How to add text between clips?

Help/How To
1

Hello,

It’s a newbie questions since I only started using Shotcut recently.

I watched the video tutorials, but still can’t figure out how to add a transition between two clips to display some text.

After slicing a video into two parts, I added them to the timeline. And I’d like to display a three-second white text over a black background.

It looks like this is done through the Filter feature, but there’s no “Text” item and I don’t know how to add the transition between the clips:

transition
Shotcut.how.to.add.text.transition.png700×1028 133 KB

Thank you.

2

Text can only be ‘applied’ to an object. So your space needs something in there first before text can be applied.

3

Thanks.

How do I add a three-second black box between the two clips and add some white text over it?

Right-click only shows “Remove”.

4

Many ways to do so. Easiest would be to make a black bitmap in your photo editor, then choose to Ripple all tracks (from the track hamburger menu) when you drag it in from the playlist. Any excess green space you can right-click ‘Remove’.

5

Thanks. I expected Shotcut to include that feature, since it’s very common.

For others’ benefit, here’s how to add a transition between two clips that consists in white text over a black background:

  1. Click on a clip in the Playlist, and click on Properties: In the video tab, note the horizontal and vertical size
  2. In your favorite picture editor, create an empty black picture of that size. Save in a common format (PNG, in my case)
  3. Back in Shotcut, add picture to the Playlist
  4. Drag and drop it into the timeline
  5. Any excess gap (kaki) in the timeline can be removed by right-clicking on it and choosing “Remove”
  6. To add text to that empty background, click on the Filters button in the toolbar
  7. Hit the + button
  8. If the Text item is not listed, click on the Video button, and check the yellow star before the Text item
  9. Click on the Text item
  10. Play with the settings

The following video shows how to add captions:

  1. Right-click on the timeline where you wish the caption to be displayed, and choose “Split at Playhead”
  2. Do the same for when the caption should stop
  3. Select that new clip
  4. In the Filters, choose Text.
6

Probably best to do your research before posting then multiple editing your post :slight_smile:
If you want your text to fade-in/fade-out during a video clip - split it and copy the section to a new track and apply text and fade to that. (Make sure V1 has composite mode enabled and that the fades have the check box marked to adjust opacity)

Capture
Capture.jpg1739×766 356 KB

7

Thank you.

Too bad the original video I found showed a trick that didn’t work.

8

The result, btw

9

Looks good.

Someone should edit the FAQ, since I’m not the only newbie needing to add captions.

10

FAQ looks fine to me.

11

A far easier way to add a black segment is simply
File>Open Other>Color.
This will create a clip of the color you choose (default is black). Default length is several minutes. Trim this to the desired length (use in-out points).
To add text:
Filters>Text
Type desired text in box. You can choose color, font and size.
Add to playlist, position playhead at insertion point, then insert into timeline at playhead.
Click on black clip in Playlist
Set Playhead at desired insertion point
[v] will insert clip/image at desired point (i.e. at Playhead)
Items to the right are pushed to the right. Timeline is made longer.
So you see there is no need to leave the program or the project to accomplish this.
As for FAQs, no program paid or free ever has a long enough list. My own solution is to create my own “tips & tricks” document (I use Word), find answers to my question on forums like this, then save them in my list. For every digital anything I’ve ever used (including cameras) this has been necessary to have a ready reference and reminder…

1 Like