How to Curve Text in Paint 3D

by Heinz Tschabitscher | Jul 7, 2024 | Windows Tips and Resources

[Archived] Not all text is best served straight. Find out here how to curve text in Paint 3D {following circles, ellipses and many another shape, in both 2D and 3D).

First, Hundreds of Seeds Take Off

On Sunday, January 31st, 1971, Apollo 14 took off into the Floridan afternoon for the first landing in the moon’s highlands. With it, former U.S. Forest Service employee Stuart Roosa launched into the sky; with him came a bag of personal belongings; and amongst them were hundreds of tree seeds.

After curving elegantly around Earth’s rocky satellite, they returned to their home planet and germinated around the globe.

Speaking of globes and curves… how about having text in Paint 3D take to a curved path?

How to Curve Text in Paint 3D

This is an archived article.

Using Word? How to Curve Text in Word

Time needed: 20 minutes

To align text along a curve in Paint 3D for Windows 10/11:

Select 2D shapes in Paint 3D.
Paint 3D keyboard shortcut: Press 2 for 2D shapes.
Use the 3-, 4- or 5-point curve to set up the curve along which you want to orient the text.
Complicated shapes: You can combine more than one curve element, of course.
Easier curve selection: Click Make 3D in the Paint 3D sidebar to turn the curve into a 3D object; this makes it easier to select just the curve later (if you want to delete it, for example).
Select Text.
Keyboard shortcut: Press T to select the Text tool.
Choose between 2D and 3D text.
Pick the font and formatting.
Important: Choose the formatting now; changing it later will prove difficult.
Click to enter the first letter of your text.
Use the orientation and move controls to position the letter.
Three dimensions: For 3D text, click outside the text editor before positioning the letter.
Repeat steps 3–7 for all the letter.
Optional: Remove the curve along which you aligned your text.