The fastest way to add text to your timeline
Open the Text tool by going to File > New > Legacy Title, or press Ctrl+T (Windows) or Cmd+T (Mac). A new window opens where you can type directly onto a blank canvas. Type your text, choose a font and size from the panels on the right, then close the window. Premiere Pro converts what you typed into a title clip and places it on your timeline — you can now drag it to any layer and trim it to the length you need.
If you want text to appear over existing video without creating a separate title file, use the Essential Graphics panel instead. Click the text icon in that panel (or open it from Window > Essential Graphics), type directly into the text box that appears on your monitor, and the text lands on whichever video layer is selected. This method is faster for straightforward lower-thirds, credits, or on-screen labels because you skip the separate title window entirely.
Both methods produce the same result on your final video. The choice comes down to whether you want to build a reusable title file (the legacy title route) or add text once and move on (the Essential Graphics route).
Key Takeaways
- The Legacy Title tool (Ctrl+T or Cmd+T) opens a separate window where you type and format text before it becomes a clip on your timeline.
- The Essential Graphics panel lets you type text directly over your video without opening a separate window, and is faster for one-off labels or lower-thirds.
- Text formatting — font, size, color, shadow, outline — lives in the panels on the right side of whichever tool you use.
- Text clips on your timeline can be moved, trimmed, and layered like any other clip, and you can change the text by double-clicking the clip.
Using the Legacy Title tool for reusable text files
The Legacy Title tool creates a separate file that you can save, reuse across projects, and edit without touching your main timeline. Press Ctrl+T (Windows) or Cmd+T (Mac) to open it. A blank canvas appears with a text cursor ready. Type your text, and you will see it appear on the canvas in real time.
Once you have typed, format the text using the panels on the right. The Character panel controls font, size, and weight. The Paragraph panel handles alignment and spacing. The Fill section sets text color — click the color swatch to open the color picker. If you want a shadow, outline, or glow, those live in the Shadow, Stroke, and Outer Glow sections below.
When you are done, close the title window. Premiere Pro asks whether you want to save the title file. Click Save and give it a name — this creates a reusable file in your project that you can drag onto your timeline as many times as you need. If you only need the text once, click Don't Save and Premiere Pro still places the text on your timeline; it just does not keep a separate file.
Adding text directly over video with Essential Graphics
Open the Essential Graphics panel by clicking Window > Essential Graphics at the top of the screen. The panel appears on the right side of your workspace. Make sure the video layer where you want text is selected on your timeline, then click the text tool icon (it looks like a capital T) in the Essential Graphics panel.
A text box appears on your video monitor. Start typing when ready — your text shows up on the video in real time. As you type, the text box grows to fit your words. When you are done typing, click outside the text box to finish editing.
Format the text using the controls in the Essential Graphics panel: font and size are at the top, color is in the Fill section, and effects like shadow and stroke are below. Changes explore when ready to the text on your video. If you need to edit the text later, double-click it on the monitor to re-enter edit mode.
Positioning and sizing text on your screen
Text you add with either method appears in the center of your frame by default. To move it, click and drag the text box on your monitor. The text follows your cursor. Release when it is where you want it.
To resize the text box, grab one of the corner handles (small squares at the corners of the text box) and drag outward to make it larger or inward to make it smaller. If you drag a side handle instead of a corner, you change only the width, which forces the text to reflow to fit. Dragging a corner keeps the proportions balanced.
If your text is in the Legacy Title tool, you can also use the Position and Scale panel to enter exact pixel coordinates. This is useful when you need text to land in the same spot across multiple clips or when you are matching text placement from a template. In the Essential Graphics panel, you can use the Transform section for the same precision.
Changing text after you have added it to your timeline
Double-click any text clip on your timeline to open it for editing. If it was created with the Legacy Title tool, the title window opens and you can change the words, font, color, or any other property. If it was created with Essential Graphics, the text box becomes active on your monitor and you can edit the words directly.
You can also right-click a text clip on your timeline and select Edit Original to open it the same way. This is useful when you have multiple text clips and want to make sure you are editing the right one.
If you want to copy formatting from one text clip to another — the same font, size, and color — select the formatted clip, then hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click the clip you want to match. Premiere Pro copies the formatting without changing the words.
Common text formatting options and where to find them
Font and size are the first controls you see in both the Legacy Title tool and Essential Graphics panel. Click the font name to open a dropdown list of every font installed on your computer. Drag the size slider or type a number directly into the size field. Most readable text for video is between 24 and 48 points, depending on how far viewers sit from the screen.
Color lives in the Fill section. Click the color swatch (a small square showing the current color) to open the color picker. You can choose from a palette, enter a hex code if you know it, or use the eyedropper to sample a color from your video. If you want the text to have a colored outline, use the Stroke section the same way.
Shadow, glow, and other effects appear below the fill and stroke sections. Click the checkbox next to Shadow to turn it on, then adjust the angle, distance, and softness using the sliders. These effects make text stand out against busy backgrounds — a small shadow is often enough to make white text readable over any video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fonts that are not installed on my computer?
No. Premiere Pro can only use fonts that are installed on your system. If you open a project that uses a font you do not have, Premiere Pro substitutes the closest available font, which may look different. To avoid this, install any custom fonts before you open the project, or ask the person who created the project which fonts they used.
Why does my text look blurry on the video?
Text is blurry when the text size is too small for your video resolution or when the text layer is scaled up after it was created. Create text at the size you actually need rather than making it small and then enlarging it. If you are working in 1080p, 24 points is usually the minimum readable size. In 4K, you can go smaller because the resolution is higher.
How do I make text fade in and out?
Select the text clip on your timeline, then right-click and choose Add Default Transitions, or drag a transition from the Transitions panel onto the clip. For a fade, use the Dip to Black or Cross Dissolve transition. Adjust the duration by dragging the transition edge on the timeline.
Can I animate text so it moves across the screen?
Yes, using keyframes. Select the text clip, open the Effect Controls panel, and find the Position property under Motion. Click the stopwatch icon to start recording keyframes. Move the playhead to where you want the motion to end, then drag the text to its final position. Premiere Pro creates the motion between the two keyframes automatically.
What is the difference between the Legacy Title tool and Essential Graphics?
The Legacy Title tool creates a separate file you can save and reuse. Essential Graphics adds text directly to your timeline without a separate file. Essential Graphics is faster for straightforward text; the Legacy Title tool is better when you need to build complex titles or reuse the same text across many projects.