What to write
Short text works best. Your name, your business name or a © notice covers most needs, and a website or handle helps people find you. Some patterns that read well:
- © 2026 Alex Morgan
- Alex Morgan Photography
- @alexmorgan.studio
- alexmorgan.com
- PROOF, for images sent to clients before they buy
- Your name on one line and your website on the next
Leave out words like "Photo by" unless you need them. The shorter the text, the larger and clearer it can be.
Choosing a typeface and weight
The 16 typefaces fall into five groups. The sans serifs (Roboto, Arimo, Montserrat, Jost, Nunito and Cabin) are the safest choice because they stay clear at small sizes. The serifs (Lora, Gelasio and Libre Baskerville) feel more classic, and the display faces (Playfair Display, Cinzel and Marcellus) suit a studio name set a little larger.
Roboto Mono and Courier Prime give a typewriter look that suits date stamps and technical notes. Great Vibes and Caveat look handwritten, like a signature, but their thin strokes need extra size to survive on a busy photo.
There are five weights, from regular to heavy. Small text in a corner usually reads better a step or two heavier, while large marks across the middle look cleaner in regular or medium.
Effects for light, dark and busy photos
White text with a soft shadow reads on most photos and makes a good default. Each effect in the Style panel has its own color and strength, so you can darken the shadow or thicken the outline for harder images.
- None: for clean backgrounds with plenty of contrast, such as text over a plain dark sky.
- Shadow: the all-rounder for white text on mixed photos.
- Outline: a thin edge in a contrasting color that keeps letters sharp over busy detail like leaves or crowds.
- Label: a soft rounded background behind the words, the most readable choice for small text, handles and websites.
On bright scenes such as snow, beaches or a white studio backdrop, dark text often works better than white. Try both before you settle.
Spacing, alignment and lines
Letter spacing changes the feel of the text. Wide spacing gives short words and names in capitals an open, deliberate look, while normal spacing suits names and websites in lowercase. Leave script faces at their normal spacing, because their letters are drawn to join.
Text can run over several lines, aligned left, center or right. Two lines is usually the limit before a watermark starts to look like a caption. Size is measured from each photo's shorter edge, so the text keeps the same proportion across a mixed set.