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Add Text to a Photo for Free

Give your snapshots something special! Tell your story and add text to your image using our handy-dandy online text tool.

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How to add text to a photo

Start of list: How to add text to a photo

Upload an image

Select the “Upload your image” button or easily drag and drop your files into the section.

Add text to photo

On the left side of the photo editor, select Text to add a text box or choose from different font combinations and formatting styles to add to your photo.

Download your design

Finally, download your design in high-resolution JPG, PNG, or other file formats or share it instantly online.

End of list: How to add text to a photo

Introducing the text pane

Add a text box to your image

Once your image is ready for some fancy lettering, it’s time to browse the “Text” pane. The text pane has lots of features, and there are plenty just beneath the surface, but it’s super easy to get started. Just click on “Add a text box” and a little text box will be added to your picture. You can move or scale your text just like any other design element. Once you know what you’d like to say, click the inside of the text box to add text to the image. It’s that easy.

Choose from our library of stylish font combinations

Apply text styles to your photo

The bottom of the text pane is filled with font combinations which are little drag-and-drop morsels of well-balanced typography you can use on your images right away. Simply scroll through the text pane to find a font combination that’s perfect for your photo, then click it or drag it into your design. Select the font combination to customize the color, or click on the placeholder text to start typing in your own. You don’t even need to worry about adjusting the font size: we’ll scale everything for you so your photo caption fits in the text holder nice and snug.

Add text for any tone with customizable fonts and styles

Choose your preferred font style

Can’t find anything you like among available font combinations? You can build your own perfect photo caption! There are oodles of fonts to choose from, from chunky slab serifs to curvy script fonts, all with samples you can preview right from the font selection window. You can even choose some of your favorite fonts in advertising, like Helvetica and Baskerville. What’s more, you can customize your text’s color, alignment, and spacing all with just a few clicks.

Make your caption stand out with a blurred photo background

Adjust blur intensity of your photo background

Is your text getting lost in the shuffle? There are all kinds of ways to make text stand out from photos. For example, you can increase your font size or give your text a sizzling, contrasting color. But one artful method you can try is reducing the prominence of your images with a slight blur(opens in a new tab or window) or maybe some transparency(opens in a new tab or window). After adding text to your picture, select your image, go to Edit, then find the Blur option under Tools. You can blur an area or the whole photo and preview your tweaks real time. If you need to unblur(opens in a new tab or window) your image later, you can easily restore its original clarity.

Add text to an image’s negative space for a professional-looking design

Drag and drop text to your photo

The best way to add text to a photo is to do so in a place that looks natural and helps make the photo feel complete. Try adding text to a photo’s negative space: areas that are wide open, without a lot of detail or variation, like open skylines, forest pools, or a block of color. With some creative font choices, along with editing and text alignment, your text can look right at home in your image. You viewers will wonder how your photo ever lived without it!

How to add text to a photo

How to add text to a photo on Canva

Frequently asked questions

  • Yes, you can add as many lines of text as you want in one image. Just click Add a text box to add more.
  • Yes, you can change the font, size, color, and alignment of the text you add to your image. You can also apply various text effects like drop, glow, echo, and outline, adjust the shape (curve) of your text, and apply advanced effects such as neon lights, graffiti, and pixel effects.


    Some features, like the Text tab, may not be available in Canva Docs. Font size changes apply to the whole text box—add a new text box to change size for specific words or letters.

  • No, your exported image will not have a watermark as long as you don’t use any of the premium elements from our media library.
  • Yes, Canva supports vertical text for specific languages and document types. See Use vertical text in Canva to know more.
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