Add Text to Photo
Photobun lets you add text to a photo with real, editable text layers. Choose from the fonts on your computer or the Google Fonts library, set the size and colour, add an outline or drop shadow with Layer Style, and export the finished picture as JPG, PNG or WebP, free and without signing up.
How to Add Text to Photo
- Click Open a photo; the Type Tool is selected for you.
- Click on the image where the text should go and start typing.
- Pick a font, size and colour in the options bar; search the font list by name.
- Add a stroke, shadow or glow with Layer › Layer Style, then export.
Your fonts and Google Fonts
The font menu shows installed fonts with live previews (desktop app, or Chrome and Edge on the web) plus the Google Fonts library, with instant search.
Editable text layers
Text stays editable while you work, so typos and wording changes take seconds, even after you've moved and styled the layer.
Outlines, shadows and glows
Layer Style adds stroke, drop shadow, outer glow, bevel and gradient overlay to text, the classic recipe for readable captions and thumbnail titles.
Made for many languages
Thai text works out of the box and the font list can be filtered to Thai fonts, while Google Fonts covers Japanese, Chinese, Korean and many other scripts.
Text on photos does a lot of work: titles on YouTube thumbnails, prices on product images, quotes on Instagram posts, names on certificates and labels on diagrams. Each needs a different balance of font, size and contrast, and a layer-based editor makes it easy to try variations.
A dependable recipe for thumbnails is a bold sans-serif font, no more than four or five words, light text with a dark stroke and a soft drop shadow. For elegant posts, a thin serif in a single colour with plenty of empty space around it usually looks better than effects.
Because one tab can hold several boards, you can design a set of posts that share the same title style, edit each caption and export the whole set in one go.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put text on a picture for free?
Open the picture, choose the Horizontal Type Tool (T), click where you want the text and type. Change the font, size and colour in the options bar, then export.
How do I make text readable on a busy photo?
Add a stroke or a drop shadow with Layer Style, or place a semi-transparent shape behind the words. Strong contrast between text and background matters more than font size.
Can I use my own fonts?
Yes. In the desktop app and in Chrome or Edge, every font installed on your computer appears in the font menu. In other browsers you can still pick from the Google Fonts library.
How do I keep my text editable for later?
Save the project as a PSD to keep all the layers. Exported JPG, PNG and WebP files are flattened images, so keep the PSD if you expect to change the wording.