Facebook’s New Photo Uploader Has Text Overlay Capabilities And More

A picture paints a thousand words, or so they say. But if you incorporate a carefully chosen text over the image, it just might become the next Internet meme to go viral. Or at least get about 40 likes from your friends when you post it on your Facebook timeline. 

Well, it appears that Facebook’s new and improved photo uploader lets you do exactly that. The social media giant recently rolled out an enhanced version of the feature, and it is now made available for users on the iOS platform. As for Android users, do not fret -- an Android version is being tested as of this writing. 

Facebook’s revamped photo uploader basically now allows users to put overlaid text (you can choose from a variety of colors) over any picture you upload on your profile. On top of that, the photo uploader lets you preview various types of filter options instantly, and also incorporate Facebook’s stickers over the image. Before, Facebook had boosted its current options for standard filters and also experimented with photo stickers, but now the company is incorporating these features directly into the fabric of the photo uploader tool.

If this all sounds familiar to you, do not be troubled. It is actually quite similar to what Snapchat does with pictures. Some might recall that Facebook made an attempt to acquire Snapchat, but considering that the deal never came into fruition, it might as well adopt some of Snapchat’s fun features to its own photo uploading tool. 

Originality notwithstanding, Facebook’s new photo uploader should be a joy to use, especially for users who like to get creative with every photo they post on their timelines. Adding text, filters, and stickers definitely can make one’s picture more alive or artistic, and if it does not work, at least you and Facebook friends can laugh at the potentially hilarious or embarrassing results.

How does one begin using this new feature? Users with the new photo uploader will be able to see a vertical line across the image they selected to edit, basically alerting them that they can choose to add filters to the picture. An animated magic wand button then appears on the bottom left corner of the image, leading the user to the available options for text, stickers, tags, and even crop sizes. The text button essentially lifts the interface of Facebook’s Slingshot, letting you add text, adjust the font size, and then pick a color. As mentioned earlier, it could use a little dose of originality (die hard Snapchat fans may be coughing “rip-off” under their breaths now), but hey, if it works, why not?