PicMonkey Tutorial: How to Add Handwriting to a Photo

I don’t own a graphics program, not even Photoshop, and investing in
one isn’t in the budget this year. Instead I’m really enjoying learning
to use free online programs to their utmost.

PicMonkey
is one of my very favorites. You may know of PicMonkey as a photo
editing program, which it is, but it’s also an incredibly powerful tool
for creativity. This post is part of a series of PicMonkey
tutorials I’ve created. Check out the other ones here. Enjoy!

Writing on a photo instantly makes it personal. Whether you want to illustrate a blog post, create a digital scrapbooking page, or make a special postcard, a great shot becomes more memorable with a few words written in your own hand.

Write on a colored background to make a neat tag or business card. So many creative possibilities! I better start practicing my cursive lettering.

Adding handwriting to a photo is easy in PicMonkey. Are you ready? Let’s go!

First, upload your photo to PicMonkey. Here’s my daughter holding Stella the Owl, a sample of one of my patterns. Cute!

Now head over to the Effects menu. That’s the one with the icon that resembles a bubbling beaker. Scroll down until you see the colored pencils with the word Draw.

Now zoom in on the area of the photo where you’d like to begin writing. Zooming in allows you to get a smooth line when you write. It may look pixalated now, but it will look smooth when you zoom out later.

Bring the Brush Size down pretty low. I set it at 16. Experiment with Hardness. I left it at 100%. If you bring it down you can achieve a softer outline. Now use your mouse to write! It may take a few tries. That’s okay!  Just hit the “back” arrow up top to erase and try again.

Zoom out and see what you think. I like it!

In keeping with the love theme, I added a few Doodly Hearts. You can find them in the Overlay menu or down at the bottom in the Themes menu under “sweethearts.”

Here’s the final image. Almost as much fun as writing with paint pens on Polaroids, minus the smell of the paint pens and the cost of film.

Give it a try! All you awesome people with great handwriting are going to make amazing images this way.

 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way by PicMonkey. I just love it with all my heart.

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