Nothing disrupts a great design more than blurry or pixelated text. This can happen for a few reasons, like poor image quality, incorrect image size, or low-resolution elements. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to improve clarity. Try the tips below to fix text that appears distorted in your design.
Font Style
Try switching to a different font. Not all fonts are designed the same—some may appear sharper than others, especially at smaller sizes. If your current font looks fuzzy, experiment with alternatives for better clarity.
Fonts that are lighter in weight or serif fonts can lose detail. Increasing the font size, switching to a heavier weight, like medium or bold, and a simpler font style can also help with readability.
Image Size
Make sure your exported image matches the recommended size or aspect ratio for the platform you're using. Exporting at the wrong size can cause compression or blurring.
When viewing your final image, be sure that you are viewing it at 100%, as the image is optimized for your set size. If you are zoomed in, the text will appear pixelated.
Working With Multiple Layers
When your project has multiple layers, the app flattens them into a single image when exporting to match the resolution of the lowest-quality layer. If one layer is low resolution or has been scaled up from a small size, it can reduce the quality of the entire design. This often happens when a small element of the image (image or graphic) is scaled up too much, which leads to pixelation
Resizing can be useful, but it’s similar to stretching pizza dough—the more you stretch it, the thinner it becomes. The same goes for images: stretching smaller elements can make pixels more visible and distort the quality.
If you need to make a layer significantly larger, we recommend using the Upscale tool to improve its resolution. Once the image is upscaled, you can add it as a layer and resize it as needed without losing as much quality.
For example, if you've turned a text layer into an image layer and then try to enlarge it, the quality will depend on the resolution at which it was saved when it became an image. Using the Upscale tool before resizing helps maintain better clarity in the final result.
Pro Tip: Before saving your design in a final image format, save a copy as a Project File. This keeps all your layers intact so you can easily make changes later.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out another tutorial:
Print Quality & DPI
Understanding Image Quality & Resolution
Adding and Managing Your Fonts