How to Add Text to Video in 4 Simple Steps
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Video content grabs attention and drives engagement, but standing out requires more than eye-catching visuals. Without clear text in your video, viewers may miss the point or just skip to the next video.
Adding text to a video can highlight key messages, improve accessibility, and ensure your audience understands your story — even without sound. It’s an essential practice for marketers, content creators, and businesses aiming to boost their video’s impact.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of adding text to video, how it differs from text-to-video AI, and how mastering both can elevate your content strategy.
Text-to-video AI vs adding video text
Text-to-video AI converts written scripts or content into complete videos. This process shouldn’t be confused with adding text to videos (e.g., captions, subtitles, or annotations).
One focuses on video creation, while the other enhances accessibility and engagement. Both processes play unique roles in creating impactful video content.
Tools like HeyGen offer the best of both worlds. It offers a text-to-video AI feature that generates videos from written input and has the functionality to customize videos and add captions automatically.
What are the four different types of video text?
Video text comes in several forms, each serving a unique purpose in enhancing communication and engagement.
From captions and subtitles that boost accessibility to annotations and pop-ups highlighting key points, these elements make your videos more dynamic and viewer-friendly.
Below, we’ll explore five key types of video text and how they can elevate your content.
1. Captions and subtitles
Captions are the unsung heroes of video accessibility. They display all the audio content, including dialogue, sound effects, and speaker identification, making your videos accessible to viewers with hearing impairments.
On the other hand, subtitles translate spoken dialogue into different languages, allowing your videos to reach audiences across borders. You might call them the globetrotters of the text world.
Tip: Sync the audio with captions and subtitles for a smooth viewing experience and accurate interpretation.
2. Titles and headings
Titles and headings serve as the headlines of your video, capturing attention and introducing key sections. While titles typically appear first to set the theme, headings divide the content into clear, digestible segments.
Tip: Use bold and clear fonts for titles and headings to ensure they stand out without overwhelming the video’s content.
3. Lower thirds
Lower thirds refers to the text appearing at the bottom of your screen. It adds context without pulling focus from the main content.
For example, in an interview video, a lower third can display the interviewee's name and job title while they speak, helping viewers quickly understand who they are.
Tip: Keep lower thirds concise and visually aligned with your video’s style to enhance context without cluttering the screen.
4. Annotations and pop-ups
Annotations and pop-ups are interactive text elements that appear during a video to provide additional context or highlight key information.
Annotations are typically clickable and offer viewers an option to follow links or take actions like subscribing, while pop-ups simply display information on the screen.
Tip: Use annotations and pop-ups sparingly to highlight important notes. Avoid overwhelming viewers with too much text or too many clickable options.

How to add text to your videos like a pro
Step 1: Choose your software wisely
For simple projects, built-in video editor tools like iMovie (for Mac) and Windows Movie Maker (for PC) offer user-friendly text features that get the job done.
If you need more advanced options, dedicated caption and subtitle tools like Aegisub and Subtitle Edit provide extensive customization and support various file formats.
For beginners, exploring online video makers like HeyGen is a wonderful place to start.
Step 2: Craft your message
Before you start typing away, take a moment to plan your text. Think about the points you want to highlight and how your text can complement your video content. For a structured approach, consider planning your video script.
Keep your audience in mind and use language that resonates with them. Use legible fonts, appropriate sizes, and a consistent style throughout your video.
Don't be afraid to bold or italicize important points — but use these features sparingly to avoid overwhelming your viewers.
Step 3: Sync your text with precision
You want your message to appear at the right moment and perfectly sync with the visuals and audio.
Most video editing software allows you to set timecodes and timestamps to align your text with specific points in your video. You can choose between automatic syncing (which uses speech recognition) and manual syncing (which gives you more control).
AI tools that turn text into video streamline this process.
Step 4: Export and share your masterpiece
Embedding captions directly into the video ensures they remain visible on any platform, whether it’s on social media, YouTube, or elsewhere. This method eliminates the need for separate caption uploads, streamlining the sharing process.
To further enhance accessibility and improve SEO, consider providing a transcript link in your video description. This allows viewers to read along or refer back to your content, making it more accessible and increasing engagement across platforms.
Best practices for adding text to videos
To get the most out of adding text to your videos, it's essential to follow best practices that enhance readability, engagement, and accessibility. The following tips will help ensure your video text stands out and supports your content effectively.
Keep it short and sweet
When you're adding text to your videos, less is often more. Long, wordy sentences can distract viewers from your visuals or interrupt their attention.
Aim for short, punchy phrases that convey your message quickly and keep your audience engaged. Place your text strategically to avoid blocking important visuals.
Prioritize readability
Your text is only effective if your viewers can easily read it. Opt for simple fonts that are legible with different screen sizes like Arial or Helvetica.
Ensure the font size is large enough to be readable on smaller screens, without overpowering the video content. High-contrast color combinations, such as white text on a dark background, help the text stand out and improve overall legibility.
Optimize for silent viewing
Remember, many of your viewers will be watching your videos without sound. Use text and visual cues to convey your message, even when the audio is muted.
Display key points and instructions in text to ensure your message gets across. Use arrows, highlights, and animations to draw attention to important parts of your video and keep your viewers engaged.
Proofread, proofread, proofread
Nothing undermines your credibility like a glaring typo or grammatical error. Before you hit publish, carefully proofread your copy. Use spell check and grammar tools to catch any mistakes. Consider reading or listening to your text out loud to identify awkward phrasing.
Make sure your text flows smoothly and complements your video. Review your work multiple times to ensure everything is perfectly aligned and enhances your overall message.
