How to Animate Text in a Video

Step by step

1. 1

   Match the preset to the sentence

   Word Slide Up takes 2 seconds and suits a short line that has to read quickly. Typewriter fits tutorials and suspenseful reveals because the words appear as if someone is writing them. Reflow Word Swap holds a sentence and changes one word, so it works when one idea has several endings.

2. 2

   Type the words and set the type

   Word Slide Up and Typewriter use the Text field, which holds up to 160 characters over four lines. Then set Font, Weight, Size, Letter spacing and Text color. Reflow Word Swap uses Title for the sentence and Labels for the changing words, with Primary and Accent coloring the highlight.

3. 3

   Give the words time to be read

   Defaults run from 2 seconds for simple staggers to 7 seconds for the most elaborate effects, with a 15 second limit. Raise Duration when you lengthen the copy. Check Size after switching to 9:16 or 4:5, because a narrow frame fits fewer characters on each line than 16:9 does.

4. 4

   Decide what sits behind the type

   Text presets start on a solid background. Keep it and export MP4 when the words are a full-frame card. For type over footage, set Background to Transparent, then export a PNG sequence for Premiere Pro or After Effects, or WebM with alpha for CapCut, Resolve or a web page.

5. 5

   Place it over your footage

   In CapCut, import the WebM and add it as an overlay above the main clip, then drag it so the first word starts on the beat you want. Scale it in the editor only if needed. It is sharper to change Size and export again.

Where it is used

• Quote cards in short-form clips

  A single sentence from a podcast or interview is animated line by line on a plain card, giving vertical clips something to read when viewers are watching with the sound off.

• Key phrases in explainer videos

  An important term appears on screen just as the narrator says it, so the viewer sees and hears it together, which helps in lessons and product walkthroughs.

• Opening lines of promo videos

  An ad or launch video opens on one short claim set in large type, with the letters doing the moving, before any product footage or logo appears on screen.

Presets

44

Default duration

2 to 7 seconds

Best export

MP4 on a card, PNG sequence or WebM over footage

Aspect ratios

16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5

Which format should you export?

Transparent WebM if the words sit over footage, MP4 if they sit on a solid card. Kinetic type over video with a baked-in background is the most common export mistake there is.

Format

MP4 · WebM · PNG sequence

Alpha

WebM or PNG sequence

Resolution

720p to 8K

Aspect

16:9 · 9:16 · 1:1 · 4:5

License

Commercial use included

Three tips that make it look intentional

• Keep lines under seven words so the animation lands before the viewer reads ahead.
• Pair a heavy display weight with a slow ease for a confident, cinematic feel.
• Use transparent WebM when the type sits over footage rather than a solid background.

Three things people get wrong

• Writing a sentence where a phrase would do. Staggered type reads at about four words a line.
• Leaving the stagger at its default for a long line, so the last word lands after the viewer stopped reading.
• Setting the text in a font the rest of the video does not use.

Frequently asked