Add text
- Open your video in the editor.
- Move the playhead to where you want the text to appear.
- Open Overlay in the sidebar.
- Find Text and click the plus button.
- Type your text directly on the canvas.
A selected time range wins over the playhead. If you have a range selected — on the timeline or in the transcript — the text spans that range instead, and selecting several ranges adds one text layer to each. Clear the selection first if you want the playhead to decide.
Position, rotate, and resize it
- Drag the text box on the canvas to move it.
- Drag its corners to resize the text box.
- Drag the rotation handle above the text box to rotate it.
Change the style
Select the text layer in the Text section of the Overlay sidebar. Its controls open below the row, where you can change the color, font, size, and horizontal alignment. Choose left, center, or right alignment to position the paragraph inside its text box. Fonts that support it also include weight and width controls.Add a background box
- Select the text layer in the Text section of the Overlay sidebar.
- Use Background to choose a color.
- Choose a Shape: Square, Round, or Squircle.
- Use Box shadow to choose None, Subtle, or Deep.
Upload your own font
- Select a text layer and open the Font picker.
- Click Upload beside Personal or your workspace name.
- Choose a
.ttfor.otffont file that is 20 MB or smaller.
A video can use up to 16 uploaded fonts, with a combined file size of up to 50 MB. Weight and width controls are available for supported fonts in Tella’s default library, not uploaded fonts.
Upload a custom font
- Select a text layer and open the Font menu.
- Find Personal or your workspace name and click Upload.
- Choose a valid
.ttfor.otffile up to 20 MB.
Set when it appears
In the timeline:- Drag the start or end of the text card to change its duration.
- Drag the card left or right to move it earlier or later.
- Hold Option on Mac or Alt on Windows while dragging to turn snapping off.
Animate the text in and out
By default, text appears and disappears with a hard cut. Select the text layer, then use Transition to choose Smooth if you want it to fade in and out.Duplicate, reorder, or remove text layers
- Open the text layer’s three-dots menu in the sidebar and select Duplicate to copy it. The copy keeps the same text, style, position, size, timing, and transition. It is selected and initially sits directly over the original, so you can move or edit it immediately.
- Right-click a text layer on the canvas and choose Send to front or Send to back to place it above or below other text, image, and video overlays.
- Open the text layer’s three-dots menu in the sidebar and select Delete to remove it.
Add text as a graphic
For a designed title card, logo lockup, or other graphic that you already created elsewhere, you can add the text as an image:- Create your text as an image in a design tool, or generate media with AI.
- In the Overlay sidebar, click the plus button beside Media, then choose or upload the image.
- Move and resize it on the canvas, then adjust its timing in the timeline.
Show a full title card with Media
Use Media (B-roll) when you want a title card or graphic to become the main content of a layout section instead of floating above the recording. Your camera can remain visible in a bubble while the title card fills the rest of the canvas.Other ways to add words
- Subtitles — automatic captions that you can style and edit. See Style subtitles and Edit with the transcript.
- Chapters — label sections so viewers can navigate your video. See Chapters.
- Your logo — add a persistent logo with custom branding.