How to “Tagline” Your Post Photos in 3 Simple Steps

This post was inspired by Yan of ThouShallBlog, who really wanted to know how I put the text over images such as in my trumpet playing post.

So Your Photos Need 1001 Words?

A picture is worth 1000 words, but sometimes you want to emphasize the message that the picture from flickr or from your own camera create. The easiest way to do this is to add a tagline. (not to be confused by a watermark, which is used to prevent photo theft and to claim ownership.) In this tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to add a tagline in three simple steps.

1) Get a Photograph

First, you’ll want a photograph. You should always use photos licensed under creative commons if they aren’t yours. For the purpose of this demonstration, I went to flickr (the link takes you to a CC search) and picked up an image of a very cute puppy. Then I opened it in photoshop. (Note: this tutorial works for any image editor that has an “opacity” function.)

2) Add the Bar

(optional: before doing this, you can make the photo B&W by going to image –> mode –> greyscale. Sometimes it makes the tagline look cooler.)

The next step is to create a new layer, and select a rectangle somewhere in your photograph. Preferably in the middle, without obstructing the view of the picture too much. Now fill in the layer with your desired color. If you’re not sure what color the layer should be, then just go for black.

Afterward, set the opacity to 15% (this may change based on photograph conditions) by using the slider in the “layers” toolbox.

3) Add Your Text

The final part is to add your text to the image. Simply click on the text tool in the toolbox and click over your newly created bar. And there you have it! A tagline. If you want to further, you can clip the bar off just after the text ends, to create a sort of flag. And you can even add lighting effects.

Was this tutorial helpful? What other photo effects do you want on your blog? Ask your questions below.

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