Use white text on a semi-transparent black strip, bottom center, with only price and size. One font, one position, every photo. Everything else goes in the caption.
Quick Answer
The difference between a clean price overlay and a cluttered mess comes down to restraint. Limit text to two pieces of information maximum — price and one other detail like size. Use white text on a semi-transparent black strip at the bottom of the image, in one consistent font across every photo.
The difference between a clean price overlay and a cluttered mess comes down to restraint. Limit text to two pieces of information maximum — price and one other detail like size — in white text on a semi-transparent black strip at the bottom of the image. Based on what sellers in Filipino buy-and-sell groups consistently report, listings with clean, minimal text overlays get 2-3x more inquiries than photos overloaded with text, prices in multiple colors, and "DM to order" banners. The reason is simple: cluttered photos look like spam, and buyers scroll past them.
If you are adding text to your product photos, the goal is information, not decoration. Here is how to stay on the right side of that line.
Key Takeaways
- Limit text overlays to two pieces of information maximum: price and one other detail (usually size)
- Use white text on a semi-transparent black strip (50-60% opacity) at the bottom of the image
- One font (clean sans-serif like Helvetica, Montserrat, or Roboto), one size, one position — every photo, every batch
- Text should take up no more than 10-15% of image height; if the text is the first thing you notice, it is too large
- Everything beyond price and size belongs in the caption or description, not on the photo
- Batch tools like Oonch enforce these rules automatically — set the style once, apply to the entire batch
Why Does More Text Feel Like More Value (But Hurt Your Listings)?
More text on a product photo feels productive but actually drives buyers away. When every detail competes for attention — price, size, brand, "Authentic," "Like New," "Free Shipping Within Metro Manila," your shop name, your Instagram handle, and "PM for inquiries" — nothing stands out and the product gets buried.
The result looks like a menu board at a carinderia. When everything is emphasized, nothing is.
Experienced buyers have learned to scroll past visually cluttered photos because they associate that look with low-quality or spam listings. Based on before-and-after experiments shared in Philippine Shopee seller communities, listings with clean product photos and minimal text consistently outperform visually busy ones — sellers who stripped their overlays down to price-only report 30-50% more saves and clicks within the first week. The sellers with the cleanest photos — product clearly visible, one or two pieces of information — are the ones whose listings get tapped.
How Do You Limit Text to Only What Matters? (The Two-Information Rule)
The most effective text overlays include at most two pieces of information: price and one other detail. That second detail is usually size (for clothing) or condition (for electronics and branded items). Everything else belongs in the caption or description.
What goes on the photo:
- Price (e.g., "PHP 350")
- Size (e.g., "Size M" or "Pit-to-pit: 20in")
What goes in the caption/description:
- Brand name
- Condition details
- Measurements beyond the primary size indicator
- Payment and shipping information
- Your shop name (unless it is a small, subtle watermark)
| Information Type | On Photo? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Yes | The single most important detail buyers scan for |
| Primary size | Yes | Prevents the most common pre-purchase question |
| Brand name | Usually no | Recognizable brands (Nike, Uniqlo) can be an exception — keep small |
| Condition | No | Too subjective for a two-word label; explain in description |
| Payment methods | No | Standard info that belongs in shop policies, not on every photo |
| Shop name | No | Unless it is a small, low-opacity watermark in the corner |
If you are selling recognizable brands where the name genuinely adds pull — Nike, Uniqlo, Zara — you can make a case for including it as a third element. But keep it small, separate from the price, and do not merge everything into one block of text.
Why Does Every Text Overlay Need a Semi-Transparent Background Strip?
White text on a light product is invisible. Dark text on a dark product disappears. A semi-transparent black strip behind white text solves both problems and works on virtually any photo.
Set the strip to 50-60% opacity. The product shows through, the text is legible, and the overlay does not dominate.
How to create this in any editor:
- Add a black rectangle behind your text
- Set opacity to 50-60%
- Position it at the bottom of the image — where buyers' eyes naturally go for pricing, and where it covers the least important part of the photo
- Keep the strip narrow — just tall enough to contain the text with small padding
Avoid colored strips (red, yellow, neon green). Colored backgrounds are what make overlays look like sale flyers. Neutral dark strips keep focus on the product.
