How to Add Text in Adobe Photoshop CC

Adding text to photos is one of the most common things you will do in Photoshop. With just a few clicks, you can turn a plain photo into a poster, a social media graphic, an advertisement, or a title card. A photo of a street now has a location name. An image of a product now has a price tag. Text brings context and meaning to images.

Today we are going to go over how to add and customize text in Adobe Photoshop CC.

How to Add Text in Photoshop

Using the Type Tool

1. Open the image you want to add text to in Photoshop.
2. Select the Type Tool from the toolbar on the left. It is the one that looks like a T. You can also press T on the keyboard.
3. Click anywhere on your image to start typing. This creates a text layer that auto-adjusts its width based on what you type.
4. Alternatively, click and drag to create a text box with a fixed width. Text will wrap within this box, which is useful for paragraphs or when you need the text to stay within a specific area.
5. Type your text. A new text layer will appear automatically in the Layers panel.

Customizing the Text

6. Make sure the text you want to change is selected. Press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on Mac) while in the text layer to select all text, or click and drag to select specific characters.
7. The Options bar at the top of the screen shows basic text controls: font family, font weight, size, alignment, and color.
8. For more detailed controls, open the Character panel (Window > Character). Here you can adjust:
   • Font and weight (regular, bold, italic, condensed)
   • Size in points
   • Leading (line spacing between rows of text)
   • Tracking (spacing between all characters)
   • Kerning (spacing between two specific characters)
   • Color by clicking the color swatch
9. Open the Paragraph panel (Window > Paragraph) for alignment options: left, center, right, or justified.

Working With Text Layers

• Move text by selecting the Move Tool (V) and dragging the text to a new position.
• Resize text by pressing Ctrl+T (Cmd+T) to enter Free Transform mode. Hold Shift while dragging a corner to scale proportionally.
• Rotate text by hovering just outside a corner handle in Free Transform mode until the cursor changes to a rotation arrow, then drag.
• Duplicate text by selecting the text layer in the Layers panel and pressing Ctrl+J (Cmd+J).

Tips

• Use layer styles for effects. Double click the text layer in the Layers panel to open Layer Styles. Here you can add drop shadows, outer glow, stroke (outline), bevel, and more.
• Rasterize for advanced editing. If you need to apply filters or paint on text, right click the text layer and select Rasterize Type. Be aware that rasterized text can no longer be edited as text.
• Install custom fonts to expand your options. Download fonts from sites like Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts, install them on your system, and they will appear in Photoshop automatically.
• For curved text, check out how to create circle text in Photoshop using the Type on a Path feature.
• Use Smart Objects if you want to apply filters to text non-destructively. Right click the text layer and choose Convert to Smart Object.

That is how you add and customize text in Photoshop. Between the Type Tool, Character panel, and Layer Styles, you have full control over every aspect of how your text looks.