Why does my Photoshop text look blurry or pixelated?

Question

I’m trying to add text to a design in Photoshop, but no matter what font I use, it looks fuzzy or pixelated, especially when I zoom in or export. What’s causing this?

Answer 1

This tends to be a common issue within Photoshop.

1. Low Resolution: image size is too small (check pixels/inch- aim for 300+)
2. Incorrect Zoom: Zoomed in too far ( try 100% or 50% view)
3. JPG compression: Saved with low quality settings ( try png or TIFF instead)
4. Scaling up: Enlarged image beyond original size ( try resizing down first )

Answer 2

The main thing to look for in your document is the overall size of the document in pixels.

The Pixel size really depends on where you plan to post your piece. Generally I like to work on canvases that are at least 2k resolution (2048px x 2048 px for square or 2048px x 1080px for horizontal landscape.)

To put that in perspective, a typical screen display is at least 1920 x 1080, so a 2k resolution will give you plenty of information to work with. It's always best to work big and scale down if need be. (like if the image is planned for instagram, youtube, a website etc.)

DPI doesn't do anything if you're only working digitally and only important if you plan on printing out your image. 300 -600 DPI is good for printing. DPI is "Dots per inch" which are the literal ink blots projected by the printer. so there would be "300" or "600" small dots printed in a physical inch.

Answer 3

This is a super common issue, and it usually comes down to one of two things: your document resolution or the way you're exporting your file.

Photoshop is a raster-based program, so it’s always working with pixels. If your document is set to 72dpi (which is common for screen use), text can look blurry—especially if you're zoomed in or planning to print. For clean, sharp text, try setting your document to 300dpi when you start. That’s standard print resolution, and it’ll keep things looking crisp.

Another thing to watch for is your text layer itself. Make sure it’s still editable and not rasterized. Once you rasterize text, it turns into pixels, which can get fuzzy if you scale it up or apply effects.

And finally, when you export, always use "Save As" or "Export As" with the right file format for your end use. JPEGs tend to compress more and lose quality. PNGs are cleaner for text, especially for screens.

If you’re still unsure what’s causing the issue, I’d be happy to walk you through your file and help you troubleshoot. I tutor students of all ages in Photoshop and digital design, and I keep it real and frustration-free.