Instagram Photo Text Overlay

Overlay text on photos for Instagram posts. Generates portrait (4:5) images with gradient overlays, titles, and optional numbered lists. Use when creating Instagram content that needs text on top of a photo — destination itineraries, top-5 lists, travel highlights, or any branded social image with text overlay.

Overlay text onto photos for Instagram-ready images. Two styles: list (title + numbered items) and clean (title only).

Quick Start

bash

python3 scripts/overlay.py \
  --input photo.jpg \
  --output result.jpg \
  --title "TAORMINA" \
  --subtitle "3-Day Trip Itinerary" \
  --items '["Teatro Greco|Ancient theatre with Etna views", "Isola Bella|Crystal-clear beach"]' \
  --style list

Options

Flag	Default	Description
--input	(required)	Source photo path
--output	(required)	Output image path
--title	(required)	Main title (auto-uppercased)
--subtitle	"3-Day Trip Itinerary"	Subtitle below title
--items	[]	JSON array of "Name|Reason" strings (list style)
--watermark	"tabiji.ai"	Top-left watermark (empty string to disable)
--accent	255,220,150	Accent color for numbers/tags (R,G,B)
--quote	""	Quote text (for quote style)
--style	list	list / clean / quote
--quality	95	JPEG output quality

Styles

• clean: Cover slide. Big title = destination + category + count (e.g. "7 unique cheap eats in barcelona spain"). Subtitle = credibility/source line (e.g. "Insider takes from r/barcelona"). Best as carousel first slide.
• list: Content slides. Title + subtitle + divider + numbered items with reasons. Best for top-5 / itinerary posts.
• quote: Title with accent bar on the left + blockquote text below. No subtitle or divider. Best for travel quotes, testimonials, or key takeaways.

Workflow

1. Receive photo + destination/topic + list of items from user
2. Run scripts/overlay.py with appropriate args
3. Output is auto-cropped to 4:5 portrait (Instagram optimal)
4. Review output and adjust if needed (font sizes scale with image width)

Requirements

• Python 3 + Pillow (pip install Pillow)
• Works on macOS (Helvetica) and Linux (DejaVu/Liberation fallback)

Tips

• Items format: "Name|Short reason" — the pipe separates bold name from description
• For destinations, pull top picks from existing itineraries when available
• Gradient + white text ensures readability on any photo
• All font sizes are proportional to image width — works at any resolution