How to add text to photos on your iPhone and iPad

Adding text to your photos can uniquely enhance your image. Apple Markup makes it easier than ever to express yourself in this way.

In this guide, we’ll offer step by step instructions on how Markup can be used to add text to images and pictures with Photos with Photos, Email and Messenger. We understand that sometimes you want even more creative options – that’s why we’ve also listed some of our favorite third party photo editing apps.

Just select the area you’d like to learn more about to read our top tips:

• Using Markup in Photos
• Using Markup  in Mail
• Using Markup in Messenger
• Best Apps for Adding Text to Photos

Soon, you’ll be adding text to images – quickly and easily.

Using Markup on your iPhone or iPad

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can use Markup on Apple’s inbuilt apps to add text, signatures, sketches, shapes, and more to photos.

There are so many creative options. In this guide, we’re focusing on adding text on devices with iOS 12 and above.

So whether you’re looking to use Markup in photos, Markup in Mail, or Markup in Messenger, our simple step-by-guides will explain.

Using Markup Editor with the Photos App

1. Launch the Photos app
Tap the Photos app icon to open it. To view all your photos, tap the Photos tab in the lower left corner of your screen. Alternatively, you can browse by Albums.

2. Select the photo you want
Found the image you want? Simply tap it to open it.

3. Tap the Edit button
Go to the top-right corner of the screen and tap Edit, then tap the More option (the three dots). From here, you can select Markup.

4. Tap the Plus button and select Text
In the bottom-right of the screen, tap the Plus button (+ symbol in a circle). This will give you a list of actions. Select Text.

5. Type your text
Simply type what you’d like to add.

6. Customize
To change your text’s color, simply use the Color menu. To change the font face, size and/or text alignment, select the aA button (next to the Plus button).

7. Double tap Done
After you’ve completed this, tap Done in the top right corner. You’ve now added text to your image and can find this in your Photos app.

Using Markup Editor with the Mail App

1. Launch the Mail app
If you want to send an edited photo, you can make changes within the Mail app. Just tap its icon to open.

2. Start composing an email
Press reply to an existing email, or tap the pen on paper logo in the bottom right corner to start a new email

3. Tap inside the body of your email and tap Insert Photo…
Tapping inside the body of your email will trigger a pop-up with various options. Select Insert Photo or Video or Add Attachment. If you can’t see this, tap the icon of a small triangle in a box for additional options.

4. Select the photo you want to edit
Select the photo (or PDF file) that you want to attach to the email and edit, then tap Choose.

5. Tap the attachment and open up Markup
Click on the attachment again, then tap the Markup icon.

6. Tap the Plus button and select what you’d like to add
Go to the bottom-right of the screen and tap the Plus button (the + symbol in a circle). This will give you a list of actions. Select Text to add writing of your choice. Alternatively, choose Signature to sign – this is a great time-saving tool for emailing contracts.

7. Type your text
If you’ve selected the Text option, simply type what you’d like to add. If you’ve selected Signature (and don’t want to add extra text), skip to step 9.

8. Customize
To change your text’s color, simply use the Color menu. To change the font face, size and/or text alignment, select the aA button (next to the Plus button).

9. Double tap Done
After you’ve completed this, tap Done in the top right corner.

10.Send
Once you’ve composed the rest of your email, tap the send button and your email (complete with its edited attachment) will be on its way.

Using Markup Editor with the Messenger App

1. Launch the Messages app
To share a newly edited photo with someone via text or iMessage, tap on the Messages app icon

2. Select who you want to send your image to
Open an existing conversation thread or tap the pen on paper icon to start a new one.

3. Tap the Photos app icon
To select a photo, tap the Photos icon. Once you’ve found your image, tap it to select it.

4. Tap the photo in the message
Once you’ve selected a photo, it will appear within a message. Tap this photo here, then tap Markup.

5. Tap the Plus button and select what you’d like to add
In the bottom-right of the screen, tap the Plus button (the + symbol in a circle). This will give you a list of actions. Select Text.

6. Type your text
Simply type what you’d like to add.

7. Customize
To change your text’s color, simply use the Color menu. To change the font face, size and/or text alignment, select the aA button (next to the Plus button).

8. Tap Save, then Done
Once you’re finished, select Save, then Done (top right corner).

9. Send
Press the blue up-arrow logo to send your creation.

Best Apps for Adding Text to Photos

Markup is a great way of adding simple text to your images without downloading an app. But, you may want something else to get even more creative.

