How to add text annotations
Text frames let you place typed content directly on a product image. Use them to describe a component, explain a setting, or add a brief instruction alongside a callout or arrow — anything that requires more context than a numbered marker alone can provide.
This article continues with the toaster example. A text frame will be added beside the control panel to describe the browning range dial.
Before you begin
Open the Asset Annotation Editor with your product image loaded. If you are continuing from a previous session with existing callouts or arrows on the canvas, the text frame you add in this article will layer on top of those annotations.
Info
Text frames are drawn by click-dragging, not by clicking a single point. Plan the approximate size and position of the frame before you draw it — you can resize and reposition it afterward using the Select tool.
Step 1: Select the Text tool
Click the Text tab in the sidebar, or press T.
The Text panel showing font family, font size, text style, alignment, line height, and vertical alignment controls.
The Text panel displays the following typography controls:
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Font family | The typeface for the text frame. Noto Sans is the default. Additional fonts — Inter, Roboto, Barlow Condensed, Open Sans, Lato, Montserrat, and Source Sans Pro — are loaded on demand. |
| Font size | Text size in pt. Drag the slider or click the value to type a number. |
| Text style | Bold, Italic, and Underline toggles. |
| Text alignment | Left, centre, right, or justify. |
| Line height | Line spacing multiplier. Defaults to 1.4. |
| Vertical align | Positions text at the top, centre, or bottom of the frame. |
Note
Typography settings you configure before drawing apply to the next text frame you create. To change the typography of an existing frame, select it first, then adjust the settings in the sidebar.
Step 2: Set typography before drawing
Configure the font and size before you draw the frame, so the text renders correctly as soon as you start typing.
For the toaster control panel description:
- Set Font family to Noto Sans.
- Set Font size to 13 pt.
- Set Text alignment to Left.
- Leave Line height at the default 1.4.
Step 3: Draw the text frame
Click and drag on the canvas to define the boundaries of the text frame.
- Position your cursor at the top-left corner of where you want the text frame to appear — for example, below the toaster image, aligned with the control panel.
- Drag to the bottom-right corner to set the frame width and height.
- Release to commit the frame.
A text frame drawn below the toaster, ready to receive content.
Note
A text frame must be at least 30 pixels wide and 30 pixels tall to commit. If you release too soon, the frame is discarded.
Step 4: Enter text
After drawing the frame, double-click it to open the text editor.
- Press
VorEscapeto switch to the Select tool if you are not already on it. - Double-click the text frame on the canvas. A text editing overlay appears over the frame.
- Type your content. For the toaster example, type:
Browning dial — turn clockwise to increase browning level. Range: 1 (lightest) to 6 (darkest). - Click outside the frame or press
Escapeto commit the text and close the editor.
The text frame with content entered. The floating overlay matches the frame's dimensions on the canvas.
Tip
The text editor supports multi-line content. Press Enter to add a new line within the frame. The frame does not auto-expand — if your text exceeds the frame height, resize the frame using the Select tool after committing.
Note
Pressing Escape in the text editor commits any text already entered and closes the editor. It does not discard your content. To revert to the previous text, press Ctrl/Cmd Z immediately after closing the editor.
Step 5: Resize and reposition the frame
Reposition
- Press
VorEscapeto switch to the Select tool. - Click the text frame to select it. A dashed selection border appears around the frame.
- Drag the frame to the new position.
To constrain movement to horizontal or vertical, hold Shift while dragging.
Resize
- Select the text frame using the Select tool.
- Drag any of the corner or edge handles to resize the frame.
Info
Resizing a text frame does not reflow or rescale the text inside it. If the frame becomes too narrow or too short to display all content, the text is clipped at the frame boundary. Widen or tall the frame until all content is visible.
Step 6: Style the text frame
Select a text frame to reveal its full set of appearance properties in the sidebar. In addition to the typography controls, you can set the following:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Text colour | The font colour. Choose from eight presets or enter a custom hex value. |
| Background fill | The frame interior colour. Select the diagonal slash swatch to remove the fill and produce a transparent background. |
| Border style | Solid, dotted, dashed, or none. |
| Border colour | The stroke colour around the frame perimeter. |
| Border width | Border thickness: 1, 2, 4, or 7 pixels. |
| Opacity | Frame transparency from 0–100%. Affects the frame and its content together. |
| Letter spacing | Additional spacing between characters in pixels. Defaults to 0. |
Tip
For a clean label style — white background, no border, left-aligned text — set Background fill to #ffffff, Border style to None, and reduce Opacity to around 90% so the image shows faintly through the frame. This keeps the annotation readable without fully obscuring the image beneath it.
Step 7: Delete a text frame
- Press
VorEscapeto switch to the Select tool. - Click the text frame to select it.
- Press
DeleteorBackspace.
Warning
Deleting a text frame removes the frame and all its content. Press Ctrl/Cmd Z immediately to undo if you delete a frame by mistake.
Save your work
Click Save in the sidebar when you have finished adding and styling text frames. The editor exports a full-resolution PNG with all annotations rendered and saves the annotation state for future editing.
Warning
Do not close the editor or navigate away before clicking Save. Unsaved annotations cannot be recovered.
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