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Can I put my shop's QR code on a product photo as a watermark?

Yes. Make the code as a PNG, upload it to the watermark tool as the logo, and place it in a corner with a margin. But the usual watermark settings spoil a QR code: the default 60% opacity mixes its dark squares with the photo underneath. Set opacity to 100% and rotation to 0, and scan the downloaded photo with your phone before you post it.

Published · 3 min read

Why a QR code needs different settings from a logo

A logo only has to be seen by an eye; a QR code has to be read by a camera, and cameras rely on a sharp difference between the dark squares and the light background. Anything that weakens that difference makes scanning harder: opacity blends the code with the product's colors, a free-angle rotation softens the edges of the squares, and a small size leaves each square only a few pixels.

Prepare the code first

  1. Open the QR code generator and type your full shop URL, with https.
  2. Keep dark on light colors, and keep the white quiet zone around the code; it is what separates it from the detail in the photo.
  3. Pick a pixel size larger than the size it will be drawn at on the photo, then download the code as a PNG.

Put it on the photo

Worked example

A 1080 × 1080 square photo with the code at size 20%: drawn 216 px wide and 216 px tall, since it is square.

Bottom right with a 3% margin: centered at 940 and 940, so it spans 832 to 1048 in both directions, about 32 px from each edge.

A 600 px PNG code is scaled down to 216 and stays sharp. A 150 px code gets enlarged and its squares turn soft at the edges.

  1. In the Image watermark editor tool, choose your photos, pick the 'Logo' type and upload the code file.
  2. Set opacity to 100% and rotation to 0, and choose 'Single mark', not repeat.
  3. Pick a corner with a calm background, and a size of roughly 20% or more on phone photos.
  4. Download one photo, open it on a computer screen and scan it with your phone camera. If it reads easily, process the rest.

Limits worth knowing

  • One code per photo. Repeat mode would fill the photo with codes for no benefit.
  • If you made the code with a transparent background, the photo shows through between its squares and scanning may fail. A white background is safer.
  • If a platform compresses the photo hard after upload, small squares can smear. A larger size gives you a safety margin.
  • The code takes up part of the product photo. On the product page itself you may not need it; it earns its place on photos that travel outside your store, such as posts and printed ads.

Common questions

Will the camera read the code if it is tilted?

Scanners usually read tilted codes, but a free-angle rotation softens the squares' edges. Leaving it at 0 is safest.

Can I add my shop name next to the code?

The tool adds one kind of mark at a time: text or logo. Design the code and name together as one image, or run the photos through the tool twice.

Does the link change if I change the code image?

No, the link is stored inside the code itself. Change the link in the generator and place the new code on the photos again.