Text Overlays

Overview

MovieLite’s TextClip uses the pictex library to render beautiful, styled text overlays. This guide covers everything from simple text to complex animated titles with gradients, shadows, and custom styling.

Basic Text Overlay

Simple Text

Create a basic text overlay with default styling:

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

# Create simple text with default styling
canvas = Canvas().font_size(60).color("white").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("Hello World", start=0, duration=5, canvas=canvas)
text.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2, 100))

writer = VideoWriter("output_simple_text.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

TextClip automatically calculates its size based on the text content and canvas styling. Access the dimensions via text.size to position it correctly.

Styling Text with Pictex Canvas

Canvas Configuration

The Canvas object from pictex provides extensive styling options:

from pictex import Canvas, LinearGradient, Shadow

canvas = (
    Canvas()
    .font_family("Arial")
    .font_size(80)
    .color("white")
    .padding(30)
    .background_color(LinearGradient(["#FF6B6B", "#4ECDC4"]))
    .border_radius(15)
    .text_shadows(Shadow(offset=(3, 3), blur_radius=5, color="black"))
)

Font properties

Set font family, size, and color using .font_family(), .font_size(), and .color()

Background styling

Add solid colors or gradients with .background_color() and style with .padding() and .border_radius()

Effects

Apply shadows and other effects using .text_shadows()

Gradient Text Backgrounds

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas, LinearGradient, Shadow

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

canvas = (
    Canvas()
    .font_family("Arial")
    .font_size(80)
    .color("white")
    .padding(30)
    .background_color(LinearGradient(["#FF6B6B", "#4ECDC4"]))
    .border_radius(15)
    .text_shadows(Shadow(offset=(3, 3), blur_radius=5, color="black"))
)

text = TextClip("Styled Title", start=0, duration=5, canvas=canvas)
text.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2, 200))

writer = VideoWriter("output_styled_text.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

Text Shadow Effects

Add depth to your text with shadows:

from pictex import Canvas, Shadow

# Single shadow
canvas = (
    Canvas()
    .font_size(70)
    .color("white")
    .background_color("transparent")
    .text_shadows(Shadow(offset=(2, 2), blur_radius=3, color="black"))
)

# Multiple shadows for a glow effect
canvas = (
    Canvas()
    .font_size(70)
    .color("white")
    .background_color("transparent")
    .text_shadows([
        Shadow(offset=(0, 0), blur_radius=10, color="#FF6B6B"),
        Shadow(offset=(2, 2), blur_radius=5, color="black")
    ])
)

Text Animations

Fade In/Out

Combine TextClip with visual effects:

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter, vfx
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

canvas = Canvas().font_size(70).color("white").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("Fading Text", start=2, duration=4, canvas=canvas)
text.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2, 300))

# Add fade effects
text.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(1.0))
text.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(1.0))

writer = VideoWriter("output_fade_text.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

Sliding Text

Animate position over time:

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

canvas = Canvas().font_size(60).color("white").padding(20).background_color("#333333")
text = TextClip("Sliding Text", start=0, duration=5, canvas=canvas)

# Slide in from left over 2 seconds
def animated_position(t):
    if t < 2.0:
        # Slide in from left
        x = int(-text.size[0] + (text.size[0] + video.size[0] // 2) * (t / 2.0))
    else:
        # Stay centered
        x = video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2
    
    y = video.size[1] // 2 - text.size[1] // 2
    return (x, y)

text.set_position(animated_position)

writer = VideoWriter("output_animated_pos.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

Bouncing Text

Create physics-inspired animations:

import math
from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

canvas = Canvas().font_size(80).color("#FFD700").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("Bounce!", start=0, duration=6, canvas=canvas)

# Bounce effect with decreasing amplitude
def bounce_position(t):
    x = video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2
    
    # Bounce amplitude decreases over time
    amplitude = 200 * (1.0 - t / 6.0)
    frequency = 3.0
    y = int(video.size[1] // 2 - text.size[1] // 2 - 
            abs(math.sin(t * frequency * math.pi)) * amplitude)
    
    return (x, y)

text.set_position(bounce_position)

writer = VideoWriter("output_bounce.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

