Add text to photo in iPhoto

@Chas_M -
Exactly! (We posted simultaneously, but you answer quite a bit more concisely!)

I am much, much lazier than you, apparently.

Hi, am new to this forum.
But glad it is useful,
cos I learnt to add text to my photo to make it personal.
Tks !

text on pic

Pomeroy said:

It's so easy to over look what Preview is able to do. Drag and drop a folder on Preview, then check out who you can view the folder with the buttons below the side bar, using the Contact Sheet view you can use the slider to change the size of the thumbnails, use the Next or Previous buttons or the arrow keys on the keyboard to scroll photos. Use Preview's Tool menu to crop, change size, Adjust Color, Rotate and flip, also check out the Inspector to see all kinds of info about the photo (Tiff, Exif). I don't know why Apple doesn't have a good tutorial for Preview to help people from over looking it, but so many of the Apps that come on a Mac look so simple that people don't investigate them and start looking for software to download to do the things came on their Mac.

Click to expand...

I have read all the posts here on this but am still missing something. I am making a slide show of my yearbook for a class reunion coming up. I need to put the names on the pictures. My pic is in Preview. I click on tools>annotate> add text (note is greyed out). I make the text box, check the color, check the font (English, comic sans, regular,144) and try to type, but nothing happens except the computer makes a noise with each keystroke. What am I missing?

That noise is trying to tell you that you forgot to click IN the textbox you created in order to start typing.

Pic from Preview to IPhoto

Why do these simple things have to be so hard to figure out? I have the name on the picture now, I did save as with the new name, now how do I get it back to IPhoto so I can do the slide show? Thanks so much for your help. Sorry to be so dense, but I guess I just need every little detail in the instructions.

Drag the new photo into iPhoto's open main window.

I have the name on the photo in Preview. I click Save As and name it and send it to pictures. Now it is on a list that I scroll down to find it. I click on it in that list and nothing happens. I click on the picture itself in the Preview view and it just wants to make another text box. How do I drag it into IPhoto or drop it into the Dock?

1. Save the altered photo to the desktop (for the purposes of instruction).
2. Quit Preview.
3. Open iPhoto.
4. Drag the picture on the desktop into iPhoto's main window (it will "import" it as though it was a new photo)

Does that work?

Pomeroy said:

A lot of those steps are not needed. If you work on photos often then Preview should be keep on the dock at all times, it is one of the most underrated apps on the mac for people new from the Windows world.
It does a lot more that just let you view one image at a time.

To add text to a photo just drag from iPhoto to the Dock and drop on Preview (doesn't even have to be open and running), use Annotate to add text then save with a new name to the desktop, then drag photo with new name to the Dock and drop on iPhoto, it will be imported with the new name ready for you to do what ever you want.

Click to expand...

I put the text on the photo, but I want to change it from black to white. Can I change it or do I have to start over? Also, I have one picture (out of a bunch from my yearbook) that won't drag to the desktop. Why?

Thank you

This was a tremendous help - as long as i can remember to follow the sequence, but, i cannot change to a new color. i make the change on "colors", but don't know how to "save" it. when i type, it is in the new color, but then when i'm done and save the pic, the color reverts to the original. can you help again? thanks very much.

Cecil said:

Long explanation, but it works!


1) Have 'FINDER' open in Task Bar
2) Put photo from 'iPhoto' or similar program onto the Desktop
3) Double Click photo
4) 'PREVIEW' should now be at the top of your Mac

If you have not done so, go to VIEW, CUSTOMIZE TOOLBAR, and drag 'Annotate' button to your Taskbar

5) Use the Annotate 'button' and arrow down until you see 'Note', click or highlight
6) Drag, (curser turns to a cross mark) a box that will have the word 'text' in it (highlighted in bright green)
7) Tools, Show Font, select your font (This is a small screen, I sometimes leave it open & move it out of my way)
8) Tools, Color, use the crayons feature, select color or black or white (White is perfect for most pictures)
9) Type you notation
9) After completing, the box can be positioned anywhere on the photo
10) To test printing (I'm using a HP) Select 'Paper size' 4 x 6 and print it on 8 1/2 x 11

In my next life, I am going to rewrite manuals! ☺

Click to expand...

Okay this was working good for a couple minutes and I put a couple of lines on my image but then it stopped working when I went to add another line and now all I get is an error tone every time I try to add more text to my image. Is there some kind of text limit or something I'm missing?

CShad -
My guess (all it is) is that somehow the "error tone" is telling you that some setting is not working within the text rectangle. Could you close out of preview and try again?

I just tried to replicate your experience but could not. I added text to an image, saved it, reopened it, and used annotate/text, immediately going to the font button and selecting same-sized text. I was able not only to add more within the original text box (which surprised me, but is a benefit of not relying on 'layers'), but I could add text between the lines or manipulate the original text. (Maybe try duplicating original, saving what text you add successfully, and then try to add additional text?)

Then again, perhaps it's a case of Murphy's Rule #106, that when you bring something to be repaired, suddenly it works fine. I'm guessing a reboot (of Preview, or worst-case the computer) might 'fix' it, if not one of the several recent OS updates. I find some aspects of the 'work flow' cumbersome, but have found the annotate/text function using Preview to be working consistently. Perhaps others have suggestions....

Good luck!

text over photo

Cecil said:

Long explanation, but it works!


1) Have 'FINDER' open in Task Bar
2) Put photo from 'iPhoto' or similar program onto the Desktop
3) Double Click photo
4) 'PREVIEW' should now be at the top of your Mac

If you have not done so, go to VIEW, CUSTOMIZE TOOLBAR, and drag 'Annotate' button to your Taskbar

5) Use the Annotate 'button' and arrow down until you see 'Note', click or highlight
6) Drag, (curser turns to a cross mark) a box that will have the word 'text' in it (highlighted in bright green)
7) Tools, Show Font, select your font (This is a small screen, I sometimes leave it open & move it out of my way)
8) Tools, Color, use the crayons feature, select color or black or white (White is perfect for most pictures)
9) Type you notation
9) After completing, the box can be positioned anywhere on the photo
10) To test printing (I'm using a HP) Select 'Paper size' 4 x 6 and print it on 8 1/2 x 11

In my next life, I am going to rewrite manuals! ☺

Click to expand...

HELP PLEASE!

Your post looked like the answer to my search, but I've had problems....

I've followed your instructions, up to the box with 'text' in it (highlighted in bright green)... However, I can't see any box with 'text' in it.
Where should it be?
What am I doing wrong?
When I do find it, can I 'copy and paste' the text into it?

I'm not very experienced with computers, so please try to avoid jargon and 'geekspeak' as it loses me completely.
I'm using an old iMac G5 (PPC processor) with added memory (2 GB) running Leopard 10.5.8.