How to Create Circle Text in Adobe Photoshop CC

Sometimes straight text just does not fit the design. When you are creating logos, badges, seals, stickers, or any circular design element, you want the text to follow the curve of the shape. Photoshop makes this easy with the Type on a Path feature. You draw a circle using the Ellipse Tool, then click on it with the Type Tool, and the text flows along the circular path automatically.

Once you learn how to do it with a circle, the same technique works for any shape. Triangles, waves, custom pen paths, anything. Today I am going to show you how to create circle text in Adobe Photoshop CC.

How to Create Circle Text

Drawing the Circle Path

1. Open your project in Photoshop. If you are working around a logo or icon, import that image first so you can align the text to it.
2. Select the Ellipse Tool from the toolbar on the left. It may be hidden behind the Rectangle Tool. Click and hold to find it, or press U and cycle through the shape tools.
3. In the Options bar at the top, make sure the tool is set to Path (not Shape or Pixels). This creates an invisible path that the text will follow without drawing a visible circle.
4. Position your cursor at the center of where you want the circle. Hold Alt+Shift (Option+Shift on Mac) and drag outward. Alt/Option makes it draw from the center, and Shift keeps it a perfect circle.

Adding the Text

5. Select the Horizontal Type Tool (T) from the toolbar.
6. Hover your cursor over the circle path you just drew. Watch for the cursor icon to change. It will show a small wavy line through it, indicating it is ready to type on the path.
7. Click on the path and start typing. The text will flow along the curve of the circle.
8. Format the text using the Options bar or the Character panel (Window > Character). Adjust the font, size, color, and spacing as needed.

Adjusting the Text Position

9. Switch to the Path Selection Tool (the black arrow, shortcut A) or hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) with the Type Tool active.
10. Hover over the text on the circle. You will see the cursor change to an arrow with a small triangle.
11. Click and drag to slide the text around the circle. You can position it at the top, bottom, or anywhere along the path.
12. To move the text to the inside of the circle, click and drag the text toward the center of the circle while holding the mouse button. The text will flip to the inner edge of the path.

Tips

• Adjust letter spacing. Text on a circle often needs extra tracking (letter spacing) to look good, especially at the top of the circle where letters fan outward. Open the Character panel and increase the tracking value.
• Use for logos and badges. Circle text is the foundation of stamp-style logos, seal designs, award badges, and vintage emblems.
• Combine top and bottom text. Create two separate circle paths, one slightly larger than the other. Put the top text on the outer circle and the bottom text on the inner circle (flipped to the inside) for a classic badge layout.
• Works with any shape. The same technique works with the Pen Tool. Draw any custom path and click on it with the Type Tool. The text will follow whatever shape you drew, whether it is a triangle, a wave, or a freeform squiggle.
• Save as a Smart Object. Once your circular text design is finished, right click the layers and convert to a Smart Object. This lets you scale and transform the design non-destructively.

That is how you create circle text in Photoshop. It is a fundamental design technique that opens up a lot of creative possibilities once you understand how type on a path works.