How to Add a Text Watermark to Video with FFmpeg

Use FFmpeg's drawtext filter to add a visible text watermark, label, username, copyright notice, or brand mark to a video.

For the short command page, see Add Text Watermark with FFmpeg. For a form-based command builder, use the Add Text Watermark tool.

Bottom-Right Watermark

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "drawtext=text='MyBrand':fontcolor=white:fontsize=28:x=w-tw-20:y=h-th-20" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy watermarked.mp4

This places MyBrand 20 pixels from the bottom-right corner.

What the Options Mean

Option	Meaning
drawtext	FFmpeg filter that renders text on video frames.
text='MyBrand'	Text shown in the watermark.
fontcolor=white	Text color.
fontsize=28	Text size.
x=w-tw-20	Horizontal position: video width minus text width minus 20px.
y=h-th-20	Vertical position: video height minus text height minus 20px.

Because drawtext changes video frames, FFmpeg must re-encode the video.

Common Positions

Position	Expression
Top-left	x=20:y=20
Top-right	x=w-tw-20:y=20
Bottom-left	x=20:y=h-th-20
Bottom-right	x=w-tw-20:y=h-th-20
Center	x=(w-tw)/2:y=(h-th)/2

Semi-Transparent Watermark with Border

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "drawtext=text='MyBrand':[email protected]:fontsize=32:borderw=2:bordercolor=black:x=w-tw-20:y=h-th-20" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy watermarked.mp4

The @0.55 sets opacity. borderw and bordercolor make text easier to read on bright backgrounds.

Use a Specific Font

If FFmpeg cannot find a suitable font, set one manually:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "drawtext=fontfile=/path/to/font.ttf:text='MyBrand':fontcolor=white:fontsize=28:x=w-tw-20:y=h-th-20" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a copy watermarked.mp4

For Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or emoji text, choose a font that supports the characters.

Common Problems

FFmpeg says Cannot find a valid font.
Add fontfile=/path/to/font.ttf.

The text is not visible.
Use a larger font size, add a border, or move it away from bright areas.

The shell breaks because of quotes.
If your text contains quotes, escape them or use a simpler watermark string.

The output quality changed.
Use a lower CRF value such as 18 or 20.

Related FFmpeg Pages

• See the short recipe: Add Text Watermark with FFmpeg.
• Build a custom command with the Add Text Watermark tool.
• Learn how to crop a video with FFmpeg.
• Debug drawtext and filter errors with the FFmpeg error explainer.