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Add Text to Image

Add text to an image

Drop an image, type your text, and drag it anywhere on the picture to place it. Pick the font, size, colour, weight and alignment, and add an outline or a backdrop so it stays readable over a busy photo. Download as PNG or JPG. It runs in your browser, so the image is never uploaded.

  • Files never leave your device
  • Runs in your browser
  • Free, no signup

How it works

  1. 1

    Drop an image

    Add a JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or AVIF. It is drawn to a canvas in your browser, with no upload.

  2. 2

    Type and drag

    Enter your text and drag it into place. What you see on the canvas is exactly what downloads.

  3. 3

    Style and save

    Set the font, size and colour, add an outline or backdrop, then download as PNG or JPG.

What this text tool gives you

Drag to position

Place the text exactly where you want by dragging it on the image, on desktop or phone, with a true what-you-see preview.

Readable over anything

An outline or a backdrop panel keeps the words legible over a bright sky, a shadow or a cluttered background.

Rendered locally, never uploaded

The image and text are composited in your browser, so nothing is sent to a server.

Where this helps

Social

Quote and caption cards

Lay a quote or caption over a photo for a post, story or share card.

Fun

Memes

Add a bold top-and-bottom caption to an image, with an outline for the classic look.

Video

Thumbnails

Put large, legible text on a still so it reads clearly as a small thumbnail.

Print

Announcements and posters

Add a title and details over an image, then frame it with a border for a simple poster.

Tips that help

  • 1

    Use the empty space

    Drag the text onto the sky, a wall or a blurred area so it sits clear of the busy detail.

  • 2

    Turn on the outline

    A contrasting edge keeps text readable over any background and is the easiest legibility win.

  • 3

    Bigger for thumbnails

    If the image will be seen small, make the text larger and bolder than feels necessary full size.

  • 4

    Want a repeated mark?

    For a credit tiled across the whole image rather than one caption, use the watermark tool.

Adding text to an image: placement, legibility and style

Putting words on an image is how a photo becomes a quote card, a meme, a thumbnail, a poster or an announcement. Doing it well is mostly about two things: placing the text where it belongs and keeping it readable over whatever is underneath. This guide covers both, plus the style choices that make text look intentional rather than pasted on.

Placing the text

The strongest placements use the empty space a photo already has: the sky, a plain wall, a blurred background. Dragging the text there keeps it clear of the busy detail and lets the image breathe.

Add text to an image

Because the tool is what-you-see-is-what-you-get, the position on screen is exactly the position in the download. Drag it, judge it against the real image, and adjust until it sits right, rather than guessing from coordinates.

For titles and captions, a little margin from the edge looks more deliberate than text jammed into a corner. Give it room.

Keeping it readable

The single biggest mistake is text that disappears into the photo. An outline solves most of this: a thin contrasting edge around each letter keeps white text legible over a bright sky or dark text over shadow.

When the background is genuinely chaotic, a backdrop panel behind the text gives it a clean surface to sit on. It is less subtle than an outline but guarantees legibility, which matters for thumbnails and posters that have to read at a glance.

Size matters for the same reason. Text that has to work as a small thumbnail needs to be larger and bolder than text on an image people will view full screen.

Style that looks intentional

Match the weight to the job. A bold sans-serif reads well for punchy titles and memes, while a lighter or serif face suits a quote or a softer, editorial feel.

Read more

Restraint helps: one or two lines, one font, and a colour drawn from the image usually beats a wall of text in a clashing colour. If you want a credit or signature repeated across the whole picture instead, that is the job of the watermark tool.

When the text is the finishing touch, a simple border around the whole image can frame the result for a poster or social post.

Frequently asked questions

Honest answers to what people ask before using this tool.

Drop an image, type your text, and it appears on the picture. Drag it anywhere to position it, then set the font, size, colour, weight and alignment. Add an outline or a backdrop so it stays readable over a busy photo. Download as PNG or JPG. It all runs in your browser, so the image is never uploaded.

Yes. Just drag the text on the image to place it exactly, on desktop or by dragging with a finger on a phone. What you see on the canvas is exactly what downloads, so there is no guesswork about where it will land.

Turn on the outline, which draws a contrasting edge around each letter so it stands out against any background. For very cluttered images, add the backdrop, which places a soft panel behind the text. Either keeps the words legible without changing the photo underneath.

Yes. Press Enter in the text box to start a new line, and the lines stay aligned as a block that you can position together. Use the alignment control to set left, centre or right.

No. The text is drawn over the image at its native resolution, and the rest of the picture is untouched. Saving as PNG keeps it lossless; JPG applies the usual photo compression.

No. The image is drawn to a canvas and the text is rendered entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, which you can confirm in the Network panel.

Further reading

Independent references if you want to go deeper on the formats and tradeoffs.