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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

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1

Upload an image

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

2

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.

3

Download your design

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

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Add a text box to your image

Introducing the text pane

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.

Apply text styles to your photo

Choose from our library of stylish font combinations

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.

Choose your preferred font style

Add text for any tone with customizable fonts and styles

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.

Adjust blur intensity of your photo background

Make your caption stand out with a blurred 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 or maybe some transparency. 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 your image later, you can easily restore its original clarity.

Drag and drop text to your photo

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

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

  1. Open Canva

    Launch Canva on your web browser or app. Choose a template or start a new design project from scratch.

  2. Upload your photo

    Go to Uploads and click upload files. Once your photo is uploaded, simply drag and drop it into your design.

  3. Add a text box to the photo

    From the side panel, select the Text tab. Choose to add a heading, subheading, or body text, or pick from font combinations.

  4. Format your text

    Double-click the text box to make changes to the text. Delete the text or change its font, size, color, and alignment, and apply effects from the toolbar. Click outside the text box to finish.

  5. Publish and share your design

    Drag and drop the text box to your preferred location on the design. Once satisfied, click the Share button on the top right corner and download or publish your image directly to your socials.
How to add text to a photo

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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