Select Window > Properties to open the Type Layer Properties panel.
Last updated on
Oct 4, 2026
Learn how to apply right-to-left text direction, kashida justification, and OpenType controls to format Arabic and Hebrew text in Adobe Photoshop on desktop.
Photoshop provides comprehensive typographic controls for Arabic and Hebrew text, including bidirectional text flow, specialized justification methods, and script-specific formatting options.
These features work with any Arabic or Hebrew OpenType font and are available in Photoshop 23.0 and later without additional configuration. For working with other international scripts, create documents using international languages, scripts, and text. Your operating system must support the language you want to use.
Middle Eastern typographic controls appear in two locations:
Type Layer Properties panel (available automatically in Photoshop 23.0 and later)
Character and Paragraph panels (accessible via the Paragraph panel flyout menu under Middle Eastern Features)
Access Middle Eastern features
In the Character or Paragraph panels, select the panel menu and choose Middle Eastern Features.
Middle Eastern feature panel
Both locations provide access to the same Middle Eastern typographic features. The Type Layer Properties panel groups all controls in a dedicated Middle Eastern Features section, while the Character and Paragraph panels integrate these options within their standard layouts.
Set text direction
Select the text layer or highlight specific text you want to modify.
In the Paragraph panel or Type Layer Properties panel, select Right-To-Left or Left-To-Right.
To change the direction for individual characters, open the Character panel menu > Character Direction.
Character-level direction control is useful when inserting dates, numbers, or Latin text within Arabic or Hebrew paragraphs.
Select digit types
Highlight the digits you want to format.
In the Character panel or Type Layer Properties panel, select the Digits dropdown menu.
Insert Digits
Select Arabic, Hindi, or Farsi.
By default, Arabic versions display Hindi digits and Hebrew versions display Arabic digits.
Adjust diacritical mark positioning
Select text containing diacritical marks.
In the Character panel or Type Layer Properties panel, use Adjust Horizontal Diacritic Position to shift marks left or right.
Use Adjust Vertical Diacritic Position to shift marks up or down relative to the base characters.
Diacritical marks indicate consonant length and short vowels in Arabic script. Adjusting their position improves readability with certain fonts or enhances visual styling.
Apply kashida justification
Select the paragraph you want to justify.
Ensure paragraph alignment is set to Justify (all lines) in the Paragraph panel.
At the lower-right of the Paragraph panel or in the Type Layer Properties panel, select the Insert Kashidas dropdown menu.
Choose None, Short, Medium, Long, or Stylistic based on the degree of justification needed.
To apply kashidas to selected characters, choose Type > Language Options > Kashidas.
Kashidas extend Arabic characters to justify text without adding space between words. This setting applies only to paragraphs with full justification and does not affect other alignment settings.
Enable OpenType ligatures
Select the text where you want to apply ligatures.
In the Character panel, select the OpenType ligature icons at the bottom of the panel, or select OpenType from the Character panel menu.
Enable Standard Ligatures for common character pair replacements or Discretionary Ligatures for decorative alternatives.
Ligatures are available with OpenType fonts that support Arabic and Hebrew typographic features. Adobe Arabic, Myriad Arabic, and Adobe Naskh provide standard and discretionary ligatures for Arabic. Adobe Hebrew and Myriad Hebrew support ligatures in Hebrew.
Configure hyphenation
Select the paragraph you want to hyphenate.
Select Hyphenation from the Paragraph panel menu.
Enable the Hyphenate checkbox, then adjust the available settings.
Select OK.
When kashida insertion is enabled, Photoshop applies kashidas to Arabic text and hyphenates non-Arabic text within mixed paragraphs. For Hebrew text, hyphenation functions independently of kashida interaction.
Apply justification alternates
Select the characters where you want to modify.
In the Character panel, enable the justification alternates icon at the bottom of the panel, or locate this option in the Middle Eastern Features section of the Type Layer Properties panel.
Justification alternates provide stylistic or calligraphic character variations used for alignment and paragraph justification. This feature requires an OpenType font that includes these alternate glyphs, such as Adobe Arabic, Myriad Arabic, Adobe Hebrew, or Myriad Hebrew.
Find and replace text with Middle Eastern text
Select Edit > Find And Replace.
Enter the text you want to find.
Enter replacement text.
Select Find Next to locate instances or Replace All to change all occurrences.
The Find and Replace function recognizes Middle Eastern-specific text attributes, allowing you to search for and replace text based on features such as digit type, diacritical marks, and special characters.
Insert glyphs
Place the text cursor where you want to insert a glyph.
Select Window > Glyphs.
Select a font from the dropdown menu.
Double-click a glyph to insert it.
The Glyphs panel displays all characters available in the selected font, including standard letters, numerals, punctuation, and specialized typographic alternates.
Create stunning images with Photoshop
Edit, retouch, and transform photos with the industry-leading creative tools you know and love.
