premiere Pro

In Adobe Premiere (Premiere Pro), choose File, Export, Media, then add an image overlay: choose an image file (Adobe recommends a transparent PNG), set Position, Offset, Size and Opacity, and export. Adobe says export overlays are baked into the output file. For a timeline mark, put a graphic on a track above the video and set its opacity.

Published October 30, 2026. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources linked on this page. How we write our guides.

Premiere Pro watermark: two ways

Adobe's current help calls the app Adobe Premiere and hosts it under Premiere Desktop Help, though some page titles still say Premiere Pro. None of the pages we cite gives a version number, so the steps below are for Adobe Premiere as its help pages describe it in 2026.

There are two different methods. An export overlay is set in Export mode and applies only to the exported file. A timeline mark is a graphic on a track above your video that you can see and edit in the sequence. Adobe says export overlays won't appear in the Premiere timeline and don't alter your sequence or source media, so pick the method that fits how you work.

Premiere Pro add watermark at export

Adobe's page on adding a visual watermark during export says you can add one from Export mode without modifying your sequence. It offers an image overlay, a name overlay and a timecode overlay, and says overlays must be enabled each time you export unless they are saved as part of a Custom Preset.

To reach Export mode, steps from Adobe's export video page (Windows and macOS, checked October 2026):

Select the sequence you want to export in the Timeline panel.
Select File > Export > Media, or press Ctrl + M on Windows or command + M on macOS.

Adobe's watermark page does not name the part of Export mode that holds the overlays. Adobe's export settings overview says the Effects section lets you add effects to your exported media, including image, text and timeline overlays. The image overlay steps below are from Adobe's watermark page above (no version or operating system is stated there):

Select Choose next to the Applied field and select an image file from your system.
Set the Position from the dropdown: Top Left, Top Center, Top Right, Left, Center, Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Center or Bottom Right.
Use Offset (X,Y) to nudge the overlay away from the position anchor in pixels.
Adjust Size to scale the image. Select Absolute Sizing to give the size in pixels instead of a percentage of frame height.
Adjust Opacity. Adobe says lower values make the overlay more transparent.
Select Export to render at once, or Send to Media Encoder to add the job to the Adobe Media Encoder queue.

Adobe recommends PNG files with a transparent background for logos and watermarks. For a semi-transparent text mark such as PREVIEW or DRAFT, it says to prepare a PNG in Photoshop or Illustrator. To keep your settings, Adobe says to select the three dots next to the Preset dropdown near the top, enter a name and select OK.

The same page describes a text overlay that burns a file name or custom text into every frame, with Prefix, Suffix and Format options and the same Position, Offset, Size and Opacity controls. Adobe says the overlays are baked into the output file, and it applies the image over every frame of the export.

Premiere Pro add logo in the timeline, with opacity

Here we suggest placing your logo on a track above the video and making it as long as the video. Adobe's pages we cite give the opacity steps but no steps for stretching a graphic over the sequence. Adobe's still image page says an imported still uses the duration set in the Still Image preferences and that you can change the duration of a still image in a sequence. To designate areas as transparent, it says to create an alpha channel or use the transparency tools in applications such as Photoshop or Illustrator.

For opacity, steps from Adobe's set clip opacity page (steps checked October 2026; the page gives no version or operating system for them):

Expand the track by selecting the triangle next to the track name.
If necessary, select the Show Keyframes button, then Show Opacity Handles from the menu.
With the Selection tool or the Pen tool, drag the opacity control rubber band up or down.

The opacity value and current time appear as a tool tip as you drag. Adobe gives no recommended percentage, so choose by eye; our guide to watermark opacity helps. For text, Adobe's create titles page uses the Type tool in the Program Monitor and the Properties panel for fonts, colors, outlines and alignment. It does not mention opacity or title length.

Keep the watermark inside the safe margins

Adobe's safe zones page says the standard action-safe and title-safe margins are 10% and 20%, respectively, and that you can change them in Project Settings. To show them, select the Settings button below the Source Monitor or Program Monitor, then Safe Margins. The guides are for your reference and are not included in previews or export. Adobe's page does not say these margins suit vertical video or any app's buttons. For that, see our guide to watermark safe zones.

Another route: mark the exported file

If you only need a mark on a finished file, Fix Watermark adds a text or logo watermark to a video in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. Open the video watermark tool. Free: videos up to 60 seconds. Nothing of ours added. Pro removes the limit; your device sets the rest. Doing the same in other editors? See CapCut and iMovie.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026.

Questions

How do I add a watermark when I export in Premiere Pro?: In Export mode, choose an image file in the Applied field, then set Position, Offset, Size and Opacity. Adobe says this works without modifying your sequence.
Which file type should my Premiere Pro watermark be?: Adobe recommends a PNG with a transparent background for logos and watermarks.
Will the export overlay show in my timeline?: No. Adobe says overlays are applied only during export and will not appear in the timeline.
Do I have to set the overlay again for every export?: Yes, unless you save it as part of a Custom Preset, per Adobe.
How do I change the opacity of a logo in the timeline?: Show Opacity Handles on the track, then drag the opacity control rubber band up or down.