PL4 - Question about watermarking feature

DxO PhotoLab macOS topics
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I was testing the trial edition of PL4 Elite. I noticed that the instant watermarking feature also works on RAW files during editing. Is this watermark on a RAW file non-destructive? Thank you.

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Hi there, and welcome to our forum :smiley: !

The whole idea behind our ‘Instant Watermarking’ is to be able to add it directly in the main viewer, to let you get exactly what you want (instead of having it just like an after thought before exporting, where you apply it on a small thumbnail like many competitors do).

Having said that, if you save a watermark preset, you can also use it when exporting your image(s) as “a last minute” choice. :wink:

BTW, what do you mean by “non-destructive watermark”?

Cheers,
Steven.

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All editing in PhotoLab is non-destructive in that the original image file (RAW, JPEG, TIFF…) isn’t modified. That includes EXIF data. All adjustments, including the watermark, are kept in PhotoLab’s database and/or in a sidecar file with the extension .dop. You decide how your work will be saved when you use the export command. Also, you can turn adjustments on and off in whatever order you wish. So it doesn’t matter if you apply the watermark early or late in you workflow, if you apply it to the final image during export or override it in the image export options. I hope that helps.

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Hi Steven,
Thank you for explaining what this feature actually is. I’m used to setting up a watermark for export in other software. You’re saying that I can view the watermark alongside the image in the editor, which is definitely different in other software.

By “non-destructive,” I meant if I could remove the watermark from the viewer while looking at the RAW, and not have something permanently done to the file. I’m not familiar with what is and what isn’t permanently done to the file.

I’ll have to look into the setting the watermark as a preset. Maybe somebody can do a video tutorial on this feature in the future. Thanks.

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RAW images are never modified. A RAW editor just applies filter and corrections generating a rendered preview in the software. Then, when you make your export, it creates a new file (TIFF, jpg, Dng) rendering an image based on such parameters. The RAW file still untouched.
The watermark is just a ‘filter’ like the others.

A RAW file needs to be processed, this is what a RAW editor does.

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Greg and Steven,
Thank you for the explanation on this feature.