How To Use Overlays To Highlight Your Text On Pictures In PicMonkey

I recently shared a picture of Katarina with some of her favorite books, and several people asked me how I put a background behind the words.

Today I have two quick tutorials to teach you how to use Overlays in PicMonkey to make your words pop.

PicMonkey Overlay Tutorial #1

Upload your photo. Crop and edit the photo as desired.
Once you are happy with the photo, it is time to add your overlay and text.
(*See note at the bottom of the post for updated PicMonkey sidebar icons)

Step 1.

Go into Overlays - it is the fifth menu choice
Click on Geometric
Choose the rectangle


Step 2.

Place Overlay
Adjust Size
Set Color

Clicking on the rectangle overlay, and dragging it, enables you to move it where you want it. You can adjust the size of the rectangle by clicking, and dragging, on the corner circles.

The color of your overlay can be changed by dragging the circle on the color palate in the Overlay Editor, or by manually typing in a color number. For this picture, I made my overlay white.


Step 3.

Fade Overlay
Merge Overlay and Picture

In this picture, Katarina was standing near a pretty fountain, and I did not want to lose it completely. I also felt that the white box was too harsh, and distracting. I used the fade option, located beneath the color palate on the Overlay Editor. Fading the overlay to 30% softened it, while still providing a solid background for my text.

Because I was planning on putting many text boxes on top of the overlay, and I knew I would be moving them around to get a perfect placement, I merged the overlay and picture so that the overlay would not move. To merge them, you click on the button that looks like two pieces of paper, with an arrow next to them. It is found on the top menu, between the redo and setting buttons.


Step 4.

Choose Fonts
Place Words on Overlay

I used a variety of fonts to help the book titles stand out, and I staggered the placement. I also ran a title up the left side.

The Final Picture:

PicMonkey Overlay Tutorial #2:

This picture of Thomas was a perfect fit for my post about why I won't read a book series with my husband. After editing the picture, I wanted to add text to make it pinnable.

If you add text to a picture, and it is hard to read, you can place an overlay behind it.

Step 1.

For this picture, I wanted to use a custom color for the overlay.

Go into Effects - it is the second menu choice
Click on Draw
Use the Color Dropper
Copy the Color Number

Once you are in Draw, and click on the Color Dropper, you can pick up a color from any part of the picture. I chose a green color from the trees you can see through the bus window behind Thomas. As you run the Color Dropper over the picture, you will see the color that is being picked up in the Draw Editor Box, and the Color Number will be displayed next to it.

You highlight and copy the Color Number to use for your overlay, and then close the Draw Editor.

Step 2.

Choose Overlay
Paste Color Number

Go into Overlays, choose Geometric, and select the rectangle. The Overlay Editor box will appear with the overlay. Above the color palate, you can see the Color Number. Highlight that number, and paste the custom Color Number you pulled out of the picture.


Step 3.

Place Overlay on Words
Right Click
Send Backward

Place the overlay on your text, and size it appropriately. You will notice that it is covering up the words - which defeats the purpose of making them easy to read. This is easily fixed. Right click on the overlay, choose Send Backward from the menu that pops up, and the overlay will move behind the words.

The Final Picture:

You do not have to use an overlay every time you add text to a picture, but some pictures need that little oomph. Plus, they are fun.

A few more examples of overlays that make words pop...

Self Care Thought:

In this picture, I used a small, square overlay, because I wanted to keep as much of the lovely view as I could. (A huge thanks to my mom for allowing me to use her picture of the beach in San Diego.)

Candy Crush Intervention:

In this picture, I used an overlay to cover the entire picture. This allows you to see the iconic candy, but the words still pop, and are easily read.

What Really Matters:

In this picture, I broke away from the rectangles, and used a circle overlay.

Have you tried overlays on your pictures?

*Updated PicMonkey Sidebar Icons
Since I created this tutorial, PicMonkey updated their sidebar icons. You can see in the screenshot below that the Overlay button is now a butterfly, and some of the other buttons have changed as well.

Even with the icon changes, all of the main options are the same, and are arranged in the same order.

Happy PicMonkey-ing!

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