From the toolbar, select the Horizontal
Type tool 
or the
Vertical Type tool 
.
or the
Vertical Type tool .
Last updated on
May 17, 2024
- Photoshop Elements User Guide
- Introduction to Photoshop Elements
- Workspace and environment
- Fixing and enhancing photos
- Resize images
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- Process camera raw image files
- Add blur, replace colors, and clone image areas
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- Retouch and correct photos
- Combine Photos
- Sharpen photos
- Transforming
- Auto Smart Tone
- Recomposing
- Using actions to process photos
- Photomerge Compose
- Create a panorama
- Moving Overlays
- Moving Elements
- Adding shapes and text
- Quick Actions
- Guided edits, effects, and filters
- Guided mode
- Filters
- Guided mode Photomerge edits
- Guided mode Basic edits
- Adjustment filters
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- Guided mode Fun edits
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- Other filters
- Noise filters
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- Working with colors
- Working with selections
- Working with layers
- Creating photo projects
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- Keyboard shortcuts
- Keys for selecting tools
- Keys for selecting and moving objects
- Keys for the Layers panel
- Keys for showing or hiding panels (expert mode)
- Keys for painting and brushes
- Keys for using text
- Keys for the Liquify filter
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- Keys for the Camera Raw dialog box
- Keys for the Filter Gallery
- Keys for using blending modes
- Keys for viewing images (expertmode)
You can add text and shapes of different color, styles, and effects to an image. Use the Horizontal Type and Vertical Type tools to create and edit text. You can create single-line text or paragraph text.
About text
Use the Horizontal Type () and Vertical Type () tools to create and edit text. The new text you type is entered in a new text layer. You can create single-line text or paragraph text. Each line of single line text you enter is independent—the length of a line grows or shrinks as you edit it, but it doesn’t wrap to the next line. To create a new line of text, press Enter. Paragraph text wraps within the paragraph boundaries you specify.
Note:
You can use the type mask tools (Alt/Option-click the Type tool to change the current tool) to create a selection in the shape of text. You can then create different effects and cutouts with the text.
Clicking in an image with a type tool puts the tool in edit mode so you can enter and edit text. You must commit changes to the type before you can perform other operations, like selecting menu commands. The Type tool is in edit mode when you see the Confirm button 
and Reject button 
below the text.
Note:
When you add text to an image that’s in indexed color mode, Photoshop Elements does not create a new text layer. The text you type appears as masked text.
Add text
-
-
Do one of the following:
To create a single line of text, click in the image to set an insertion point for the type.
To create paragraph text, drag a rectangle to create a textbox for the type.
After clicking with the T tool, placeholder text (Lorem Ipsum) will appear. This will disappear as soon as you start typing your text. Placeholder text can be disabled in Preferences > Type.
The small line through the I‑beam marks the position of the type baseline. For horizontal type, the baseline marks the line on which the type rests; for vertical type, the baseline marks the center axis of the type characters.
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(Optional) Select type options, such as font, style, size, and color, in the tool options bar.
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Type the characters you want. If you did not create a textbox, press Enter to create a new line.
The text appears in its own layer. To view the layers, in the Advanced mode, press F11.
-
Commit the text layer by doing one of the following:
Click the Commit button
. Press the Enter key on the numeric keypad.
Click in the image, outside the textbox.
Select a different tool in the toolbox.
Type tool options
In the options bar, set the following Type tool options:
Font Family
Applies a font family to new or existing text.
Font Style
Applies font styles, such as bold, to new or existing text.
Font Size
Applies a font size to new or existing text.
Color menu
Applies a color to new text or selected text.
Leading menu
Sets the space between lines of new or selected text.
Tracking
Sets the space between the characters of new or selected text.
Faux Bold
Applies a bold style to new or existing text. Use this option if your font doesn’t have a true bold style that you can select from the Font Style menu.
Faux Italic
Applies an italic style to new or existing text. Use this option if your font doesn’t have a true italic or oblique style that you can select from the Font Style menu.
Underline
Applies an underline to new text or selected existing text.
Strikethrough
Applies a line through new text or selected existing text.
Align Text
Specifies text alignment. If text orientation is horizontal, lets you align text: left, center, or right. For vertical orientaion text: top, center, or bottom.
Toggle Text Orientation
Changes vertical text to horizontal and horizontal text to vertical.
Warp text
Warps text on the selected layer.
Anti-aliased
Applies anti-aliasing to make text appear smoother.
A. Anti-aliasing off B. Anti-aliasing on
Justify Text settings
You can use these Justify settings that can be used when all the paragraph text is selected:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + J (Windows) and Command + Shift + J (macOS) to justify last left.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + F (windows) and Command + Shift + F (macOS) to justify all.
Use the Text on Shape tool
You can add text to the shapes available in the Text on Shape tool.
-
Select the Text on Shape tool
. To quickly change the current text tool, press Option and click the current tool.Text on Shape tool Text on Shape tool -
From the available shapes, select the shape on which you want to add text. Drag the cursor on the image to create the shape.
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To add text to the image, hover the mouse over the path until the cursor icon changes to depict text mode. Click the point to add text.
Modify text in the same way that you modify normal text.
Click and enter text. Click and enter text. -
After adding text, click Commit
. For
some of the shapes the text has to be written inside. You can move
the text around the path or by inside/outside by holding Cmd while
clicking and dragging the mouse (The text appears in a small arrow).
You can drag that cursor into a selected area, the text path is allowed
inside/outside an area.
Use the Text on Selection tool
Add text on the outline of a path created from a selection. When you commit a selection, the selection is converted to a path on which you can type text.
Select the Text on Selection tool
. To quickly change the current text tool, press Option and click the current tool.
2. Place the cursor on the object in the image and drag the cursor till you get your desired selection. You can adjust the size of your selection using the Offset slider.
When you confirm the selection, the selection is converted to a path.
3. To add text to the image, hover the mouse over the path when cursor icon changes to depict text mode. Click the point to add text.
After you add text, you can modify it like regular text.
4. After you have completed adding text, click the Commit . Cancel to start your workflow again.
Use the Text on Custom Path tool
You can draw and add text along the custom path.
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Select the Text on Custom Path tool
. To quickly change the current text tool, press Option and click the current tool.Text on Custom Path tool Text on Custom Path tool -
Draw a custom path over the image. You can commit/cancel the drawn path to redraw from the tool options bar.
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To refine or redraw the path, click Modify in the tool options bar. Use the nodes that appear on the path to modify it.
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After you have completed creating a path, click the mouse at any point along the path to add text. Modify text in the same way that you modify normal text.
Add text. Add text. -
After adding text, click the Commit
.
Create and use masked type
The Horizontal Type Mask tool and Vertical Type Mask tool create a selection in the shape of text. You can have fun with text selection borders by cutting text out of an image to show the background, or pasting the selected text into a new image. Experiment with different options to personalize your images and compositions.
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Using the Expert mode, select the layer on which you want the selection to appear. For best results, don’t create the type selection border on a text layer.
-
Select the Horizontal Type Mask tool
or the
Vertical Type Mask tool 
.
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Select additional type options (See Type tool options), and enter your text.
The type selection border appears in the image on the active layer.