Text, logos and overlays
Ask for a title, a lower third, a logo in the corner or a picture-in-picture, and Valmera places, times and animates it. On-screen text uses seven templates and bundled fonts; overlays put an image or clip over your footage while the audio keeps playing. Spoken-word captions have their own guide.
Add a title or lower third
- Say what the text says, where and when
For example: “Add a lower third that says ‘Sam Lee — Founder’ from 0:05 to 0:10.”
- Pick a look if you care
Name a template, font, color or entrance (“title template, Anton, pop in”), or let Valmera choose one that fits the video.
- Review the preview
Check that the text stays long enough to read and doesn’t cover a face, a product or captions you want visible.
- Adjust
Move, resize, retime or restyle it in chat, or drag the text block on the timeline to change when it appears.
- Add a lower third that says “Sam Lee — Founder” from 0:05 to 0:10.
- Put a big “10×” on screen when I say “ten times faster”.
- Add a chapter title “Part 2: Pricing” at 3:12 for three seconds.
- Add the title “How we ship faster” for the first three seconds, Anton font, pop in.
Type these in Studio chat, or ask Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another assistant connected to Valmera’s MCP server. More in the prompt library.
Templates, fonts and animation
| Template | Use it for |
|---|---|
| title | A big centered opening or section title |
| subtitle | A support line under a title |
| lower_third | Names and context in interviews |
| callout | A short pointed label |
| big_number | A huge stat such as “10×” or “40%” |
| quote | A quoted line |
| chapter | A section marker |
Fonts: Inter Display (Black, ExtraBold, Bold), Anton, Bebas Neue, Archivo Black, Poppins Black, Syne ExtraBold, Playfair Display Black, Instrument Serif, DM Serif Display, Montserrat and Plus Jakarta Sans ExtraBold.
Style: size, position, text and accent color, uppercase, outline, shadow and a backing panel. Animation: entrances and exits (none, fade, pop, slide up, blur in, whip, rise, drop, elastic, bounce, swing, zoom blur) plus a typewriter entrance, or a custom move that drifts, scales, rotates or fades the text over time.
Kinetic text
Ask for kinetic text and each spoken phrase appears as it’s said, placed in the space around the speaker (above, below or to the sides) and alternating, with key words in an accent color. Bottom captions hide over that window so words never print twice. Each phrase is a normal text item, so you can remove or restyle any of them.
- Add kinetic text for the first 20 seconds, beside my head, and highlight “free”.
- Redo the kinetic text in the lower part of the frame.
Text behind a person
“Put ‘LONDON’ behind me as I walk in” places big words behind the person: Valmera cuts them out of every frame so they pass in front of the letters, even with handheld wobble and a moving camera. People occlude the text; static objects such as furniture don’t.
- A person must be visible in that window, without filling most of the frame.
- The window must sit inside one continuous take, with no cut or speed change in it.
- Big type reads best: the person should cross the middle of tall letters.
If a window doesn’t qualify, Valmera says why and suggests a regular title instead.
Title cards and freeze frames
A title card cuts to a full-frame card with your text, then back to the footage; two to three seconds reads well, and everything after it shifts later. A freeze frame holds a moment with big text over a blurred, darkened still. Both are covered with examples in cards and screens and freeze frames.
Add your logo
- Upload your logo with + Add media or drop it into the chat. A PNG with a transparent background works best (PNG, JPG and WebP up to 50 MB).
- Ask for the position, size and duration: “Put logo.png in the top-right corner for the whole video at 15% width.”
- Check it against light and dark scenes and in every aspect ratio you export.
Defaults: an image overlay shows for 4 seconds at 40% of the frame width unless you say otherwise, so name the duration and size. Size is a share of the frame width (5% to 100%), and opacity goes as low as 5% for a subtle mark.
Picture-in-picture and b-roll cutaways
An overlay draws an image or clip over your footage while your audio keeps playing: picture-in-picture, a corner logo, or a full-frame b-roll cutaway. An insert splices the clip into the timeline instead, pausing your footage and adding time.
| Overlay | Insert | |
|---|---|---|
| Your audio | Keeps playing | Pauses while the clip plays |
| Video length | Unchanged | Longer by the clip’s duration |
| Clip’s own sound | Silent | Plays (can be muted) |
| Captions | Stay on top | Not shown over the clip |
| Best for | Showing what the speaker describes, logos, PiP | Scenes, demos, montages |
- Show drone.mp4 full screen as b-roll from 0:20 to 0:25 while I keep talking.
