A meme is just an image with a punchy caption, but the details — the bold white font with a black outline, the top-and-bottom placement — are what make it read as a meme rather than a photo with text on it. All of it can be done in your browser in under a minute.
The signature look
The classic meme style is white Impact-style text in all caps with a thick black outline, so it stays readable over any part of the image, light or dark. Text goes at the top and/or bottom, kept clear of faces and the focal point.
How to make one
- Open the meme generator and add your image.
- Type the top and bottom captions.
- Download the finished image. Your picture is never uploaded.
What makes a caption land
Short beats long — a meme is read in a glance, so trim every extra word. The humour usually comes from the top line setting up an expectation and the bottom line subverting it. If a caption needs more than a second to parse, it is too wordy.