# Add Text to Image > Add movable text to any photo with fonts, outlines, shadows, logos, shapes and emoji, plus the trending text-behind-subject effect — or flip to OCR mode to extract editable text from an image. Free, no watermark, 100% in your browser. A free, all-in-one tool to add text to images and extract text from images. Design over any photo, colour or gradient with movable text layers, fonts, outlines, shadows, logos, shapes and emoji, use the AI-powered text-behind-subject effect, then export a watermark-free PNG or JPG — or switch to OCR mode to pull editable text out of a picture. 100% in your browser. - **Live tool:** https://www.toolnova.org/image-tools/add-text-to-image - **Category:** Image Tools (https://www.toolnova.org/image-tools) - **Price:** Free - **Requirements:** Runs in a modern web browser · No signup · No install ## What this tool does - Drag, resize and rotate unlimited text layers on any image - 16 fonts + outline, drop shadow, highlight box, letter spacing & uppercase - Backgrounds: upload a photo, solid colour, gradient or transparent - Trending text-behind-subject effect via on-device AI cutout - Add logos/stickers, rectangles, ellipses, lines and emoji - Layer panel: reorder, lock, duplicate and delete each element - Canvas presets: Instagram, YouTube thumbnail, story, poster & more - Export watermark-free PNG or JPG at up to 3× resolution - Image-to-Text OCR in 14 languages with a confidence score - 100% client-side — nothing is uploaded, works privately & offline ## How to use Add Text to Image 1. **Pick a background** — Choose Text → Image mode, set a canvas size, then upload a photo or pick a solid colour, gradient or transparent background. 2. **Add and style your text** — Click Add text, type your words, then drag the layer where you want it. Change the font, size, colour, outline, shadow, highlight and rotation, and layer in logos, shapes or emoji. 3. **Try text behind the subject (optional)** — With a photo background, click “Put text behind subject” — the AI isolates the person or object so your text sits behind them for the viral thumbnail look. 4. **Export or extract** — Download a watermark-free PNG or JPG at up to 3×. To go the other way, switch to Image → Text mode, upload a picture, choose the languages and click Extract text to copy or download the result. ## Common use cases - Add captions, quotes and headlines to photos for Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. - Design YouTube thumbnails with bold text and the text-behind-subject effect. - Create posters, flyers and social graphics without opening Photoshop or Canva. - Watermark or brand images with your logo and custom text. - Extract editable text from screenshots, receipts, scanned pages and signs with OCR. - Copy text out of a picture in another language to translate or reuse it. ## About ### Add Text to Any Image — Free Photo Text Editor & OCR Add Text to Image is a free, advanced online photo text editor that runs entirely in your browser. Drop text on top of any photo, colour or gradient, then move it anywhere with a drag, restyle it with 16 fonts, outlines, shadows, highlights and letter spacing, and export a crisp, watermark-free PNG or JPG. It also works the other way: flip to Image-to-Text mode and the built-in OCR reads and extracts editable, copyable text out of a picture or screenshot. No sign-up, no uploads, no watermark. ### A real design canvas, not just a caption box Build layered designs the way you would in a desktop editor. Add unlimited text layers, upload logos or stickers, drop in rectangles, ellipses and lines, and insert emoji — then drag, resize from the corners, rotate, reorder, lock and duplicate every layer independently. Choose a canvas size for Instagram posts and stories, YouTube thumbnails, Facebook, X/Twitter, Pinterest, A4 posters or a square logo. Set your background to a photo, a solid colour, a smooth gradient or full transparency, and export at up to 3× resolution. ### Trending “text behind photo” effect, on your device Create the viral text-behind-subject look in one click. The tool uses the same on-device AI cutout as our background remover to isolate the person or object in your photo, so your headline appears to sit between the subject and the background — perfect for thumbnails, posters and reels. Because the AI model streams to your browser and every pixel is processed locally, your images are never uploaded to a server. That keeps your photos private and means the tool works even on our free plan without slowing the website down. ### Extract text from images with built-in OCR Turn any picture into text. The optional OCR mode recognises printed text from photos, scanned documents, receipts, screenshots and signs in 14 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. It shows a confidence score and drops the result into an editable box so you can fix, copy, or download it as a .txt file. Like everything else here, recognition happens client-side — the language model downloads once, then runs offline on your machine. ## FAQ ### How do I add text to an image online for free? Open the tool in Text → Image mode, choose a background (upload a photo or pick a colour, gradient or transparent), click “Add text”, type your words, then drag the text anywhere on the canvas. Style it with the font, size, colour, outline and shadow controls, then click Download to save a free PNG or JPG with no watermark. ### Does it add a watermark to my image? No. Every export is watermark-free at full resolution, and you can export at up to 3× the canvas size for extra sharpness. There is no sign-up and no paywall. ### How do I put text behind a person or object in a photo? Set a photo as your background, then click “Put text behind subject”. The built-in AI isolates the main subject on your device and draws it back on top of your text, so the text appears to sit between the subject and the background — the trending thumbnail effect. It runs locally, so your photo is never uploaded. ### Can I extract text from an image (OCR)? Yes. Switch to Image → Text mode, upload or paste a picture, pick one or more of the 14 supported languages, and click “Extract text”. The recognised text appears in an editable box with a confidence score, and you can copy it or download it as a .txt file. ### Is my image uploaded to a server? No. Both the design canvas and the OCR run entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript and WebAssembly. The AI cutout model and the OCR language model stream to your device the first time you use them, then run locally — your images never leave your computer. ### What languages does the image-to-text OCR support? It recognises 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese and Korean. You can select several at once for mixed-language images. ### What image sizes and formats can I export? Choose from presets for Instagram posts and stories, YouTube thumbnails, Facebook, X/Twitter, Pinterest, A4 posters and square logos. Export as PNG (supports transparency) or JPG (smaller files) at 1×, 2× or 3× resolution. ### Can I add my logo, shapes and emoji too? Yes. Besides text you can upload a logo or sticker image, add rectangles, ellipses and lines, and drop in emoji. Every element is its own layer that you can move, resize, rotate, reorder, lock and duplicate. ### Is this tool really free? Yes, it is completely free with no account required. Because all processing happens in your browser rather than on a server, there are no usage limits and nothing to pay. --- ToolNova — free, privacy-first browser tools. Most tools process data locally on your device. See https://www.toolnova.org/llms.txt for the full directory.