30-second answer: Text and titles in Edits work when they are readable at a glance, timed to the edit, and consistent across the video. Add a text layer, type a short title, choose a bold, high-contrast style, place it clear of edges and overlays, and set its duration so it appears and disappears on a cut or a natural pause. Keep titles short — a few words that set up the scene — and let the footage and speech carry the detail.
On this page
- Add a title to a project
- Choose a readable style
- Time titles to the edit
- Use titles for structure
- Animate titles without distraction
- Check titles before export
- Using this in a desktop workflow
Titles are the signposts of a video. They tell viewers where they are, what is about to happen, and why they should care, often in the first seconds. A good title does that job in a glance, then gets out of the way. A bad title does the opposite: it is too long to read, too small to see, or so decorative that it becomes the video, rather than introducing it. The difference is rarely a fancy font; it is usually brevity, contrast, and timing.
Edits runs on your phone, so titles are added as layers on the timeline in the app. This tutorial covers the design decisions that matter — wording, style, position, and timing — rather than promising a specific preset, because presets change between versions while those decisions do not. Captions are covered separately in our captions tutorial; this guide is about titles, headings, and on-screen text that structures a video.
Step 1: Add a title to a project
Open your project in Edits and decide where the title belongs before you add it. The most common places are the opening seconds, the start of a new section, and moments where a name, place, or key point needs labelling. Select the clip or timeline position where the title should appear, open the text tool, and type the title as a separate text layer, so you can move and time it independently of the footage underneath.
Type the shortest version of the idea that still makes sense. A title is not a paragraph, and it is not a caption: it is a headline. If you find yourself writing a sentence, ask what the three or four most important words are, and use those. You can always add detail in speech, captions, or a later title; a title that tries to say everything at once usually says nothing clearly.
Step 2: Choose a readable style
Readability comes first, and it depends on four choices: typeface, size, colour, and background. Choose a clean, bold typeface that remains legible at small sizes, because most viewers will watch on a phone. Set the size large enough to read at a glance, without filling the whole frame. Use a high-contrast colour, usually white or a light colour on a dark background, and add a semi-transparent background or shadow if the footage behind the title is busy or bright.
Test the style against different footage, not just a single frame. A title that looks perfect over a dark clip can disappear over a bright one, and a thin, elegant font that looks good in a still image can be unreadable over moving video. Once you have a style that works, use it consistently for all titles in the project, with only deliberate variations for emphasis, such as a larger opening title. Consistency is what makes a channel or series look professional, even when each individual title is simple.
Step 3: Time titles to the edit
Timing is what separates a title that feels professional from one that feels pasted on. A title should appear at a moment that makes sense — the start of a section, a cut to a new scene, or the moment a topic is introduced — and it should stay on screen long enough to read comfortably, then leave cleanly. As a rule, give viewers enough time to read the title twice, but not so long that they start wondering why it is still there.
Align title entrances and exits with cuts or natural pauses where possible, rather than letting a title drift across a cut. If a title starts mid-clip and ends mid-clip, it can feel accidental, even if the timing is technically correct. Drag the title layer on the timeline so its start and end match the edit, and play the section at full speed to check the feel. A title that looks right while scrubbing can still feel early or late in normal playback.
Step 4: Use titles for structure
Titles are most powerful when they structure a video, not just decorate it. Use them to mark sections — for example, a location, a step number, or a change of topic — so viewers can follow a longer video without getting lost. A viewer who can see the structure is more likely to keep watching, because they understand where they are and what comes next.
Keep structural titles consistent in wording and style, so they read as a system rather than a collection of one-offs. If one section is labelled “Step 1,” the next should be “Step 2,” not a completely different phrasing, and both should look the same. Avoid labelling every single clip: titles that appear constantly lose their power to signal something important. Reserve them for genuine structure points, and let the footage speak for itself in between.
Step 5: Animate titles without distraction
Animation can help a title feel intentional, but it should never compete with the title’s message. A simple fade, slide, or scale-in is usually enough, and it should be quick, so the title is fully readable for most of its duration. If an animation takes half the title’s screen time, viewers spend that time watching movement instead of reading words, which defeats the purpose.
Avoid stacking animations: a title that slides, bounces, changes colour, and pulses at once looks frantic, not polished. Choose one simple entrance, and, if you need an exit animation, make it equally simple and short. Also check animation against the footage underneath: a busy title animation over busy footage is doubly distracting, while a calm animation over calm footage feels natural. When in doubt, use no animation at all — a title that simply appears on a cut is clean, professional, and never distracting.
Step 6: Check titles before export
Before exporting, watch the full video and read every title as a first-time viewer would. Check spelling, capitalisation, and wording, because title errors are highly visible and hard to unsee once posted. Check that no title is cut off at the edges, hidden behind a platform overlay, or obscured by a face or important detail in the footage. Move any title that fights with the picture, even if it means changing its position for one section only.
Also check titles with the sound off, as many viewers will first encounter them that way. A title that only makes sense after hearing the narration is weaker than one that works on its own. Then export using our export settings tutorial, and check the exported file itself, since export compression and cropping can affect how titles look compared with the in-app preview.
Common title mistakes
The most common mistake is writing too much. A title with two lines of small text is a paragraph, not a title, and most viewers will not finish reading it. The second is a decorative font or colour that looks good in isolation but fails over real footage. The third is inconsistency: a different font, size, or position for every title makes a video feel assembled from unrelated pieces, even if each title is individually attractive.
Another mistake is placing titles where they will be covered after posting. Keep titles clear of the bottom and side areas where platform buttons, usernames, and descriptions appear, and imagine the posted frame, not just the clean edit frame. Finally, do not use titles to repeat what is already obvious from the footage or speech. A title should add information — a name, a place, a step, a key point — not restate the obvious, or viewers will learn to ignore your titles entirely.
Using this in a desktop workflow
Titles benefit from desktop planning, even though they are added in Edits on your phone. Draft all titles on your computer first, where a full keyboard makes writing and proofreading faster, and where you can check spelling and consistency across the whole project at a glance. A simple list of titles, in order, with their exact wording, prevents the small inconsistencies that creep in when titles are invented on the fly in the app.
After adding titles in Edits, export a draft and review it on a larger screen, where spelling errors, edge-cropping, and timing problems are easier to spot. Note any title that needs moving, shortening, or re-timing, then fix it in Edits. If you edit on an emulator, the larger display helps with precise title placement, but the steps and the app are the same. Keep a style note for your channel — font, size, colour, position — so future videos start from the same titles, not from scratch.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a title stay on screen?
Long enough to read comfortably, usually enough time to read it twice, and aligned to a cut or natural pause where possible.
How many words should a title have?
As few as possible while still making sense. A few words that set up a scene work better than a sentence that viewers will not finish.
What makes a title readable over video?
A bold, clean typeface, a large size, high contrast, and, if needed, a semi-transparent background or shadow over busy footage.
Should all titles in a video look the same?
Yes, with only deliberate variations for emphasis, such as a larger opening title. Consistency makes a project look professional.
Where should I place titles?
Clear of the edges and of areas where platform overlays will appear after posting, and not obscuring faces or key details in the footage.
Do titles need animation?
No. A simple fade or no animation at all is clean and professional. Avoid stacking multiple animations on one title.
Next: Transitions in Edits →
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