- Put my webcam clip in the bottom-left corner at 30% size for the whole video.
- Fade the screenshot in at 1:05, hold it for 4 seconds, then slide it out to the right.
- Make the picture-in-picture drift slowly from left to right.
Type these in Studio chat, or ask Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another assistant connected to Valmera’s MCP server. More in the prompt library.
Overlays enter and exit with fade or slides (left, right, up), and can move on a path you describe. They don’t follow objects in the footage. Arrange them by dragging their blocks on the timeline.
Arrows, panels and editorial graphics
- Vector graphics: arrows, rings, underlines, connector lines, highlight panels and progress bars that point at real things in the frame.
- Editorial graphics: statements, comparisons, metrics, quotes, chapter markers, labels and speaker headlines with restrained typography.
- Typography scenes: a mixed-font phrase that builds word by word on the speaker’s cues.
- Picture cards and screen frames: show your footage inside a rounded card, or float a screen recording in a rounded window on a color or gradient.
- Draw a ring around the Export button at 0:42 for two seconds.
- Show the stat “3× faster” as a metric graphic when I say it.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| The logo disappears after a few seconds | Image overlays default to 4 seconds. Ask “keep the logo for the whole video.” |
| A white box surrounds the logo | The image has an opaque background. Upload a PNG with real transparency. |
| Captions vanished during a title | Designed text hides captions while it’s on screen. Ask to keep captions visible. |
| Text behind a person was refused | The window crosses a cut or speed change, no person is visible, or they fill the frame. Pick another moment or use a regular title. |
| The picture-in-picture has no sound | Overlay clips are silent. Insert the clip instead, or use its audio as music. |
| Text is too small on a phone | Ask to make it bigger and check the 9:16 version. |
| An overlay doesn’t follow a moving object | Overlays don’t track. Describe a path for it to move along, or use a still moment. |
Limits
- No custom font uploads; use the bundled fonts.
- Overlays and stickers don’t track moving objects.
- Overlay clips are silent; use an insert to hear a clip.
- Text behind a person needs one continuous take with a visible person.
Tools behind this page: add_text add_kinetic_text add_text_behind add_title_card set_text_motion remove_text add_overlay move_overlay set_overlay_motion remove_overlay insert_media add_vector_graphic set_editorial_graphic set_typography_scene set_picture_card set_screen_frame · Full toolset reference
Frequently asked questions
How do I add text to a video in Valmera?
Describe the text, where it goes and when: “Add a title that says ‘Day 1’ for the first three seconds.” Valmera picks a template (title, subtitle, lower third, callout, big number, quote or chapter), places it and animates it. Change anything with a follow-up message.
Can I add my logo as a watermark?
Yes. Upload the logo (a PNG with a transparent background works best) and ask: “Put my logo in the top-right corner for the whole video at 15% width.” Say “for the whole video”, because an image overlay lasts four seconds unless you give a duration.
Which fonts can I use?
The bundled fonts: Inter Display (Black, ExtraBold, Bold), Anton, Bebas Neue, Archivo Black, Poppins Black, Syne ExtraBold, Playfair Display Black, Instrument Serif, DM Serif Display, Montserrat and Plus Jakarta Sans ExtraBold. Custom font uploads aren't supported.
Can text appear behind me?
Yes. Ask to put a title behind you and Valmera cuts the person out frame by frame, so they pass in front of the letters. It needs a visible person who doesn't fill the whole frame, within one continuous take.
Does a picture-in-picture clip play its own sound?
No. Overlay clips are silent and your footage's audio keeps playing. To hear the clip, insert it into the timeline instead, or use its audio as music or voiceover.
Will on-screen text cover my captions?
Designed text hides captions while it's on screen so words never stack, and the voice keeps playing. Ask to keep captions visible when the text sits in a different part of the frame. Image and video overlays always sit below captions.
Can the text animate?
Yes. Entrances and exits include fade, pop, slide up, blur in, whip, rise, drop, elastic, bounce, swing and zoom blur, plus a typewriter entrance. For a custom move, describe it: drift, scale, rotate or fade over time.