How to Add Text to an Image and Keep It Editable

Most ways to add text to a photo turn the words into pixels the moment you save. In the free image editor, text sits on its own type layer, so you can fix a typo next week. Keep it that way by knowing what rasterises it and saving with File > Export as PSD.

1. Open your image

Go to the image editor and choose File > Open..., click Open from computer, or drop the file in. PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF and PSD all open. Your image isn't uploaded.

2. Add the text

Pick the Text tool (T).

• Click once for a single line.
• Drag a box for paragraph text that wraps. A + shows when text overflows the box.

The Type panel has font, Size, Text color, Leading, Tracking and more. Use the Horizontal type or Vertical type button to set the direction. Vertical text is saved as vertical in the PSD too.

These settings apply to the whole layer, not to selected words. Want one word in red? Put it on a second type layer.

3. Edit it later

With the Text tool, click the existing text and type. It's still a live layer in the Layers panel.

You can move, rotate, scale, skew or warp it, and add a Layer > Layer Style such as a drop shadow or stroke. The text stays editable through all of that.

4. Watch for the rasterise prompt

Painting on the text, running a filter, filling it or applying an adjustment brings up "Rasterize the type layer?" Say yes and the editor turns the text into pixels, then runs what you tried. After that you can't retype it.

To keep it editable, say no and paint on a new layer above instead. To flatten it on purpose, choose Layer > Rasterize > Type.

5. Save two files

• File > Export as PSD is your master. Type layers stay live, so it reopens as editable text here or in Photoshop.
• Export as PNG, JPG... or WebP... is for sharing. These flatten the text. JPG also turns transparent areas white.

One catch: warped text goes into the PSD as pixels. If someone needs to edit it in Photoshop, remove the warp before you export.

Opening a Photoshop file

Text in a PSD opens as live type. Kerning, per-character styles and warp aren't read, fonts you don't have are swapped, and line breaks can move. Check the layout before you send it back.

On Windows or Mac?

Paint and Preview's Markup add text too, but it's flat once you save. That's fine for a quick caption. For simple flat captions online, W3Schools' text tool works. Photopea explains type layers and why PNG turns text to pixels if you want a second view.

What it can't do yet: text on a path, hyphenation, or HEIC files.

Where your image goes

Editing happens on your device, and your image isn't uploaded. Picking a Google Font downloads that font. The site also loads Google Analytics. More on the privacy page.

Next step

Open the free image editor, press T, click your photo and type. Save with File > Export as PSD so you can edit it again. No signup, no watermark.

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