Zoom Text

Scale text dynamically:

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

canvas = Canvas().font_size(70).color("white").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("ZOOM IN", start=0, duration=3, canvas=canvas)
text.set_position((
    video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2,
    video.size[1] // 2 - text.size[1] // 2
))

# Zoom from 0.5x to 1.5x over 3 seconds
text.set_scale(lambda t: 0.5 + (1.0 * (t / 3.0)))

writer = VideoWriter("output_zoom_text.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, text])
writer.write()

video.close()

Multiple Text Layers

Titles and Subtitles

Layer multiple text elements with different timings:

from movielite import VideoClip, TextClip, VideoWriter, vfx
from pictex import Canvas, LinearGradient

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

# Title (appears first)
canvas1 = Canvas().font_size(90).color("white").background_color(
    LinearGradient(["#FF6B6B", "#FF8E53"])
)
title = TextClip("Title", start=0, duration=3, canvas=canvas1)
title.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - title.size[0] // 2, 100))
title.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.5))
title.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.5))

# Subtitle (appears after title)
canvas2 = Canvas().font_size(50).color("#CCCCCC").background_color("transparent")
subtitle = TextClip("Subtitle text here", start=1, duration=4, canvas=canvas2)
subtitle.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - subtitle.size[0] // 2, 220))
subtitle.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.5))
subtitle.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.5))

# Caption (appears last)
canvas3 = Canvas().font_size(40).color("yellow").background_color("transparent")
caption = TextClip("Additional info", start=2.5, duration=3, canvas=canvas3)
caption.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - caption.size[0] // 2, video.size[1] - 100))
caption.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.3))
caption.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.3))

writer = VideoWriter("output_multi_text.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, title, subtitle, caption])
writer.write()

video.close()

Professional Templates

Lower Third

Create professional name/title overlays:

from movielite import VideoClip, ImageClip, TextClip, VideoWriter, vfx
from pictex import Canvas

video = VideoClip("input.mp4")

# Background bar
bar = ImageClip.from_color(
    color=(0, 0, 0, 200),  # Semi-transparent black
    size=(video.size[0], 120),
    duration=5
)
bar.set_position((0, video.size[1] - 120))
bar.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.5))
bar.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.5))

# Name text
canvas_name = Canvas().font_size(50).color("white").background_color("transparent")
name = TextClip("John Doe", start=0, duration=5, canvas=canvas_name)
name.set_position((40, video.size[1] - 100))
name.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.5))
name.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.5))

# Title text
canvas_title = Canvas().font_size(30).color("#AAAAAA").background_color("transparent")
job_title = TextClip("Software Engineer", start=0, duration=5, canvas=canvas_title)
job_title.set_position((40, video.size[1] - 50))
job_title.add_effect(vfx.FadeIn(0.5))
job_title.add_effect(vfx.FadeOut(0.5))

writer = VideoWriter("output_lower_third.mp4", fps=video.fps, size=video.size)
writer.add_clips([video, bar, name, job_title])
writer.write()

video.close()

Lower thirds are most effective when they appear briefly (3-5 seconds) and use subtle fade in/out animations.

Advanced Gradient Backgrounds

Full Screen Gradient with Text

from movielite import ImageClip, TextClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas, LinearGradient, Column, Text

WIDTH = 1920
HEIGHT = 1080

# Create gradient background
canvas_bg = (
    Canvas()
    .background_color(
        LinearGradient(
            colors=["#ff0000", "#0000ff"],
            start_point=(0.0, 0.0),  # top-left corner
            end_point=(1.0, 1.0)      # bottom-right corner
        )
    )
    .size(WIDTH, HEIGHT)
)

background_clip = (
    ImageClip(canvas_bg.render().to_numpy())
    .set_duration(10)
)

