Adding Text and Captions to Video So People Can Actually Read Them

Guidelines for choosing font, colour, size, timing and position for on-screen text so it's readable on a phone, with or without sound.

Text on video can add context, emphasis and accessibility. But text that's too small, too quick or hard to see is worse than none.

Why add text

Context: names, places, dates and titles.
Emphasis: highlighting a key point.
Accessibility: captions help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone who can't listen at the moment.
Sound-off viewing: many people watch videos in public places or quiet rooms without sound.

Make it readable

Size. Text must be readable on a small phone screen. If you have to squint, it's too small.

Contrast. Use a colour that stands out from the background. White text with a subtle shadow or outline works on many backgrounds. Dark text works on light areas. If the background is busy, add a semi-transparent box behind the text.

Font. Choose a clean, simple, legible font. Decorative and thin fonts look nice but are harder to read on a small screen.

Amount. Keep it short. Long paragraphs on screen are tiring. A few words per screen is best for titles, and a line or two for captions.

Timing

Text must stay on screen long enough to read. A useful test: read it aloud slowly, twice, and use that as the minimum time. Short phrases might need two to three seconds; longer captions need more.

Position

Keep text inside safe margins, away from the edges, where it may be cropped or covered.
On vertical video platforms, avoid the very top and bottom, where buttons and interface elements appear.
Avoid covering faces and key action.
Keep the position consistent for captions, so viewers know where to look.

Titles and intros

An opening title should be brief, clear and stylish, and stay on screen for a few seconds. End with a simple closing line, such as a thank-you or a date.

Captions and subtitles

Captions should follow the speech closely, and break lines at natural phrases. Keep them to one or two lines, and avoid splitting words awkwardly.

Emojis and stickers

Small touches can add fun in casual videos, but too many hurt readability.

Language and spelling

Check your spelling and names before exporting. Mistakes in on-screen text are very noticeable.

Consistency

Use one or two fonts and a consistent colour scheme throughout a video, so it looks tidy.

Common mistakes

Text too small to read on a phone.
Low contrast against the background.
Too much text at once.
Removing text too quickly.
Placing text where platform buttons cover it.

Practice

Add a title and two captions to a short video, and then watch it on a phone at arm's length to check that it's readable.

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