Benefits of an app may include:

• More fonts and features than Markup
• Stickers and animations are available through apps
• Unlike Markup, gradient and other effects can be added through the apps that allow the text to better stand out

We’ve chosen the following apps based on their impressive features and positive customer reviews.

Over App

Over is a free photo editing app (with a paid professional option).

With over 10,000+ templates, graphics & fonts available, it’s great for customization. It’s particularly good at making your social media posts stand out – you can even share and schedule posts directly in the app.

Download Over

Phonto App

Phonto is a simple app designed to help you add text to pictures. It’s available for free, and add-ons are available to go ad-free and buy additional kits and packs.

It has more than 400 fonts available, and you can even install your own additional fonts. It gives you the option to change text size, color, gradient, stroke, shadow, rotation, kerning, spacing and much more. If you’re looking for flexibility, Phonto has it.

Download Phonto

Transform Your New Photos Into a Story

Now that you know how to add text and other features to images, the possibilities are endless.

You can turn your customized images into a story by creating a beautiful photobook. Download the Motif app and start creating today.

The post Add Text to Photos on Your iPhone and iPad | Adding Text to Images appeared first on The Motif Blog.

In the age of social media, image is everything. To create that image, great photos and a way to share them are a must. Apple has again risen to the occasion. The company’s latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Max all offer stunning photography. That’s all thanks to the iPhone camera lenses,, standard features with the latest generations.

With Wide, Ultra Wide and Telephoto lenses now available on iPhone, photographers and social media gurus can explore a whole new level of their craft. To create the best images possible, understanding how and when to use these iPhone camera lenses is beneficial.

What Are The New iPhone Camera Lenses?

The iPhone 11 series features three different lenses, each serving a unique purpose. None is necessarily more important than the others. But, together, they offer a well-rounded photography package. 

Wide – Every iPhone made to date has the Wide lens, including all three iPhone 11 models. This is the most familiar lens and likely will continue to be the most frequently used. Technically speaking, it’s a six-element lens with a 1x zoom and an f/1.8 aperture. The Wide lens offers 100% focus pixels and optical image stabilization.

Ultra Wide – The Ultra Wide is a step up for iPhone camera lenses. It, too, is available on all three iPhone 11 models. The Ultra Wide differs from the Wide in that it is a five-element lens and offers a wider field of view. Without an external lens, it provides a 120-degree field of view and an f/2.4 aperture. Zoom in to 0.5x using the Ultra Wide lens.

Telephoto lens – The new Telephoto lens is currently only featured on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. This is a 52mm, five-element lens. It offers an f/2.0 aperture and a 2x optical zoom. The Telephoto lens can actually go up to 10x digital zoom. But it’s important to note that digital zoom creates a lower image quality.

The Updated Apple Camera App

To accommodate these robust iPhone camera lenses, Apple updated the Camera app. The updates allow for the full benefit of multiple iPhone camera lenses and new camera systems. Some of the changes include:

• A moon icon that lets you use iPhone Night mode when low light is detected.
• The ability to transition from photo to video mode using QuickTake video.
• A zoom control radial wheel that offers custom zoom options.
• The option to select which lens you want when using Pano mode. Tip: combine Pano with the Ultra Wide lens for a truly stunning landscape photo.

The layout of the Camera app has also been revamped. Some controls have been moved or omitted completely. For example, the Smart HDR image setting is gone. Apple decided Smart HDR is the new standard – and now the only option.

Other formatting updates:

• The app’s font received a subtle refresh.
• The flip camera icon was redesigned from a camera with circling arrows to a circle with bigger circling arrows.
• Square photo has been removed from the main wheel. To take a square photo, change the aspect ratio in the toolbar.
• A triangle disclosure indicator, which pulls down an extensive toolbar with the timer, Live Photo mode, flash, filters, and aspect ratio. 

What is Capture Outside the Frame?

Capture Outside the Frame is another new feature with the iPhone 11 Camera app. As the name implies, this feature shows the additional data outside the active viewfinder. It saves this data, so you can crop or adjust the photo after taking it. Capture Outside the Frame also works with videos.  

