5 Best Curved Text Generators in 2024 [Windows & Mac]

Stylize your content with one of the five best curved text generators in 2023. 

Curved text can make or break a new photo. If curved text flows naturally with imagery, it can amplify your intended message. However, if curved text distracts the eye and disrupts the overall cohesiveness of your content, it can undermine all your hard work. Therefore, content creators need an easy-to-use curved text generator that possesses the latest features to communicate their messages.  

Let's take a quick look at a snapshot of the top three curved text generators before we dig into the specifications and details of the five best curved text generators. And if you are new to photo editing, we provide an easy-to-follow, step-by-step walkthrough of creating curved text with our top choice, PowerDirector.

• Top 3 Curved Text Generator Software Snapshot
• What Is a Curved Text Generator?
• 5 Best Curved Text Generator Software
1. PhotoDirector — Best Overall
2. Adobe Photoshop — Best for Professional Graphic Designers
3. GIMP — Best Open-Source Software
4. Paintshop Pro — Best for Intermediate Photo Editors
5. Affinity Photo — Best for Layer Editing
• Best Curved Text Generators Comparison Chart
• How to Curve Text
• Download the Best Curved Text Generator Software for Free
• Curved Text Generator FAQ

Top 3 Curved Text Generator Software Snapshot

1. PhotoDirector — Best Overall

Generate perfectly curved text with PhotoDirector. The beginner-friendly software makes curving your text a snap. Just type in your text, select a curve style, then stretch and resize it to your desired shape. Detailed Review >

2. Adobe Photoshop — Best for Professional Graphic Designers

Adobe Photoshop is the ideal software for those with substantial photo editing experience. The software lets you create text on a curved path or using the warp text tool. Detailed Review >

3. GIMP — Best Open-Source Software

GIMP is open-source software that is comparable to Adobe Photoshop. You use paths or rasterize your text, then warp it to create curved text within the program. Detailed Review >

What Is a Curved Text Generator?

A curved text generator is a feature found in most photo editing software that allows users to add text in the shape of an arc or circle. Advanced applications enable content creators to alter their text to fit irregular curves. In the past, generating curved text proved time-consuming. Nowadays, the perfect curved text remains just a click or two away.

Marketers use circular text to surround spherical or cylindrical products to add more information to their marketing media. You may also wish to create curved text to outline circle logos or curved background features, like the sun, moon, or rolling hills. Once you get the hang of it, you can create curved text almost as quickly as straight text.

You can generate curved text in less than 60 seconds and polish it up in a matter of minutes. Now, let’s go over the five best curved text generators, focusing on their best features and areas that need improvement.

5 Best Curved Text Generator Software

Put your next photo editing project on the right track by selecting the best curved text generator software available. When comparing all the top photo editing programs, we considered several factors relevant to curved text generation. 

• Compatibility — Which OS can you use? What specifications are required?
• Ease of use — How smooth or clunky is the curved text generation process?
• Intuitiveness — Are there any pitfalls? How does the process flow?
• Advanced features — Which features are present? Are there any missing?
• Final results — How fine is the rendering? How fast is the polishing process?

After considering the above factors, as well as a few others, PhotoDirector landed at the top spot for 2023’s best curved text feature within a photo editing program. 

1. PhotoDirector — Best Overall

Compatibility: Windows and macOS

Overall Rating: 10 / 10

Curved Text Tools Rating: 10 / 10

As the best curved text generator, PhotoDirector leapfrogs some of the most well-known brands in the photo editing industry. The sheer power and speed of the program’s curved text feature and the availability of advanced features set it apart from other editing programs. Plus, the final curved text results are always smooth and seamless.

If you intend to create a lot of curved text, PhotoDirector stands alone as the premier photo editing suite for such tasks. Its speedy curved text generator, frequent content updates, and enhancement tools place PhotoDirector at the top of our list. But we have several other reasons to recommend this powerful photo editor, too. 

PhotoDirector possesses more features and produces better results than other photo editors. Like other popular choices, it has facial recognition, AI sky replacement, and layer editing. However, it exceeds other editing software by offering animation tools, photo-to-video features, and quick apply beauty touch-ups.

Reasons to Recommend

1. Frequent updates containing new stickers, overlays, filters, and other effects
2. Access to iStock with a subscription
3. Tons of special effects made simple with artificial intelligence
4. Superior workflow aids and media collection management tools

Download PhotoDirector for free.

