> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.tella.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add text to your video

> Add editable text layers to a Tella video, then customize their font, style, position, rotation, timing, transitions, and layer order.

Text layers let you place a title, label, caption, emoji, or callout directly on top of your recording.

## Add text

1. Open your video in the editor.
2. Move the playhead to where you want the text to appear.
3. Open **Overlay** in the sidebar.
4. Find **Text** and click the plus button.
5. Type your text directly on the canvas.

The new text layer starts at the playhead and appears on the timeline. To change its text later, double-click it on the canvas.

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## 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.

Unselected text boxes have no visible border. Click the text to select it and show the resize controls.

## 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

1. Select the text layer in the **Text** section of the Overlay sidebar.
2. Use **Background** to choose a color.
3. Choose a **Shape**: Square, Round, or Squircle.
4. Use **Box shadow** to choose None, Subtle, or Deep.

Click the **×** beside the background color to remove the box. The Shape and Box shadow controls only appear when the text has a visible background.

## Upload your own font

1. Select a text layer and open the **Font** picker.
2. Click **Upload** beside **Personal** or your workspace name.
3. Choose a `.ttf` or `.otf` font file that is 20 MB or smaller.

The font is selected after it uploads and remains available in the font picker. Personal fonts are available to you, while workspace fonts are shared with your workspace.

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

To remove an uploaded font from a library, open the font picker and click the delete button beside it.

## Upload a custom font

1. Select a text layer and open the **Font** menu.
2. Find **Personal** or your workspace name and click **Upload**.
3. Choose a valid `.ttf` or `.otf` file up to 20 MB.

The font is added to that library and selected for the text layer. Personal fonts are available only to you, while workspace fonts are available to everyone in the workspace.

Workspace Owners and Members can upload and delete workspace fonts. Viewers can use workspace fonts, but can only upload or delete fonts in their Personal library.

## 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.

Card edges snap to nearby card edges, the playhead, and word boundaries, and the video preview follows the moving edge so you can land on the exact frame.

You can add several text layers and overlap them freely. See [Work with the multi-track timeline](/docs/help/editing/multi-track-timeline) for selecting, splitting, and copying cards.

## 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:

1. Create your text as an image in a design tool, or [generate media with AI](/docs/help/editing/use-media#generate-media-with-ai).
2. In the **Overlay** sidebar, click the plus button beside **Media**, then choose or upload the image.
3. Move and resize it on the canvas, then adjust its timing in the timeline.

Image overlays are not editable as text. See [Add media overlays](/docs/help/editing/media-overlays) for more details.

## Show a full title card with Media

Use [Media (B-roll)](/docs/help/editing/use-media) 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](/docs/help/editing/style-subtitles) and [Edit with the transcript](/docs/help/editing/edit-the-transcript-of-a-tella-video).
* **Chapters** — label sections so viewers can navigate your video. See [Chapters](/docs/help/editing/chapters).
* **Your logo** — add a persistent logo with [custom branding](/docs/help/editing/add-your-logo-to-videos).


## Related topics

- [Add your logo to videos](/docs/help/editing/add-your-logo-to-videos.md)
- [Add background music to your video](/docs/help/editing/add-background-music-to-your-video.md)
- [How to add a team member to your video](/docs/help/teams/how-can-i-add-a-team-member-as-an-editor-of-your-video.md)
- [Add a text overlay to a clip](/docs/api-reference/clips/add-a-text-overlay-to-a-clip.md)
- [Embed Tella videos in email](/docs/help/embed-videos/embed-tella-videos-in-email.md)