Add Text to Video

Think of it as digital sticky notes for your videos—text that sits right on top of your content. We're talking about everything from subtitles to speaker names to eye-catching callouts that make people actually remember what you said. Riverside makes all of this super easy, so your videos look professional even when your viewers have their phones on mute.

You can add text to videos pretty easily with a platform like Riverside. Here’s how:

1. Open your video recording in the editor.
2. Scroll down the toolbar on your right and click “Text”.
3. Choose a style and position the text where you want it. 
4. Type your text and use the toolbar to format it how you like.
5. Use the timeline tool to perfect your timing. Drag the edges of the text track to make it show for a longer or shorter time. 

We’ve created a complete guide on how to add text to video if you want to learn more.

Yes, you can customize the appearance of the text you add. With Riverside, you can:

• Use fonts that actually match your brand (because not everything needs to be Arial). Pick from our collection of styles that work for everything from professional interviews to social clips.
• Choose colors that make sense. Whether it’s your brand colors or a color that pops against your background, you want text overlays that are accessible and stand out without driving the attention away from the true star of the video. 
• Add smooth animations that make your text feel intentional, not jarring. Subtle fades, clean slides, and professional transitions that keep viewers watching.
• Drop text exactly where you want it. Bottom corner for names or center for big statements? Show text anywhere on the screen.

Set perfect timing with the timeline. Make text appear exactly when it should and disappear when its job is done. No more awkward lingering or early exits.

Made a typo or changed your mind? If you added the text directly on Riverside, then no sweat. 

Just follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Click on the video to edit. 
2. Click on the text you want to edit or remove.
3. Edit your text. Or on the text toolbar that appears, click on the three dots, and then “Remove”. 

If you’ve already got a text overlay baked into your video, your best bet is to cover it up with new text. For example, when that $99 price point becomes $79, just drop a shiny new price tag right over it. 

The best way to add subtitles to a video is to use a video captioning tool. 

With Riverside, this is how you can do it automatically with 99% accuracy and in over 100 languages:

1. Record directly in your studio or upload the video you want to add captions to. 
2. Open your recording in the editor. 
3. Click “Captions” on the toolbar that appears on the right-hand side.
4. Captions are automatically generated and added to your video. 
5. Click on the captions box to customize the style, font, and size or drag it to change their position. 

With 99% accuracy, it’s highly unlikely you’ll need to edit your subtitles. But if you do, then simply edit the transcript text, and your captions will automatically get updated, too.