The future of text and video: How AI is changing the game
AI is transforming video creation. It’s helping businesses create video content without traditional production expenses or experience.
Additionally, some AI tools are streamlining tasks like captions, subtitles, and on-screen messaging. This development significantly reduces the time and cost associated with adding text to video in traditional video editing.
AI's role in both transforming written content into video and improving existing videos through text overlays is revolutionizing how marketers and content creators approach video production.
But it’s not just about adding text to videos anymore. With AI, you can now turn entire scripts and text into video in seconds with tools like HeyGen. Want to know more about how text-to-video AI works? We’ll discuss the pros and cons of these new tools below.
What are the pros of text-to-video AI?
Text-to-video AI offers impressive capabilities, but its true potential comes from transforming text into engaging video content. Let’s explore the key advantages of AI text-to-video.
Save time from script to screen
Creating videos from scripts is now faster than ever with AI, you can bring your scripts to life in minutes without actors or editors.
AI avatars mimic human expressions and gestures, making your videos more engaging and dynamic. Additionally, AI videos can be translated into any language with the voices, tones, and styles you choose and save for future projects.
AI tools also assist with storyboarding and editing, automatically suggesting scenes and transitions based on your script. This allows you to quickly create professional-quality videos with limited experience.
Perfect for users with limited video editing experience
You don’t need to be a professional editor or hire a production team to create high-quality videos. Whether you’re a content creator, marketer, or small business owner, AI-driven video tools make it possible to produce engaging videos without the steep learning curve typically associated with video editing.
Make videos without actors
Text-to-video AI eliminates the need for hiring and managing actors. Instead, AI-generated avatars can perform scripts with lifelike expressions and gestures. This enables creators to produce high-quality content without relying on live talent.
Personalized video text
AI allows you to customize your video text based on viewer preferences, making your content more relevant and engaging for each individual. You can tailor the language, style, and content to match each viewer's profile, creating a personalized experience that resonates with your audience.
This customization ensures your message is always in line with what appeals most to your target segments.
A/B Testing made easier with text-to-video AI
Text-to-video AI makes rapid versioning and A/B testing effortless. You can quickly generate multiple versions of your video content — whether it's captions, text overlays, or other elements — and test them with different audience segments.
The AI then analyzes performance, allowing you to optimize content fast without manual intervention.
Effortless captions and subtitles
Text-to-video AI makes adding captions and subtitles effortless, saving hours of manual work. It automatically transcribes speech into text, ensuring accuracy and enhancing accessibility.
AI tools with automatic captioning also differentiate speakers, add proper punctuation, and correct errors. This feature makes your content more inclusive, ensuring it reaches a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments or non-native speakers — especially at scale.
Engage your audience and boost
Text-to-video AI empowers you to transform written content into engaging videos. By automatically converting text into compelling visuals, it enhances communication, making your messages more dynamic and memorable.
Perfectly timed text overlays can emphasize key points, create visual flow, and bring ideas to life, making your content more immersive and ensuring that viewers stay engaged longer.
Expand your reach and improve SEO
Text-to-video AI technology helps you capture attention and boost engagement by transforming written content into visually engaging videos. It automatically generates video content from text, combining visuals, sound, and motion to enhance the storytelling experience.
Additionally, videos with keyword-rich descriptions, captions, and subtitles perform better in search rankings. This expanded accessibility increases audience engagement and shareability across platforms.
What are the cons of text-to-video AI?
While AI text-to-video technology offers many benefits, it's important to consider some potential drawbacks.
AI content requires human review
Although AI text-to-video technology can automate much of the process, human review is still necessary to ensure accuracy. Errors in transcription or timing may occur, and only a human editor can catch these issues.
Manual adjustments ensure your content is polished and error-free, which is essential for maintaining a professional standard.
Free tools fall short of high-volume demand
For businesses looking to scale video production, free text-to-video tools might not meet the demands. Free plans are typically designed for users testing the platform or casual users, and as a result, they can lack advanced features or have limited credits for video generation.
When your production needs grow, investing in more robust tools becomes necessary to maintain quality and efficiency. Even with the added cost, paid AI tools are still far more affordable than paying for traditional video production — especially when producing content at scale.
AI can lack personal touch
AI-generated text-to-video content can lack the personal touch that a human creator, actor, or editor provides.
While AI can quickly generate avatars, voices, and captions, it may miss nuanced context, tone, or subtle details that a human would capture.
This can make the video feel less authentic and more robotic, which may not always connect with every audience.

Which is the best AI text-to-video generator?
When it comes to the best AI text-to-video generators, HeyGen stands out as the leading option for creating professional videos quickly and easily. It excels in transforming written content into engaging videos with lifelike avatars, natural-sounding voices, and dynamic visuals.
Whether you're repurposing blog posts, articles, or scripts, HeyGen streamlines the process, making it a top choice for content creators.
Transform your videos with HeyGen
HeyGen’s text-to-video AI streamlines the process of transforming written scripts into engaging videos. It also automates adding captions and subtitles.
This dual capability allows you to enhance accessibility, improve SEO, and quickly create professional-quality content without the need for manual editing.
Whether you're looking to streamline your workflow, improve accessibility, or improve your reach, HeyGen helps you add text to video with AI faster and more efficiently.
Ready to save time and elevate your video content? Start creating AI videos with HeyGen today and see how our text-to-video AI can simplify your video production process.
AI-powered video creation software
Heygen is an innovative AI-powered video creation platform designed to help businesses create personalized video avatars, translate content in real-time, and scale their digital communication efforts. Our cutting-edge platform is trusted by companies worldwide to streamline content localization, enhance marketing campaigns, and drive engagement through custom AI-generated media solutions.