Common apps simplify the meme-ification of your favorite images

Perk up your photos by adding cartoon-style speech balloons.

Common apps and online services simplify the process of adding a message to your favorite images.

Services likeSuperLame, for example, include more than one option for these bubbles.

Boy with thought bubble over his head

JGI / Jamie Grill / Getty Images

Use Microsoft Paint

Microsoft Painton Windows 10 remains a free, reliable standby.

The modern version of Paint includes built-in callouts for speech and thought bubbles.

Freehand-draw the shape or click theShapedrop-down to pick from nearly two dozen preinstalled shapes.

screenshot of microsoft paint speech bubble

Open an image in LibreOffice Draw; then clickView>Toolbars>Drawing.

The callout menu in the Drawing toolbar reveals seven different callout templates.

Click one then draw the callout over your image.

Screenshot of photoshop speech bubble

Click anchor points to adjust the callout.

Use the yellow anchor to position the bubble near the relevant character’s mouth.

throw in your message inside the thought bubble.

screenshot of LibreOffice Draw speech bubble

No need to insert a special textbox overlay.