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Easy Ways to Add Text to Photos

By Melanie Doncas | Inspiration

There are two main components of any great design: imagery and text. Both go hand-in-hand to effectively communicate your message and provide the information that’s necessary. After all, have you ever seen a card without words or a flyer that lacks any text whatsoever? Neither have we!

There have probably been numerous instances where you’ve wanted to add text to a photo online, or perhaps you’ve wondered “what program can I use to add text to a picture?” Thankfully, BeFunky has tons of text options to help you add text to photos for free. Whether it’s creating cool typography, masking photos over text, changing font colors, and more – we’ll reveal just how easy it is to up your text game!

An Expanded Library of Free Fonts

One of the most-loved features of BeFunky’s Text Editor is its wide selection of free fonts, all of which have been hand-curated by our graphic design professionals. Whether you’re working in the Photo Editor, Graphic Designer, or Collage Maker, you’ll be surprised by just how many unique font styles are available at your fingertips.

You’ll find all of the various typefaces you need too, whether it’s Serif, Sans Serif, Script, Handwritten, or anything else you desire. And when it comes to creating that perfect, eye-catching design? Pairing complementary fonts is the key.

choose a font

Search Existing Fonts or Add Your Own

Since there are so many fonts within BeFunky’s creative suite, we’ve added a search bar to navigate the list and make them easy to find. Forget wasting time trying to find that ideal font you have in mind. If you know the typeface’s name, then you’re good to go!

Another helpful feature within BeFunky’s Text Editor is the ability to add your own fonts to the platform so you can use them within any project you desire. You’re able to add Google Fonts with a single click, drag and drop your own font files, or even access your curated font library from any computer. Want to know how? Check out our helpful tutorial on how to add and manage fonts in BeFunky.

import fonts

Keep Your Favorite Fonts On-Hand

You can also curate your very own list of favorite fonts within the Text Editor to ensure they’re just a click away. This feature is particularly helpful for branding, as it allows you to keep your signature fonts in a single place for quick and easy access. It’s sure to save you time next time you create branding or marketing materials for your business!

To add fonts to your list of favorites, all you have to do is click the star symbol next to the font name. You can do this for any number of fonts that you wish to add to the list. Then, to access your curated list of favorite fonts, just click the Star icon in the Choose a Font menu.

favorite fonts

Add Typographical Emphasis

BeFunky also allows you to add typographical emphasis to your text, including bold, italics, and underline, as well as further customization such as changing the text box background color and adding an outline, highlight, drop shadow, or curved shape to your text.

These fun options let you take your text to whole new heights and encourage you to make your photo text or graphic design projects as creative as possible.

Another text feature is the opacity slider, which lets you place full emphasis on your text, or make it fade into your background. This feature can help you create some really cool text effects or set out your text hierarchy, especially when grouping multiple text boxes together on a design.

You’ll find all of these typographical options within the Text Properties panel, which appears any time you select a text box.

text options

Every Font Color You Could Imagine

Aside from changing your text’s background color and outline color, you can also switch your font color to any shade you could dream of. Simply choose your desired color from the color swatch or use the Color Picker to select a hue that’s already present in your image or design.

Got a super-specific color you’re trying to locate on the swatch? If you know the hue’s HEX color code, then you can just type this into the HEX Code space (next to the Eye Dropper tool). This takes the guesswork out of color matching, allowing you to get the right shade every time.

color picker outlines text

More Blend Modes Than Ever Before

In the Options menu of the Text Properties toolbar, you can now choose from an expanded selection of Blend Modes. These make it easy to create text overlays and text masks, as well as to create a more seamless (or contrasting) look for your text.

There are a ton of Blend Modes to choose from too, including favorites such as Soft Light, Color Dodge, Multiply, and Vivid Light (just to name a few). Why not experiment with each to see what you come up with? Often, the coolest designs come from some trial and testing.

text overlays

Mask Your Photos Over Text for Impactful Designs

With BeFunky’s Clipping Mask feature, you can also fill any text with the image of your choice. This means there's no need to cut out images to fit complex letter shapes. Instead, you can simply drag an image from the Image Manager over to your text, allowing it to mask it. We’ve got a handy clipping mask tutorial to show you exactly how it’s done.

Just think of the amazing text creations you can produce using this awesome feature!

image manager clipping mask

Super Precise Snap Lines

Whenever you click and drag your text layer in BeFunky, snap lines will appear to help you line it up with the other layers in your design (for example, graphics, other text boxes, etc.). This means there’s no reason to second-guess. Our snap lines will ensure your design is cohesive and exact, every time.

You can also lock the layers on your design, including your text, so you don’t accidentally move anything during your editing session. To do this, simply click on the Layers & Groups button at the bottom left-hand of the editor. This will show a list of every layer on your canvas, along with a padlock symbol which you can click to lock, or unlock, that particular layer.

lock layers of text

Add Text to Photos Using BeFunky’s Mobile App

Want to add text to photos on an iPhone too? BeFunky’s mobile app has all of the same text features discussed above, allowing you to edit or add text to photos while on the go.

The mobile app gives you cross-platform access to the Photo Editor, Graphic Designer, and Collage Maker, so you’re able to easily create any project your heart desires! 

add text to mobile

Add Text to a Picture the Easy Way

No matter what kind of project you’re working on, adding text has never been easier or more option filled. Ready to add text to your photo projects? Head to the Text Editor to see just how incredible it is!

Photo Editing, Simplified.


Photo Editing. Simplified