Note, this functionality requires using Apple’s high-efficiency image and video formats (HEIC and HEVC, respectively) instead of JPEG. These are smaller file sizes, which might help free up storage space. However, HEIC and HVEC are not always compatible with popular software programs, apps, and platforms. They may need to have their format converted later.

It’s also important to know that the data captured outside the frame is not available forever. It is available for 30 days for using the excess to make edits or corrections. After 30 days, the excess data is deleted. The original image remains, no matter what.

To enable this option:

1. Go to your iPhone camera settings.

2. Select the Camera section.

3. Scroll down to the Composition section.

4. Tap the switch button next to Photos Capture Outside the Frame. When turned on, the switch is green.

5. While there, tap the switch for Videos Captured Outside the Frame and Auto Apply Adjustments. The latter will automatically apply any composition adjustments that need to be made to your images.

How to Switch Between the iPhone Camera Lenses

To use these cool iPhone camera lenses, follow these steps to access them.

1. Open the Apple Camera app.

2. At the bottom of the viewfinder are numbered buttons: 0.5x, 1x, and 2x. (Note: Only the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have 2x). 

• The 1x (Wide) lens is the default. 
• To use the Ultra Wide lens, tap the 0.5x
• To use the Telephoto lens, tap 2x.

3. Custom zoom settings can be made by swiping up on one of the numbered buttons. A radial zoom wheel will appear. Use a finger to turn the wheel and set the zoom anywhere between 0.5 to 10x (or 0.5 to 5x on the basic iPhone 11 model).

5. You can always go back to one of the three standard zooms by tapping the numbered button on the viewfinder.  

The Best Use for Each of the iPhone Camera Lenses

A skilled photographer knows the right place and the right time to use a particular lens. Since Apple now offers multiple lens options, learning the best use for each one is helpful.  

When to use the iPhone Wide lens:

The standard Wide lens has a moderately wide field of view, which makes it the go-to for a variety of settings. It’s great for capturing everyday moments – selfies, funny pet pics, and casual poses. Use the Wide lens with Burst mode to catch quality action shots. Or, try it with Portrait mode. The 1x Wide lens captures more of the background in Portrait mode. Capture dramatic blurred effects with this lens. To avoid overwhelming the photo with blur, reserve Wide lens for portraits shot from the waist up. Less background means less blur and more focus on the subject.

To sum up, the Wide lens is good for:

• Selfies
• Scenic landscapes
• Still life
• Casual family photos
• Action shots
• Portraits

The Wide lens is the default lens for a reason. It’s designed to work in almost every scenario. When in doubt, use the Wide lens. That said, there’s a trick to deciding if the iPhone Wide lens is the right choice. Simply enable Capture Outside the Frame. With this feature turned on, the viewfinder will show you what else is available to shoot. You might be persuaded to use the iPhone Ultra Wide lens, instead.

When to use the iPhone Ultra Wide lens:

As indicated above, the Ultra Wide lens provides a 120-degree field of view but offers a little less detail. The result is a dramatic sense of scale. This lens especially comes in handy when you can’t back up far enough to fit everything – or every person – in the frame.

That’s why the Ultra Wide lens is the better choice for capturing:

• Scenic landscapes
• Architecture (skyscraper buildings, monuments, etc.)
• Groups of people
• Pseudo-panoramic shots

When to use the iPhone Telephoto lens:

The iPhone 11 Pro’s Telephoto lens is another great option for portrait-style photos. In fact, it’s the default lens option in Portrait mode. (Tap the 2x icon in the bottom left corner to switch it.) Unlike the Wide and Ultra Wide iPhone camera lenses, the Telephoto lens zooms in. It offers detailed images of a subject that is positioned physically far away.

Use the Telephoto lens for:

• Wildlife photography (helps you remain discreet from a distance)
• Small subjects with a lot of detail (insects, flowers, etc.)
• Portraits and headshots

Are All These Lenses and Features Worth It?

In years past, the iPhone camera saw gradual changes from generation to generation. But the upgraded iPhone 11 camera is, by far, the most substantial evolution yet. While the iPhone Wide lens still offers the same 12 megapixels and f/1.8 aperture as the XS, the Ultra Wide and Telephoto lenses are big improvements. These iPhone camera lenses open the field of view, allowing in more light and greater detail. Each photo or video taken with the iPhone 11 is a high-quality work of art.

The post Do More Lenses Mean Better? A Guide to All the iPhone Camera Lenses appeared first on The Motif Blog.