How to Add Text in Affinity Photo

There are two types of tools for adding text in Affinity Photo. These are the Artistic Text Tool and Frame Text Tool. They work in the same way as in Affinity Designer. Text is usually added to projects like invitations and posters where attention is needed. It also provides information that the reader may need to know. Follow our tutorial as we show you how to add text in Affinity Photo.

We will be using a quirky handwritten font called Corn Nuts but you can use any of our Funny Fonts available.

Step 1 - Use the Artistic Text Tool

The Artistic Text Tool doesn't constrain the size of your text. The text box is created by clicking and dragging out the size. This is particularly great for headings or short worded text objects.

In Affinity Photo you will find the Text Tool options on the left hand side panel. It will usually show as the last text tool that you used. To access the tools, click on the little white arrow to open the options. The Artistic Text Tool is shown as a capital A.

Click and drag to place the text box

To place the text box click and drag anywhere on the document. As you click and drag a capital A will be present. The size of this will tell you how big your text will be. Release the mouse button and a text box will be created. Affinity Photo will automatically create a new layer for the text.

Type out your text

Type out your wording. We can change the font in two ways. You can highlight the text while in the text box and change the font top left.

Or, you can click away from the text to leave edit mode. Click once on it to select and then change the font. We highlighted out text while in text edit mode and changed the font.

Edit your text

The text can be edited by double clicking to enter the text edit mode. You can change your wording when you do this. Alternatively, to make edits without changing the wording, click once to select.

You can change the font with Bold or Italics if available as well as the font size. Color can be added by clicking the option that looks like a rectangle at the top of the screen.

The other editing options can add or adjust how the text is aligned, the style, if it's bulleted or numbered. For this tutorial we only adjusted the center alignment.

Access the Stroke options

The one thing you will find with Affinity Photo is that the Stroke options are not that obvious. You can change the stroke color under the Color Panel on the right hand side. There are two circles, the one at the back represents the Stroke color. Clicking on this activates the stroke. The color can be adjusted with the palette beneath it.

But what about changing the Stroke width? The options are available under another tool called the Shapes Tool. Found on the lower left panel, this is where all of your shapes are stored. Once you click on the Shape Tool the Font Fill and Stroke options become available.

Step 2 - Use the Frame Text Tool

The Frame Text Tool has similar properties to the Artistic Text Tool. The main difference is how the tool is used. It flows according to how the text frame size and dimensions are changed. To access the Frame Text Tool, click on the little white arrow and select the icon with a T in a box.

Click and drag to place the text box

With the text tool selected, click and drag out the frame text box in the document. Unlike the Artistic Text Tool, you will see a blank rectangle appear as you drag the box out.

Type out or paste your text

Instead of typing out the text we did a copy and paste. The font and font size was changed at the top left of the screen. If you don't know exactly how big the frame text should be, you can paste your text and adjust. You will notice that if the text goes outside of the frame a red eye will appear on the right.

To adjust the text frame size, click + drag down on the bottom right adjustment handle. Drag it to where the text ends. The Red eye icon should disappear.

Edit your text

Editing text with the Text Frame Tool is the same as the Artistic Text Tool. Color is adjusted at the top and Stroke width adjusted under the Shapes Tool options. We changed the color, stroke and stroke width of our text.

Double clicking lets you enter text edit mode where the wording can be adjusted as needed. The one additional option is the ability to align the text according to the frame box. At the top of the screen are the alignment options. You can click on the drop down arrow to open the options. Alternatively each time you click on the button it cycles through the options.

Top Align

This option aligns the text to the top of the text frame box. There will be a space between the bottom of the text and the box.

Center Vertically

This option centers the text vertically in the text frame box. You will notice a small space at the top and bottom of the box.

Bottom Align

This options aligns the text to the bottom of the text frame box. There will be a small space between the top of the text and the box.

Justify Vertically

This aligns the text all round so that there are no spaces between the box edges and the text.

The text tools can provide impact to draw the reader's eye to your design. The Artistic Text Tool allows for creative flexibility. The Frame Text Tool is little more constrained but provides control over bodies of text. Experiment with the text tools to see what works best for your projects.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to have a look at our other tutorials such as converting text to a path in Affinity Designer, welding text in Inkscape and using Canva Text Effects.