Where Should You Position Text on a Product Photo?
Bottom center is the best default position for text overlays. The bottom 15-20% of a product photo usually shows the surface (table, floor, backdrop), not the product itself, so text there does not obstruct what the buyer needs to see.
Covering the product is the most common text overlay mistake. A buyer who cannot see the full item because your "PHP 599" is covering the neckline is going to keep scrolling.
| Position | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom center | Best default | Covers the surface, not the product; natural eye flow for pricing |
| Top right corner | Good alternative | Out of the way; works well for smaller text |
| Bottom right corner | Acceptable | Slightly off-center but still clean |
| Center of image | Avoid | Covers the product — the one thing the buyer needs to see |
| Multiple corners | Avoid | Creates visual clutter; reads as a flyer |
| Full-width banner | Avoid | Dominates the photo; makes text the focus instead of the product |
Pick one position and use it for every photo. Consistency trains buyers to know where to look.
Which Font and Size Should You Use for Every Overlay?
Use one clean, sans-serif font across all your listings: Helvetica/Arial, Montserrat, or Open Sans/Roboto at 40-60 pixels on a 1080x1080 image. Avoid script fonts, handwritten fonts, and anything decorative. Your text overlay is information, not branding.
Font size test: Look at your photo at the size it will appear in a Facebook group feed or Shopee grid. Can you read the price without tapping to enlarge? If yes, the size is right. If the text is the first thing you notice before the product, go smaller.
The rule of thumb: Text should occupy no more than 10-15% of the total image height. On a 1080x1080 photo, that means the text strip is roughly 100-160 pixels tall, with font size around 40-60 pixels.
What Does Good vs. Bad Actually Look Like? (Concrete Examples)
A clean text overlay has three traits: minimal information, consistent styling, and the product remains the focal point. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Good: "PHP 350" in white Helvetica, bottom center, black strip at 55% opacity. Text takes up 10-15% of image height. Product is fully visible.
Acceptable: "PHP 350 - Size M - Uniqlo" in white, bottom center, semi-transparent strip. Three details is pushing it, but they are on one line and the text is small.
Bad: "PHP 350" in red at the top, "SIZE M" in yellow at the bottom, "BRAND NEW" in green in the middle, "COD AVAILABLE" in blue on the side. The photo looks like a basketball jersey made of text.
Also bad: An enormous shop logo covering 30% of the image, or decorative borders eating into the visible product area.
How Do You Know If Your Current Overlays Are Too Cluttered?
The simplest test: if you removed all the text, would the photo still be usable as a product image? If yes, your overlay is an addition. If not, something is wrong — the text has become the photo. A good benchmark: text should cover no more than 15% of the total image area.
Text overlays are seasoning. The product photo is the dish. Nobody orders a plate of salt.
Three steps to audit your current overlays:
- Pull up your last 10 listings at thumbnail size. Are they product photos with text, or text graphics with a product somewhere underneath?
- Remove one element. If you include price, size, and brand, try dropping the brand. Less is almost always better.
- Check consistency. Same font, same position, same style across all photos? If not, standardize. Consistency alone makes listings look more professional.
What Are the Clean Text Overlay Settings You Should Copy?
Here is a ready-to-use text overlay template you can apply in any tool:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Font | Helvetica, Arial, Montserrat, or Roboto | Clean, readable, professional sans-serif |
| Font color | White (#FFFFFF) | Readable on any product color with a background strip |
| Background strip color | Black (#000000) at 50-60% opacity | Ensures readability without dominating the photo |
| Strip position | Bottom center of image | Covers the surface, not the product |
| Strip height | 10-15% of total image height | Visible but not dominant |
| Text content | Price + one detail (size or condition) | Two-information maximum |
| Image dimensions | 1080x1080px for Shopee/Facebook | Standard square format for marketplace grids |
Save these settings as a preset in whatever tool you use. If the tool does not support presets (like phone gallery markup), write them on a sticky note next to where you edit.
