Edit text in a JPG image

What JPG compression does to lettering

JPG keeps a file small by discarding fine detail. That suits photographs, but sharp edges such as letters are where the loss shows first. Heavy compression can leave a fuzzy edge on each stroke, a faint speckle beside it and small blocky squares in flat areas. Thin strokes and small text are affected most, and the color of a bright letter can smear into the area around it.

These artifacts are part of the picture you upload, and they change how an edit goes. Detection reads letters from the pixels, so smeared text is easier to misread. The new letters are drawn fresh, so they can look cleaner than the compressed text beside them. Compare the line you changed with the lines you left alone.

Re-saving, and why the download is a PNG

Each time a JPG is opened, edited and saved as a JPG again, it is compressed again and the loss adds up. Chat apps and social sites can compress an upload once more. Start from the original file or the least-compressed copy you have, and edit it once instead of editing a copy of a copy.

EditText.ai saves the edited image as a PNG, so the save adds no new JPG compression. A PNG does not bring back detail the JPG had already lost, and for a photo it is usually a larger file. If a website or form needs a JPG, export one from the PNG as the last step at a high quality setting, and keep the PNG as your working copy.

How large the result is

The edited image is sized by the resolution you choose, not by the file you upload. At 1K its longer side is about 1,000 pixels, so a photo straight from a phone camera, which is often around 4,000 pixels wide, comes back much smaller. Paid plans can choose 2K or 4K for a larger result. Pick the resolution that matches how the image will be used, and check the size of the PNG you download before you replace the original.

Which JPGs edit best, and what to check

Large, high-contrast lettering on a flat or lightly textured area is the easiest case. These cases need a closer look:

• Small text and fine print: compression can blur it, so confirm what each Original entry says before you apply.
• Light letters on a saturated color: color can smear at the edges, so check the outline of the new letters.
• Photos with grain: new letters that look too clean can seem pasted on, so compare them with the old letters at full size.
• Screenshots saved as JPG: interface text often has a faint halo, so compare the edited line with the lines next to it.
• A JPG that has been shared many times: if you have the original file or a PNG export of the design, edit that instead.

Check the PNG before you use it

After you apply, open the downloaded PNG at full size, not only the preview. Artifacts, grain and edges are easier to judge there. Look at the edited lines first, then at the area around them, and compare both with the original JPG before you publish or print the result.