2. Adobe Photoshop — Best for Professional Graphic Designers

Compatibility: Windows and macOS

Overall Rating: 9 / 10

Curved Text Tools Rating: 9 / 10

Adobe Photoshop offers users a few tools to create curved text. For example, Photoshop allows users to create stylish custom designs with warped text and arc tools. Intermediate and expert users will find it easy to produce a finished product aligned with their initial vision. Photoshop also lets users create and use a curved path to produce the precise effect they need. 

Graphic designers, social media influencers, and other content creators can gain complete creative control over their photographs with layers, selection tools, pen tools, vector masks, splicing tools, and many other features.

Be aware users of Adobe Photoshop face a steep learning curve and an expensive subscription service. As a result, first-time users often find themself overwhelmed and confused about how to achieve the results they want. If you're new to photo editing, we suggest looking at other alternatives.

3. GIMP — Best Open-Source Software

Image from Tradexcel Graphics.

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Overall Rating: 8 / 10

Curved Text Tools Rating: 9 / 10

GIMP offers a straightforward solution to curving text. This curved text generator software allows you to stylize text using its path tool. Users can draw out paths that they want their curved text to follow.

GIMP gives its users a free, open-source photo editing platform that stands toe-to-toe with Photoshop. It features a customizable user interface and various tools to refine your work. Many consider GIMP the best free editing program due to its open-source nature, enabling users to download additional plug-ins.

With GIMP, creators gain access to essential editing tools at no cost. However, reviewers often complain about the program's slow processing power and limited features. The software also struggles with multiple layers for large file sizes. Finally, the open-source plug-ins have caused some problems for users in the past.

4. Paintshop Pro — Best for Intermediate Photo Editors

Image from hec fashion on YouTube.

Compatibility: Windows

Overall Rating: 7 / 10

Curved Text Tools Rating: 8 / 10

Corel’s Paintshop Pro is a budget-friendly solution as a tried-and-true photo editor. It feels like Adobe Photoshop when you use it to produce curved text results in many ways. Paintshop Pro merges images with curved text so that the two layers appear as one, blending into each other to create a unified message.

Overall, Paintshop Pro makes a compelling value proposition. It provides most of the features you would expect from more expensive photo editors but sells for a fraction of the price. 

While Paintshop Pro delivers excellent results for bargain hunters, high-level content creators may find it wanting in some areas. For example, Paintshop Pro does not offer facial recognition, touch interface support, or high-end typography. Also, some of the features seem a little sluggish when working with large files, especially those that possess multiple layers.

5. Affinity Photo — Best for Layer Editing

Image from Logos By Nick.

Compatibility: Windows and macOS

Overall Rating: 7 / 10

Curved Text Tools Rating: 7 / 10

Affinity Photo seems to take a significant leap forward with each new version, especially as a curved text generator. The rendering has recently been improved, and the curved text options have expanded. Plus, Affinity Photo has one of the fastest curved text features available.

On the whole, Affinity Photo is a serviceable photo editor available for an affordable price and accessible to novice users. It possesses many of the most crucial photo editing features. The program also offers lots of help and support to new content creators still trying to surmount the learning curve.

The main drawback to Affinity Photo relates to its relative absence of features. It has everything you need, just not everything you may want. Examples include certain AI tools, masking controls, and layer options. Designers who need every available feature at their fingertips should look elsewhere for their photo editing solution.

Best Curved Text Generators Comparison Chart

How to Curve Text

In PhotoDirector, curving text is a breeze. All it takes is a few clicks to bend your text almost any way you want it. You can create a perfect arc or fashion an asymmetrical line of text that hugs the edge of a naturally curved object. To add curved text in PhotoDirector, you must follow five simple steps.

1. Open your image in the Edit tab.
2. On the far right of your screen, click on the T for the Text tool.
3. Click where you want the words to go and type your text into the text box.
4. In the Text column directly to the right of the image, open Text Effects at the bottom.
5. Select the text curve effect of your choice.

Download the Best Curved Text Generator Software for Free

While we appreciate all the image editors on our list, PhotoDirector stood out as the superior option. You can curve text in myriad ways by simply selecting the style of the curve you want, which saves you time while providing professional results.

The sheer speed at which the program renders new effects and the number of available features set it apart from its competitors as the one to beat. Gain more control over your artistic or marketing content by downloading the best curved text generator for free.