Add Text to Image

Add Text to Images — Captions, Labels, Watermarks, and More

Sometimes an image alone isn't enough. You need to label a product photo, add a caption to a diagram, watermark a photograph before sharing it online, or overlay a quote on a background for a social post. All of those tasks boil down to the same thing: putting text on an image. This tool does exactly that, without requiring you to open Photoshop or any other heavyweight software.

You upload an image, type your text, position it where you want it, adjust the font, size, colour, and transparency, and download the result as a JPG or PNG. Everything runs in your browser. The original image file never goes anywhere — you're working with a local copy the entire time.

How to Use It

Upload your image using the file picker or drag and drop. A canvas preview appears showing your image. Position your text using the controls provided, then type what you want to overlay. From there you can adjust font family, size, colour, background colour behind the text (for a label effect), and opacity. Toggle bold or italic as needed. Use the alignment controls for left, centre, or right alignment within the text block.

When the preview looks right, click download. Choose JPG for photographs (smaller file size) or PNG for images where transparency or sharper text edges matter.

Common Use Cases

Watermarking photos: If you share photographs online — on a portfolio, a blog, or a marketplace — adding a subtle text watermark with your name or website deters casual copying. Set the text colour to white or light grey at around 40–60% opacity and position it diagonally or at a corner. Visible enough to claim ownership without ruining the photo.

Product labels and e-commerce images: Online sellers frequently need to add product names, price callouts, or promotional text directly on product photos. Add "New Arrival", "Sale", or a product description, then download a ready-to-upload image without opening a design app.

Social media graphics: Quote images, announcement posts, event reminders, and motivational graphics all involve text on a background image. Drop in your photo, type your text, and you have a post-ready image in under a minute.

Diagram and screenshot labels: Technical documentation, tutorial screenshots, and instructional content often need numbered labels or callout text. Add "Step 1", "Click here", or directional labels directly on your screenshot.

Event and certificate text: Adding a recipient's name to a certificate template, or overlaying event details on a flyer background, is a common use. Position the text precisely using the coordinate controls for repeatable placement across multiple images.

Tips for Clean Results

Contrast is everything. White text disappears on bright backgrounds; dark text vanishes on dark photos. Use the text background option to add a semi-transparent box behind your text — even a subtle dark overlay at 60–70% opacity dramatically improves readability without obscuring the image below.

Choose font sizes relative to your output image dimensions, not the preview size. Text that looks right in the preview window may be too small when viewed at full resolution. For print or high-resolution display, go a step larger than what looks comfortable in the preview.

For watermarks, diagonal placement is harder to crop out than corner placement and covers more of the image, which is the actual goal of a watermark. Rotate the text layer if the tool supports it.

Why Use This Instead of a Design App?

Design applications like Photoshop are overkill if you just need text on an image. Photoshop costs money, GIMP has a steep learning curve, and Canva sometimes restricts basic features behind a paywall. This tool has no account, no subscription, and no feature limits — open it, add your text, download, done. Your images don't leave your device, which matters if you're working with confidential photos or internal materials.

Limitations

Text is burned into the image pixels on download — it's not a separate re-editable layer. If you need adjustable text layers, a vector tool is more appropriate. Font options are limited to web-safe and system fonts; custom font uploads aren't currently supported. Very large images may slow the canvas preview on older devices or phones.