Looking to add some personal touches to your photos? Check out our guide on how to make an inscription on photos! Whether you’re wanting to add a sweet message to a photo of your loved ones, or simply want to immortalize a memorable moment, this guide will have you creating wonderful photos in no time at all!
Method 1: Adobe Photoshop
The download of Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular graphic editors, installed on the computers of millions of users. The main thing is that there is no need to use any of the tools that are needed for the creation and editing of images, and this includes functions for processing photographs. The difference between Photoshop and Apple is that the software is very easy to use and it takes just a couple of minutes to put an inscription on your photos.
- Install Photoshop on your computer if you haven’t done it before. When you run it for the first time, click on the “Open” button in the main window.
- Through “Explorer,” locate and select the image on which you want to apply text.
- Confirm the addition without processing the color profile.
- Immediately you can select the “Text” function in the panel on the left.
- Left-click anywhere conveniently on the image to activate the input field.
- You can change the font, its size, orientation, color and other settings in advance using the tools that appear in the upper panel.
- Then start typing, and when you’re done, use the “Move” button to position the text exactly where you want it.
- You can manipulate layers by dragging one on top of the other if, for example, you want the text to be under a second layer when processing a photo.
- If you right-click on a layer with text, a context menu appears with the “Blending Options” item, which opens a new window with settings for the appearance of the caption.
- There you can apply different styles, checking the appropriate ones. Each style has its own settings: for example, for the stroke you can choose the color, the thickness of the line, its direction and type. For the shadow, you set its intensity, direction and transparency. Each of the present types has its own parameters, which you can see by clicking on the style line.
- All overlays are displayed as a list below the layer in the main window. Click the eye icon if you want to hide the effect and see how the lettering appears without it. Experiment with styles to make the lettering more visible in the background of the image or to give it an interesting look.
- Once your work is done, you can save the photo. Open the “File” menu and choose “Save As” from the list that appears.
- In the “Save” window that appears, choose a location for the file on your computer, change its name, and change the format to a suitable one.
- If you are prompted to choose a file size, prioritize quality over processing speed so that all elements of the photo appear the same as in the original.
Not all cases are enough just to overlay text – sometimes you want to make it more spectacular, in a certain style. You can do this properly and make the photo look more aesthetic with the instructions in our other materials.
Method 2: Microsoft Word
If the main element in processing is not the photo itself, but the text, for example, when it comes to creating a background with an informative inscription on it, you can safely use the text editor Microsoft Word or any other of its analogues. Text processors also support overlaying the inscription on the photo, but do not allow for more detailed processing, as is done in the same Adobe Photoshop. However, if you’re comfortable with this functionality, check out the step-by-step tutorial at the following link.
Method 3: Paint
Sometimes the user does not want to install an additional program, or he just needs to create a simple caption on the photo without any editing and enhancement. This is perfectly possible with the standard tool Paint, which is preinstalled in all modern versions of Windows.
- Start Paint by finding this application through the “Start” menu, and then expand the “File” list.
- There, click on “Open”.
- Use “Explorer” to add the photo to which you want to overlay the text.
- Select “Text” in the corresponding panel at the top of the Paint window.
- Click with the left mouse button where you want the text to appear. Keep in mind that once the text block has been added, it won’t be possible to move it.
- Use the functions to change the font, background and color of the inscription that will appear at the top after activating this tool.
- Type the text and select any other tool to finish editing. If you’re not happy with the result, press Ctrl + Z to undo the change and create new text.
- When you’re done, expand the File menu and save the photo in a convenient format.
Method 4: GIMP
Let’s analyze the method using GIMP, a free graphics editor that is the main competitor to Photoshop. Its usage is optimal when you want to get a big set of image editing functions, but you’re not ready to pay for an Adobe Photoshop license or you’re sure that you won’t be using the program too often. To apply a caption to a photo in GIMP, do the following:
- Use the button above to go to the official website, download and install GIMP on your computer. After launching, expand the “File” menu and select “Open”.
- An “Open Image” window will appear, in which navigate to the location of the desired file and double-click to open it.
- Select the Text tool by activating it in the panel on the left.
- Read the settings that appear and set them according to your needs.
- Click anywhere on the photo with the left mouse button and start typing.
- Once this is done, activate the Move tool and place the caption in the appropriate location on the picture.
- If needed, edit the layer overlay to place the text on top of the image or to hide it slightly.
- To adjust the transparency, while on the layer with the text, open the “Layer” menu via the top panel. Select the appropriate option and move the slider to a position that satisfies you. When working with text, the other options in this menu almost never apply, so skip ahead.
- The next menu is Color. It contains many different items related to displaying layer color. Experiment with shadows and light, brightness or saturation if you don’t want to see the created inscription in the standard color.
- In “Filters” there are visual effects divided into groups. Hover your cursor over one of them and select any filter to apply it. Check the result right away and uncheck it if you’re not happy with it.
- Once the image is ready to be saved, open the familiar “File” menu and find there the “Export As” item.
- Expand the list of available file types.
- Find the file in which you want to save the image, then name it and confirm the export.
If you haven’t used GIMP or similar graphics editors before, you can take advantage of the instructions in the article below, which explains the basic tools of the program and where they can be applied. This will improve the photo processing and make the lettering itself more beautiful.
There are other programs suitable for adding lettering to photos. They work pretty much the same way as the graphic editors described above, but they have their own features. Get acquainted with them and find your own solution if none of the above works for you.
Method 5: Online services
Let’s conclude the article by mentioning the existence of special online services, whose functionality is focused on photo processing. Most of them allow you to put an inscription on the image and all sorts of editing, changing the design. If you don’t want to download and use software, such sites are the perfect solution.