How To Remove Watermark From Photo And Keep The Quality

Let’s be honest—sometimes, a watermark just has to go. Maybe you're touching up old client work, refreshing your own portfolio, or fixing an image that somehow ended up with an outdated logo. Whatever the case, you want to remove that watermark cleanly, without wrecking the photo’s quality.

Now, before we dive in—a quick but important note: only remove watermarks from images you own or have permission to edit. Taking someone else’s work and stripping the credit is not just shady—it can land you in legal trouble.

Learn more: Watermark In Photography: Protect Your Photos Right

With that out of the way, let me show you how to erase a watermark on a photo using two of my favorite tools: Luminar Neo and Adobe Photoshop. Both have powerful content-aware features that make watermark removal surprisingly easy—and the results? Pretty seamless.

Let’s get into it.

How to Edit Out Watermarks using Luminar Neo

Is there a way to remove a watermark from a picture without all the hassle—no complicated layering or tedious manual work? Yep. Luminar Neo makes it incredibly simple. Powered by AI, it’s a smart photo editing tool that not only removes watermarks with ease, but also helps you restore, enhance, and polish your images like a pro—all without slowing down your workflow.

Step 1: Import Image

First of all, import your image by dragging it onto the Catalogue window or by clicking the Add Photos button in the top left corner.

Step 2: Removing a Watermark with the GenErase Tool

In the Catalogue window, head to the GenErase tool, an AI object remover, on the right-hand side of the screen under Generative Tools.

Once clicked, allow the tool to scan your image. This process allows it to accurately fill in the gaps left by the removed watermark, using textures and elements from the surrounding area.

When it has finished scanning, hover over the image until the brush icon appears. Make sure Select is activated, which is signified by a plus icon in the middle of the brush. If it isn’t active, click Select at the bottom of the screen.

Carefully brush over the watermark. You will see a red highlight over the area you are brushing. If you need to adjust the brush size, use the slider next to Deselect. If you make a mistake, use the Deselect tool to brush over any areas you don’t want to include.

Once you are happy with your selection, click Erase in the bottom right corner and allow the software to process the area and remove the watermark.

Top Tips

• If you have multiple items to erase, you will get better results by removing them in smaller sections rather than all at once.

• If you aren’t happy with the result, you can click Erase again to try a different outcome.

Step 3: Save Your Image

Click Export in the top right, choose your file format and quality, then hit Export again to save your edited photo.

How to Delete Watermarks in Photoshop

Now, let’s explore another method using Adobe Photoshop, a powerful image layer editor that gives you precise control over every part of your photo. I’ll walk you through how to delete watermarks using layers and Photoshop’s content-aware tools to keep your edits clean and high-quality.

Step 1: Import Image

Launch Photoshop and head to File > Open. Your image should open as a background layer.

Step 2: Duplicate the Background Layer

To preserve the original image, we need to make a copy of it. In the Layers panel, right-click the background layer and select Duplicate Layer.

Step 3: Remove the Watermark

The simplest method in Photoshop is to use the Remove Tool, found within the same group as the Spot Healing Brush Tool. Look for the icon that resembles a band-aid, then click and hold to open the full tool menu. From there, select the Remove Tool.

Brush over the watermark area. Just like in Luminar Neo, give it a moment to process as Photoshop analyses the surrounding area and fills in the space.

Another method is to use the Lasso Tool. Carefully draw around the watermark, then head to Edit > Content-Aware Fill. You’ll be shown a preview of the result. If you’re happy with the fill, click Apply and then OK.

Step 4: Flatten and Save

Finally, go to Layer > Flatten Image to combine your layers. Your image is now ready to be exported in your desired format.

The Bottom Line

And there you have it — removing watermarks doesn’t have to be a headache. With tools like Luminar Neo and Photoshop, you can clean up your images quickly and get stunning, natural-looking results. Thanks to their AI-powered features, the software does most of the heavy lifting by blending in the background like the watermark was never there.

Just a quick reminder: only use these techniques on images you own or have the right to edit. Removing someone else’s watermark without permission isn’t just bad form — it can get you into legal trouble.

That said, if you’re working on your own photos or reviving old edits and wondering how to take a watermark off a photo without losing quality, these tools are a great place to start. Give them a try — you might be surprised how good the results look!