Quick overlay checklist before posting:
- Is text limited to two pieces of information (price + one detail)?
- Is the font a clean sans-serif (Helvetica, Montserrat, Roboto)?
- Is the background strip black at 50-60% opacity?
- Is the text at bottom center and covering no more than 15% of the image?
- Is the product fully visible and clearly the focal point?
If you answered "no" to any of these, fix it before posting. Five seconds of checking saves you from looking like a spam account.
How Does Oonch Enforce Clean Text Overlay Rules Across a Batch?
When you are listing in volume, adding text overlays one photo at a time in Canva or Phonto gets repetitive — and it is easy to drift. The font size shifts, the position varies, one photo gets an extra line of text because you had room. Over 50 images, those small inconsistencies add up to a messy-looking shop page.
Oonch handles text overlays as a batch operation where the rules from this article become default settings. You set the font, size, color, position, and background strip once. Then for each photo in the batch, you change only the text content (the price, the size). The styling is locked in — same position, same strip, same look on every image.
This is particularly useful for Facebook group posting, where price-on-photo is practically mandatory. If you are posting 30-50 items per batch, the visual consistency across all those photos makes your listings stand out in a feed full of cluttered, multi-colored text overlays. The fact that text is part of Oonch's full pipeline (background removal, lighting correction, text, export) means you are not switching to a separate app just for this step.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put the price on product photos for Shopee listings?
On Shopee, the price shows in the listing card below the photo, so adding it to the image is not expected and can look redundant. Price-on-photo is most valuable for Facebook Marketplace and buy-and-sell groups, where the photo is often the only thing buyers see before deciding to tap or scroll.
What color text works best for product photo overlays?
White (#FFFFFF) on a semi-transparent black strip at 50-60% opacity is the most reliable combination because it stays legible on any product color — light, dark, or patterned. Avoid colored text (red, yellow, neon green), which makes product photos look like promotional flyers. Stick with neutral tones so the product, not the text, remains the visual focus.
How do I add a semi-transparent text background strip in Phonto?
In Phonto, add your text first, then tap the text to edit it. Look for the "Background" or "Style" option and add a background color (black). Then adjust the opacity slider to 50-60%. Position the text at the bottom of the image. The strip will automatically size to fit your text.
Is it okay to put my shop name or logo on every product photo?
A small, subtle watermark in the corner is acceptable — keep it at 5% of the image area or less and at low opacity. A large logo covering a significant portion of the image is not okay. It makes the photo about your brand rather than the product, and buyers interpret oversized logos the same way they interpret cluttered text: as a reason to scroll past.
What text size should I use for product photos in Facebook group posts?
Test by viewing your photo at the size it appears in a Facebook feed on a phone screen. The price should be readable without tapping to enlarge, but it should not be the first thing you notice. On a 1080x1080 image, a font size of 40-60 pixels usually hits the right balance between legibility and subtlety.
Should I use different text overlay styles for different selling platforms?
Keep the same style across all platforms for efficiency. The only thing that might change is whether you include text at all — Shopee listings typically do not need price on the photo, while Facebook listings do. The font, color, position, and strip style should be identical everywhere to save time and maintain brand consistency.
How many pieces of text information can I put on one product photo before it looks cluttered?
Two is the maximum. Price plus one other detail — usually size for clothing or condition for electronics. Once you add a third element (brand, payment method, shop name), the photo starts competing with the text for attention. Sellers who follow the two-information rule consistently report cleaner-looking feeds and fewer buyers asking "is this legit?"
Why does my product photo look like a flyer after adding text?
The most common reason is too much information — price, size, brand, condition, payment methods, and a call-to-action all on one photo, especially in different fonts or colors. Strip it back to two elements maximum (price and size), use one font in white on a semi-transparent black strip, and move everything else to the caption.
What is the fastest way to add text overlays to product photos on a phone?
Phonto (free, iOS and Android) is the most popular option among Filipino sellers for adding text overlays on a phone. Set up your preferred font, color, and background strip once, then reuse the same style for each photo. For batches of 20+ photos, a dedicated batch editing tool is faster because you configure the style once and it applies across all images automatically.