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How to Add Text in Adobe Photoshop

Tim Youngs
Last updated February 12, 2024
How to add text in Photoshop

Photoshop is ideal for many types of projects, and most of them will include text. So how do you add text to your project?

This short tutorial covers the basics of single line texts and text blocks, both of which will be useful for a wide array of project types.

When adding text to your Photoshop design, consider single lines of text for headings and shorter sentences and text blocks for longer text sections and paragraphs.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open your image in Photoshop
  2. Select the Type tool from the left-hand Tool Bar (shortcut = T)
  3. You can add a single text line by clicking once anywhere within the project canvas. This is ideal for shorter sentences or headings
  4. You can add a text box by clicking and dragging with the Type tool. This is ideal for paragraphs as it causes the text within the box to “wrap” (wrapped text steps down a line once it reaches the edge of the box)

Here's a more in-depth look at how to do this:

Step 1: Select the Type Tool from the Left-Hand Tool Bar (Shortcut = T)

After opening your Adobe Photoshop CC, select the Horizontal Type Tool. This can easily be found in the toolbar by looking for the "T" icon. There's also a keyboard shortcut you can use. Simply press "T" on your keyboard.

Step 2: Click Anywhere on the Canvas

Once you have selected the Horizontal Type Tool, simply click once anywhere on the canvas to start creating new text. Doing this will automatically create a new text layer in the layers panel.

These new text layers will be used when you want to keep track of which edits or texts you have added or when you want to add new layers.

If you happen to see words such as "Lorem Ipsum" appearing in the text box where the new text should be, simply delete and replace them with the desired words. These words are considered placeholders, and the function can be turned off just in case you find it too bothersome.

Step 3: Type in the Required Text

Once you have clicked on your canvas, you can start typing the desired text within the text box. Since you are using the Horizontal Type Tool, you can keep typing in a horizontal line into infinity.

While that is excellent news since you won't ever run out of room to type new text, it can be quite challenging to fit it all in one image. You can, however, press the "Enter" key to start a new line of text.

Step 4: Save Your Text

Once you are done typing and satisfied with what you have in the text box, simply press the ESC key to save the changes. You could also simply press the "checkmark" that appears on the upper settings bar.

Tips on How to Edit Text in Adobe Photoshop

Now that you know all about creating and adding text in Adobe Photoshop, let's take a quick look at how to edit and add some effects to your text in Adobe Photoshop.

Quick Tip: To edit the text in Adobe Photoshop, simply select the "Type Tool," click on the text, then press Control / Command + A, which highlights the text. Once that is done, go to the upper settings bar to find a host of options allowing you to change the text color, font, text size, and even alignment. Once you are done, press the ESC key to save the changes.

Let's take a quick look at some of the most popular text editing options in Adobe Photoshop:

Changing Text Color

There are two ways of doing this; the first involves double-clicking the text. The next step is to press Control + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac). This will highlight the entire text.

If you want to change the color of a specific letter or just a specific section of the text, simply drag your mouse over it to highlight that area.

Next, click on Color Fill on the upper settings bar. A color picker from which you can pick any color you want will be introduced. Once you are done, simply click OK to save the changes.

Adjusting the Text Font Size

There are two ways of doing this: directly or with the Move Tool. If you prefer doing it directly, simply open the Character Panel.

You can also do this by going to Window > Character. Pick the desired font from the drop-down menu that will appear. You could also type in the font size you want.

The other option is to use the Move Tool. You can get to this by pressing V and selecting the text layer. Once that is done, click on any of the corners of the transform box around your text.

To increase the font size, simply drag it outwards and vice versa.

Changing Text Alignment

This one is simple enough. Just double-click on the text to make it editable and choose the alignment you want from the three main options (left, center, and right).

There's a lot more you can do when editing text in Adobe Photoshop. Here's a video giving you a quick summary:

Can You Add Paragraph Text in Photoshop?

Yes! To make or add paragraph text in Photoshop, follow these steps:

  1. Open or create an image you want to add the paragraph text to
  2. Select the Type tool in the toolbar
  3. Navigate to the Character Panel or choose Window > Character
  4. Click on the paragraph tab
  5. Click Justify Last Left
  6. Click and drag the rectangle tool onto the image to create your text box
  7. Photoshop will now add in Lorem Ipsum text to fill the space
  8. Type over this text or copy and paste your paragraph text into the text box. It will flow nicely since you selected Justify in the steps above

How Do You Add Vertical Text in Photoshop?

If you want to write vertical text in Photoshop, choose the Vertical Type Tool rather than Horizontal Type Tool. Click Shift + T to easily cycle between all your text tools.

You will also find that this particular tool is also represented by the T icon and has an arrow pointing downwards.

  • Once you have selected the Vertical Type Tool, click on your canvas
  • Add a new text layer and an active text box to the canvas
  • Type your text into the canvas along the vertical line
  • When satisfied with the text, press ESC to complete the changes

Keep in mind that you can edit and customize vertical text in Photoshop the same way you would horizontal text. Follow the steps outlined above and start editing and customizing all the text you want.