Elevating Your YouTube Presence with Customized Subtitles

How to Add Text to YouTube Video Before or After Uploading

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A great way to emphasize something you say in your vlog is to have your words appear next to you as you say them . Adding text to YouTube videos can look really professional. You might put a title at the beginning of your video, use bullet points to help people keep track of your monologue, or to highlight an important point by writing it on your screen. When you use text in your videos there are a few things you need to keep in mind. In this article, I will share with you 2 ways to add text/subtitles/captions to YouTube videos, whether you need to add text to the video during editing and upload it to YouTube later, or you have uploaded the video to YouTube already and want to add some captions and subtitles to complement it.

Part 1: Add text to video before uploading YouTube
Part 2: Add Text to YouTube video after uploading
Part 3: Top 3 YouTube Video Text Tips

How to Add Text to YouTube Video Before Uploading

Before uploading the video to YouTube, it is recommended to add text to the video first. You can add simple texts and captions to videos with the free video editing software. To add more text effects to the video, you can use Filmora, Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Adobe Premiere CC based on your video editing skills and needs. These software programs are great video editors, which can help you input text easily.

1. Use Filmora

There are plenty of Text effects built in Filmora, you can apply motions and animation to texts, titles, subtitles, end credits and openers as well. Each title preset will present different effects. You can add multiple text boxes and place the text to any position in need. Besides writing texts to video, you can select the target font, size and color and customize the text effect in detail as well. To add text to a video in Filmora is easy, just follow the steps below:

Open up Filmora and drag a clip into your timeline. Then, go to Text/Credit.
Find a style that you like and drag it into your timeline where you want your text to appear. Make sure your text is selected in your timeline and click the Advanced Text Editing icon, which looks like a pen and paper.
Insert your own words and drag your text to where you want it on the screen. Adjust the size by dragging the blue squares which surround your text.
To change the color of your text, go into the Customize menu. You will find it near the top left of your screen. While you are in Customize there will be a section called Fill. This is where you select the color of your text. You can even change the fill type to ‘gradient fill’ and have your text transition between two colors.
All of Filmora’s text options are animated – they fade, move around the screen, or perform some other type of action as they appear and disappear. To change the animation of your text select Animation next to Customize. A selection of different animations will appear. Double click on the one you want to apply to your text.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Check the detailed steps of how to add text to video in Filmora.

2. Use Windows Movie Maker

As a simple video editing software, Windows Movie Maker also allows you to add text to videos. It provides 3 different options for you to add Title, Caption and Credits to the YouTube videos. You can follow the steps below to add text to the video in WMM.

To start, launch the Windows Movie Maker.
After, select import video to insert the video that you want to add text with.
Select edit movie then click make credits or titles.
Then add the text that you want to include.

For the step by step tutorial of adding text to YouTube video, check How to Add Text to Video with Windows Movie Maker . Besides adding text to video, you can use Windows Movie Maker to edit YouTube video further. Learn How to trim, cut, combine, split video and add transitions and upload video to YouTube in Windows Movie Maker?

3. Use Sony Vegas Movie Studio

Adding text to YouTube videos in Sony Vegas is not so complicated if you are new to this software. You can adjust the color, size, font and duration of the text effect and add fade in and fade out effects. Follow the steps below to add texts to video in Vegas:

Click here

![Add Text to Video](https://images.wondershare.com/filmora/article-images/add-text-in-vegas-pro-2.jpg)

Launch Sony Vegas Movie Studio.
Click the View Menu then select Media Generators.
Choose the generator that you want to use.
After, drag the generator you have chosen on the timeline.
Then, the video event FX dialogue box will appear.
Enter the text that you want and modify it by changing the font, size and style.

4. Use Adobe Premiere CC

For professionals who are looking for a professional way to adding text to video and also have a sufficient budget, Adobe Premiere CC is always recommended. You can check the video and the steps below to add text to video in Premiere:

Click open or create a project.
Click the file menu then choose new and title.
After, the text window will appear then utilize the text tool to add text.
You can also edit your text using the commands that are provided in the Title Menu.
Save the text that you have made by clicking the file menu then choose Save As.

