How to Add a Logo or Watermark to a Video
To add a logo to a video, you place the logo image as an overlay on top of the footage and set its size and position (usually a corner). Then you lower its opacity so it doesn’t distract, and choose whether it stays for the whole video or only part of it. In Cut Express you upload the logo and tell Claude where it goes: “my logo top right, small, 70% opacity, the whole video.” You get the MP4 back in the chat. The home page shows real renders with the prompts that made them.
Why add a logo or watermark at all?
Short videos get downloaded and reposted. Without a mark, a clip that travels from TikTok to Instagram to a group chat carries no trace of who made it. A small logo or handle in the corner keeps your name on it wherever it goes. On a brand’s videos, it also makes every clip look like part of one series.
Where should a logo go?
| Placement | Pros | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Top right or top left corner | Classic spot, out of the way | In vertical video, the very top can sit under the app’s status area |
| Bottom corner | Natural in 16:9 YouTube videos | In 9:16, the bottom is covered by captions and descriptions |
| Centre, faint | Hard to crop out | Distracting; only for previews or proofs |
| End card only | Clean video, logo at the end | Lost if the clip is cut short |
For Reels, Shorts and TikTok, a spot slightly below the top edge, on the side away from the app’s buttons, is the usual choice.
How big and how see-through should it be?
- Size: small. Around a tenth to a sixth of the frame’s width is common for a corner logo.
- Opacity: start somewhere between half and four fifths and adjust by eye, so it reads clearly without pulling attention.
- Margin: leave space from the edge so it isn’t cropped by a player or a phone notch.
- Contrast: a white logo disappears on bright footage. A soft shadow helps, or a version for light and dark scenes.
How do I add a logo with Claude?
- Upload the logo as a photo in the Cut Express panel. First time? Connect Cut Express to Claude. A PNG with a transparent background is the usual choice for a logo.
- Upload the video or the clips you’re editing, in the panel or from Claude Code.
- Describe the placement: corner, size, opacity, and when it shows.
- Render and check on a phone screen. Adjust with a note.
Add my logo in the top right corner, about 15% of the width, 70% opacity, a soft shadow, for the whole video. Fade it in after the first 2 seconds.
Put my handle “@desklab” as text bottom left, small, white with a light outline, only for the last 5 seconds.
You only describe it once, because Claude turns your note into exact numbers for the box. A logo in Cut Express is an overlay. Claude sets its box (the left and top edge, width and height), opacity, start and end, and can add a fade in or out, a shadow, a border, a round shape or a slow move with keyframes. Up to 20 overlays fit in one video, so a logo, a sticker and a picture-in-picture can all share the screen.
How do I put the same logo on every video?
Tell Claude once per chat: “Put my logo top right on every video we make.” For later chats, keep the line in your first message, or ask Claude to reuse the logo settings from a previous video. It reads that video’s timeline and copies the overlay.
For a moving logo at the start or end, see YouTube intro maker. For TikTok placement, see how to edit TikTok videos.
Can Cut Express remove a watermark?
No. Cut Express adds things on top of your footage; it doesn’t remove logos or watermarks from someone else’s video. If a clip has a watermark you have the right to remove, crop it out or re-export from the original source. Claude can crop or reframe a clip when you ask. See horizontal to vertical.
What else goes on top of a video?
- Lower thirds with a name and role. See lower thirds.
- Captions timed to every word. See captions for Reels.
- Picture-in-picture of a second clip, with rounded corners or a circle.
- Motion graphics like counters and charts. See motion graphics for YouTube.
FAQ
Can the logo appear only at the start or end?
Yes. Give it a start and end time, or ask for “the last 5 seconds.”
Can I animate the logo?
Yes. Fades, pops and slides work on a photo overlay, and keyframes can move or scale it. For a full logo animation, ask for a motion graphic.
Does adding a logo cost credits?
No. Overlays are part of the render. Credits are for voices, sound effects and transcripts.
What file types work for the logo?
Photos in common formats such as PNG and JPG. A logo with a transparent background is the usual choice.
Try it on your own footage
Upload your logo and a video, and say where it goes.
14 days free, then $19/month. Cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing.