Image Text Overlay
Put words on a picture in seconds. Write a top and bottom caption, pick a font and colours, add an outline or a background band so the text stays readable, and download the finished image.
- Files stay on your device
- No sign-up
- Free to use
Text
Style
Output
How to use Image Text Overlay
- Drop an image onto the upload area or paste one from the clipboard.
- Type the top and bottom text. Press Enter for a new line; long lines wrap automatically.
- Choose a font, size, text and outline colours, and an optional background band.
- Select Add text and download the captioned image.
Image Text Overlay features
Top and bottom captions
The classic two-line layout used for memes, quotes and announcement images.
Automatic wrapping and fitting
Text wraps to the image width and shrinks automatically when a long word would not fit.
Outline for legibility
An adjustable outline keeps white text readable on any background, from sky to snow.
Caption bars
Semi-transparent or solid bands behind the text for a clean, news-style look.
Five type styles
Impact-style meme lettering, bold sans, serif, script and typewriter.
Created on your device
Images are never uploaded.
When to use Image Text Overlay
- Making memes and reaction images.
- Adding a quote or headline to a photo for social media.
- Labelling screenshots and product photos with short captions.
- Creating simple event announcements and promo images.
- Adding names or dates to photos for albums and slides.
Image Text Overlay FAQ
Which font is used for the classic meme style?
The Impact typeface, with a black outline and white fill. Impact is installed on most Windows and macOS computers; on devices without it, a similar heavy sans-serif is used instead.
How do I keep text readable on a busy photo?
Increase the outline width, or choose a background band. A dark, see-through band behind white text works on almost any image without hiding it completely.
Can I put text only at the top or only at the bottom?
Yes. Leave the other field empty and only one caption is drawn.
Why does my long text get smaller?
Lines wrap at spaces. If a single word is wider than the image, the whole caption is scaled down so nothing is cut off. Shorter words or a smaller size avoid this.
How is this different from the watermark tool?
This tool is for large, readable captions that are part of the message. The Image Watermark Tool adds a small, semi-transparent ownership mark, optionally tiled, to protect images.
Making text on images readable
Text placed over a photograph competes with everything behind it. Light text disappears over bright sky, dark text over shadows, and fine strokes vanish over texture. Designers rely on a few dependable techniques: an outline or stroke around each letter, a drop shadow, a band of colour behind the text, or placing text over a calm area of the picture.
The heavy outlined capitals associated with internet memes are a solution to exactly this problem. Image macros needed to work on any picture without editing, so white letters with a thick black outline were chosen because at least one of the two colours contrasts with any background. The condensed, heavy Impact typeface fits many letters across a narrow image while staying bold.
Size matters as much as colour. Captions are often viewed as small thumbnails in a feed, so text that looks fine at full size can become unreadable on a phone. A useful rule is that captions should be legible when the image is the width of your thumb. That is why this tool sizes text relative to the image height rather than in fixed points.
Keep accessibility in mind when you share images with text. Screen readers cannot read words inside a picture, so include the caption in the post text or in the image’s alternative description as well.