How to Add Text to video in YouTube after uploading

Sometimes, we have uploaded a video to YouTube and then want to add subtitles/cc to the video later. The good news is that YouTube is not only a site for videos but is also the place where you can edit your videos in an instant. As you have read, adding text and captions to the uploaded YouTube videos is just a breeze.

Of course, you can only add and edit texts and captions to the video under your YouTube account. Here are the steps on how you can add text to your videos with YouTube Video Editor after the video is uploaded.

Go to youtube.com then sign in to your account. After sign in your YouTube account, click your avatar and select Creator Studio to enter the creator studio interface.
Click the Video Manager tab and in Videos section you will see all your videos uploaded to YouTube. Select the video that you want to add captions to and then select Subtitles/CC after clicking Edit button.
Add Captions/Subtitles

While YouTube may have already created the subtitles automatically for your video with its speech recognition technology. If it does, you will see something like Published: English (Automatic) to the right of your video. If the automatically generated subtitles is not correct, you can edit it to improve the accuracy. Select the line that needs modification to make the edits.

If there is no auto-subtitles, you can choose from 3 ways to add subtitles and closed captions to the video: Upload a file, Transcribe and auto-sync and create new subtitles or CC.

Upload a file: upload a text transcript or timed subtitles file.

Transcribe and auto-sync: Type or paste in a full transcript of the video and subtitle timings will be set automatically.

Create new subtitles or CC: Create subtitles and closed captions by typing them in as you watch the video.

If you already have a caption file which contains both text and time codes, just click Upload a file and upload the text to the video.

Once everything is okay, you can change the name of the video and you can do it in the box beside Project.

Cons of Using YouTube Video Editor

When you make use of this editor, you cannot shorten the clips for music. Moreover, since it is an online editor, you need to refresh the page in order to do the changes. Aside from YouTube Video Editor, you can use Adobe Premier Pro, MAGIX Vegas Pro, OpenShot and Avidemux.

From 20th September 2017 users will no longer be able to use the complementary editing suite. Check the best YouTube video editor alternatives from this complete guide to find out more YouTube video editor alternatives if you want to add text to video with more features and customization.

Top 3 Tips for Adding Text to YouTube Videos

1. Leave Room

If you know you are going to add text to your video then make sure you leave room for it in your frame. Consider standing off to one side instead of directly in front of your camera. You do not want to have to choose between not using text, making your text really small, or placing it over your face.

While planning out your frame and leaving room for your text, consider what color you are going to make the words and whether it will stand out and look good against your background.

2. Bigger is Better

People should be able to read your text without putting in any extra effort, such as straining their eyes to make out small words. If it takes effort to read your text then a lot of people will just ignore it. Your text should be big enough that somebody watching your video on their smartphone screen – where everything is shrunk down – can read it easily.

It is easier to make your text larger when you stick to titles, keywords, and short sentences.

3. Do Not Overuse

Text is a great tool for making something stand out. However, if you try to use text to emphasize too much of what you say it will lose its effect. Text does not stand out anymore once viewers get too used to seeing it. Too much text can even get annoying and cause people to click away from your videos.

Try to use text to emphasize only the most important things you say.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Amplifying Engagement with Leading YouTube Ranks: Top 8 Apps

Make Quality YouTube Video with Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful video editor for YouTube Video

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

As the second-largest search engine on the internet, people watch over one billion hours of content on this platform every day. This video-sharing platform has more than 2 billion active users, meaning it has the potential to increase brand awareness and boost your business. More than 92% of marketers surveyed stated videos play a crucial role in their marketing strategy. Rank tracking is essential if you want to achieve the top rankings on YouTube.

Why Do We Need to Check YouTube Ranking?

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

The main goal of most users is to rank number one on search results. So checking your rank position will help you know if your videos appear on YouTube and Google’s top results. Most users watch videos on the top of search results. For this reason, if you are not ranking at the top of search results, you will miss out on traffic.

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Help You See Your Progress

Knowing that you are appearing on the top search results is a clear sign that you have optimized your video titles, description, and content for the right keywords. In turn, more people will view your videos, and your channel will gain more subscribers.

Allows You to Change Your Low Ranking State

If you are ranking low, you will know that you need to enhance user experience and optimize your content for relevance. You will change your content and ensure it is engaging and suitable for your target audience.

Question: What will affect the ranking of your YouTube video?

