Using the right text in your videos can really make or break the story you’re trying to tell. The text often comprises an integral part of a video. However, just like with anything static in nature, you’re going to run into problems when you put something static against something that’s changing 24 times a second — assuming you’re working on a cinematic piece of course.

Sometimes, putting text over video can be a bit of a task. Try putting white text over a light video, and you’ll know what I’m talking about here. Luckily, there are some creative solutions to get around this problem, and that’s what we’re going to talk about in this article.

So depending upon your situation, these tips might or might not, but it sure is worth a shot. Also, don’t be afraid to mix them up if just one of them isn’t cutting it for you.

Also read: Cinematography 101: How speed ramping can take your videos to the next level

Typography matters

Take special care about what fonts you are using. Some fonts are simply more noticeable than others. Thin faced fonts like Roboto or Roboto Condensed might not be as visible as something like Bebas Neue under similar conditions. Always make sure that your fonts are in line with your video’s colours.

Play with the basics

Is the font size too small? Are you aligning your text correctly? Can the placement be in the lower third rather than more to the centre?

Asking these small questions can improve the way you work with your text. Just by changing a simple property, you can impact the way your text conveys and viewed. In Premiere, you can find all your basic settings in the ‘Effects Control’ panel.

Try adding a stroke to the text

Sounds simple but this little trick can do wonders to your text. It’ll go from being invisible to super noticeable in a jiffy. However, make sure not to overdo the effect as it’ll make the text look too comic.

To achieve this effect in Premiere, add a text using the Text tool and scroll down to text properties in the ‘Effects control’ panel. There on, check the stroke checkbox and pick the colour and size of your border.

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Consider adding a solid background or highlighting

Another trick you can use to make sure your text get noticed is to put a small background behind it, which is in contrast with the video. You can do this in Premiere by clicking and holding the Pen Tool and then selecting the Rectangle Tool.

Yeah sure, you need to go through doing the extra work animating the box and making sure everything lines up perfectly, but this is a sure-shot way of making sure that your text gets the attention it needs. If you look around, you might even find some cool presets that work for you.

Consider manipulating the background

In some cases, you can even twist around with the video in the background to draw attention to your text. This works well with other elements as well. An excellent example would be adding blur to the background

Hope these tips help you in working with text in Premiere Pro. Feel free to add your own down in the comments below.

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