Add text to an image

Making text readable on a photo

Text is easiest to read where the picture is calm: a patch of sky, a plain wall, a shadow. Look at the photo before you choose a position, and pick the spot with the least detail behind it.

• White text with the outline on works on most photos.
• Dark text suits bright, pale backgrounds such as snow or a white table.
• Bigger is not always better. Around 5 to 10% is enough for a caption; save the large sizes for one or two words.
• Text on the left spots is aligned left, on the right spots aligned right, and centred in the middle column.

Things people add text to

• Captions and dates on holiday or family photos before printing or sharing.
• Labels such as “Before” and “After”, or step numbers on screenshots for a guide.
• A price, size or product name on a quick product photo.
• A title over a picture for a blog post or event announcement.

For a picture with top and bottom text in the classic style, the meme generator is quicker. To put your name across photos to discourage copying, use watermark image. Your pictures are edited in the browser and never uploaded.