Adding Text to a Collage

Question: As historian for a club of mine I just love Picasa’s Collage feature to put together the pictures I take of all the activities.  But, I need to identify the activities in the picture. Is it possible to add Text to the collage pictures that I have made?

Yes, indeed!  Adding text right on your picture is one of the very special and oh-so-easy features of Picasa.  Here’s a sample collage with three separate text items added:

Once your collage is created (members’ tutorial video: Quick Collage), it is a separate picture like any other .jpg file.  Just double-click the collage to make the editing tools available and find the Text tool at the left.  Click the Text tool and just start typing, your text will appear on the picture. Once you see the text, you have several options for making it bigger or smaller, changing the angle and changing colors. Members’ Tutorial Video: Adding Text to Pictures

Check out all the options available on the left, including both the fill color and the outline color.   When you’re ready to add another item of text, just click in a new place and start typing.  Each instance can have its own formatting.  When you’re editing one instance of text, it will have that gray outline around it.  Grab that outline to drag the text anywhere on your image.  When you click ‘Apply’ the outline will disappear.

Text can even be entered by copying your caption.  This way, you’re assured that your identifying comments will be seen whether the viewer shows captions or not.

Here’s another example of text on a collage.  I took 4 faces and one graphic image for the collage, then I added text to identify each person.  In order for the text to be readable against the images, I made the fill white and the outline black.

By the way, these faces are the teachers at our upcoming Techno-Geek Learning Rally.  Want some hands on training? If you’re near Bushnell, Florida at the end of April 2012, check out our Techno-Geek Learning Rally.

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