r/GIMP • u/FringleFrangle04 • 3d ago
Tips on Watermark Removal Experiment (More info in replies)
The original unedited image. Notice the big "Thunderbean Thursday" watermark near the copyright info.
The video had a black screen with the watermark before the short started. Using the color select tool, I removed all the black from the image to make this mask.
I then subtracted that mask from the original, removing the watermark almost completely!
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u/FringleFrangle04 3d ago
So here's the lowdown: I'm a nut for vintage cartoons, but hate it when the restoration group watermarks their work. I get why, but I feel it takes away from the beauty of the restoration; Plus I can't afford to buy the Blu-Rays with the restorations & without the watermark. I've had this idea in my head for a while now, make a mask of the watermark using the black screen at the start of the video, & subtract the mask from the final image. I'm surprised it worked as well as it did, to be honest! Still, there's a big kink I need to iron out; My mask got rid of almost all of the watermark, but left a ghostly outline where it used to be. Does anyone here have any tips on how I could change my method to remove all of the watermark, outline & all? Thanks a lot!
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u/spacemanaut 2d ago
Not a GIMP solution, but this particular cartoon is available unwatermarked here. Get it while it's hot.
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u/ofnuts 2d ago
You can do better. The watermark is usually some text superimposed over the backgroud with some opacity. So if you have the color and the opacity, you can apply some math but it is not a plain subtraction.
Now of couse if the watermark is random noise with random opacity, things are a lot more complicated:
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u/ConversationWinter46 2d ago
You obviously CANNOT understand why watermarks are used. Or why it is so difficult to remove.
And if the price is so high, then there's a reason for it.