Some of the things that can affect the ranking of your YouTube videos include the quality of your content. If your video is large and not optimized for mobile devices, this can also affect your rank on search results.

Make Quality Video with Wondershare

Use Filmora to ensure your videos are high-quality and engaging. This video editing tool helps you make amazing videos that will keep your audience coming back to your channel for more content.

The software has features like color grading, customizable effects, and keyframe-based animation. You can include text and voice-overs. Additionally, the software allows you to remove video “noise.” The best part is: Filmora offers editing support for videos with 4K resolution.

You can use the software to increase the quality of your video and audio. Filmora also allows you to crop and decrease the size of your video to ensure users can watch them on their mobile devices.

Top 8 YouTube Rank Tracker

1. Geo Ranker

This YouTube video rank checker is a cost-effective solution that allows you to monitor your domestic and international rankings. Geo Ranker has over 30 different filters; it gives you the ability to pinpoint your targeted keywords in multiple languages and capture keywords for YouTube videos.

You can also monitor competitors’ backlinks, view top-performing YouTube videos, manage YouTube accounts, and much more. Best of all, it comes with a keyword suggestion tool to ensure you target the right keywords that people are searching for.

2. Rank Ranger

Rank Ranger is another popular YouTube video rank checker that allows users to monitor their rankings against competitors domestically and internationally. This tool provides the user with insight into their competitors’ rankings, views on how many clicks they are getting on their videos, and the ability to see where it counts towards your monthly statements. It also allows you to monitor one or more channels at once, set daily email alerts for new rankings, generate custom reports on keywords/videos for clients, and export to CSV.

3. VidIQ

Founded in 2011 by Todd Troxell and Rob Sandie, VidiQ is a SaaS product that allows you to monitor your rankings and see if you are doing the right thing. You can also use the tool to research keywords, view top-ranking videos in specific locations or globally, and compare your video against competitors’ videos. Additionally, this YouTube video rank checker allows you to view the number of times people clicked your video and identify if new keywords are becoming popular.

4. Link Assistant

Link Assistant comes with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a well-rounded YouTube rank checker. These include ranking data across multiple regions, custom reports, backlink checker report for your videos, keywords suggestion tool to drill down into specific search terms, and exporting to CSV.

5. Tube Buddy

Tube Buddy is a Chrome and Safari plugin that allows you to monitor your rankings against competitors. This YouTube rank checker also gives you the ability to track mobile views and likes on your videos. Additionally, you can find top-ranking videos for targeted keywords and get video insights such as estimated views, keyword rankings, preferences, and dislikes for any video on YouTube.

6. AccuRanker

With offices in Denmark, the UK, and the U.S., AccuRanker is an award-winning YouTube rank checker. With a user-friendly interface, analyzing and understanding your up-to-date rank tracking data on AccuRanker is a breeze.

After every 24 hours, you can check updated rankings. You can also refresh this tool on-demand any time you want to check how your keywords are ranking.

Moreover, this YouTube rank checker works with a range of third-party integration, meaning you can track everything from anywhere using any device.

7. YTCockpit

With this YouTube video rank checker, you can find keywords with a decent amount of search volume. Also, YTCockpit tells you how difficult or easy it is to rank for these keywords depending on the current competition. It allows you to plan your content according to the most searched for keywords.

Aggregating data from Google Ads and YouTube Suggest, this tool can analyze tons of videos per minute. And with each keyword it finds, this YouTube rank checker generates the top twenty ranking videos instantly.

8. Pro Rank Tracker

Since its inception in 2013, Pro Rank Tracker has been the go-to tool for people seeking reliable YouTube video rank checkers. The tool allows you to track your videos on Google and YouTube by choosing the relevant search engine. It gives you daily ranking updates, and there is also an option for on-demand refreshes. The platform is compatible with both mobile devices and PCs.

Conclusion

YouTube rank tracking tools help you monitor your rankings and see how well you are doing against your competitors. They allow you to check keyword positions and check the progress of your growth on YouTube.

Try It Free Try It Free

Why Do We Need to Check YouTube Ranking?

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.

Allows You to Know if Your Videos Are Performing Well

Knowing where you rank on search results will allow you to develop an effective strategy that will help you increase your views and grow your following.