# Add text overlay
canvas_text = Canvas().font_size(80).color("white").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("Beautiful Gradient", start=0, duration=10, canvas=canvas_text)
text.set_position((WIDTH // 2 - text.size[0] // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - text.size[1] // 2))

writer = VideoWriter("output.mp4", fps=30)
writer.add_clip(background_clip)
writer.add_clip(text)
writer.write()

Pictex Layouts

Use Pictex’s layout components for complex text arrangements:

from movielite import ImageClip, VideoWriter
from pictex import Canvas, Column, Text

WIDTH = 1920
HEIGHT = 1080

# Create background canvas
canvas = (
    Canvas()
    .background_color("white")
    .size(WIDTH, HEIGHT)
)

# Create column with multiple text elements
column = (
    Column(
        Text("Hello, world!").font_size(50).color("blue"),
        Text("This will be the bottom text.").font_size(30).color("green")
    )
    .gap(20)
    .align_items("center")
    .background_color("lightgray")
    .place("center", "center")
)

# Render to ImageClip
background_clip = (
    ImageClip(canvas.render(column).to_numpy())
    .set_duration(10)
)

writer = VideoWriter("output.mp4", fps=30)
writer.add_clip(background_clip)
writer.write()

Centering Text

Horizontal Centering

# Center horizontally
text.set_position((video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2, 100))

Vertical Centering

# Center vertically
text.set_position((100, video.size[1] // 2 - text.size[1] // 2))

Center Both Axes

# Center both horizontally and vertically
text.set_position((
    video.size[0] // 2 - text.size[0] // 2,
    video.size[1] // 2 - text.size[1] // 2
))

Best Practices

Readability

Use high contrast between text and background. White text on dark backgrounds (or vice versa) works best. Add shadows for better separation.

Duration

Give viewers enough time to read text. A rule of thumb is 3 seconds minimum, plus 1 second per 10 words.

Animation Timing

Keep fade in/out animations short (0.3-0.5s). Longer animations can feel sluggish.

Common Patterns

canvas = Canvas().font_size(40).color("white").background_color("transparent")
text = TextClip("Caption", start=0, duration=3, canvas=canvas)
text.set_position((50, video.size[1] - 100))

Next Steps

Apply Transitions between text and video
Use Masking to create text reveal effects
Combine text with Custom Effects

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Examples

Overview

Basic Text Overlay

Simple Text

Styling Text with Pictex Canvas

Canvas Configuration

Gradient Text Backgrounds

Text Shadow Effects

Text Animations

Fade In/Out

Sliding Text

Bouncing Text

Zoom Text

Multiple Text Layers

Titles and Subtitles

Professional Templates

Lower Third

Advanced Gradient Backgrounds

Full Screen Gradient with Text

Pictex Layouts

Centering Text

Horizontal Centering

Vertical Centering

Center Both Axes

Best Practices

Readability

Font Size

Duration

Animation Timing

Common Patterns

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Examples

​Overview

​Basic Text Overlay

​Simple Text

​Styling Text with Pictex Canvas

​Canvas Configuration

​Gradient Text Backgrounds

​Text Shadow Effects

​Text Animations

​Fade In/Out

​Sliding Text

​Bouncing Text

​Zoom Text

​Multiple Text Layers

​Titles and Subtitles

​Professional Templates

​Lower Third

​Advanced Gradient Backgrounds

​Full Screen Gradient with Text

​Pictex Layouts

​Centering Text

​Horizontal Centering

​Vertical Centering

​Center Both Axes

​Best Practices

Readability

Font Size

Duration

Animation Timing

​Common Patterns

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Basic Text Overlay

Simple Text

Styling Text with Pictex Canvas

Canvas Configuration

Gradient Text Backgrounds

Text Shadow Effects

Text Animations

Fade In/Out

Sliding Text

Bouncing Text

Zoom Text

Multiple Text Layers

Titles and Subtitles

Professional Templates

Lower Third

Advanced Gradient Backgrounds

Full Screen Gradient with Text

Pictex Layouts

Centering Text

Horizontal Centering

Vertical Centering

Center Both Axes

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Next Steps