Make Animated Titles The EASY Way (After Effects NOT Needed!)

Animated video titles are an awesome way to brand your content and improve viewer engagement. Even including simple video title effects will help you grow your YouTube channel

But the best part is, you don’t need to settle for basic video titles because creating professional titles for videos is really easy to do. 

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Whether you want to learn how to make titles for YouTube videos on your channel or are looking to create cool titles for videos you’re uploading elsewhere, this video title effects tutorial will show you exactly how to do it step-by-step.

The methods we’ll run through will work no matter what video editing software you’re using. Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Screenflow, iMovie, DaVinci Resolve… you name it!

Here’s exactly what we’ll cover: 

Let’s get started. 

Built-In Animated Titles

This is definitely the easiest method. Using the built-in preset animated titles in your video editing software is super simple. 

Some software will have a ton of built-in titles while others won’t have many at all. So we’ll cover this method first, because it might offer everything you need. 

The exact process will change depending on the video editing software you use.

Different built-in title options inside iMovie
If you’re wondering how to make animated titles the absolute easiest way – this is it! 

For example, on iMovie you’ll just need to go to Add Title and there’s a good number of animated titles you can choose from. All you need to do is click and drag the title onto your editing timeline.

Double click on the text clip to open up the text edit box. Then edit the text and you’re done! 

PRO TIP: Some video editing software such as Filmora and Kinemaster have dedicated shops where you can purchase and download a ton of extra animated titles.  

So check what you’ve got built-in to your editing application to see if this easy method works for you. 

Now let’s take a look at making DIY animated titles.

Title animation packs inside Filmora
There are some video editing software that allow you to purchase title animation pack

D.I.Y. Animated Titles

This method builds upon the previous option. It’s to animate text inside your editing software.

We’ll run through this example on Final Cut Pro. Instead of using one of the presets, start by adding a basic title. 

Editing a basic title using Final Cut Pro
Start by customizing your basic title using the tools inside your editing software

Make any customizations to the font, size and placement of the title.

Then you can add transitions. This will make your title look way more interesting than if it just suddenly appears on screen.

If you want to adjust the speed of the transition, simply extend the transition clip on your editing timeline.

Once you’re happy with the transition, adding a shape behind your title is a super easy way to take your animated title to the next level. 

Adding a colored text box behind the title
It’s a great idea to add a solid block behind your title to make it stand out 

Again, the method will vary depending on the software you’re using but you want to add a solid custom background image to your editing timeline beneath the title clip. 

You can then scale or crop it down so that it fits nicely behind the text. Don’t forget to make any adjustments to the color. 

Another great tip is to add the same transition to the colored block. To do this, select the transition, go to Edit → Copy and then select the block clip and go Edit → Paste Effects. 

Adding an animation to the title and text box
You can add the same animation to your title and the colored block for a cohesive title 

PRO TIP: You can even adjust the start times of the different clips so that the background shape comes in first and the text comes in a tiny bit later. 

This method allows you to get really creative so play around and have some fun with it! 

Once you’ve created a title you’re happy with it, you can copy and paste it between projects so you don’t need to start from scratch every time. 

If you want to take things to the next level, using a service like Placeit might work better for you. 

Changing the start times of the title and text box
Get creative and try using different start times for a cool effect with your animated title

Placeit Animated Titles

Placeit is a super powerful tool. It has a ton of animated title presets and templates. While this tool isn’t free, it is incredibly cheap!

Inside Placeit, search for Title. Scroll through until you find an animated title that you like.

The titles can be customized and edited live on the website. All you need to do is type in your title text. 

Placeit homepage
Placeit is a really powerful tool for animated titles and motion graphics 

You can customize the colors, turn on or off the accompanying music, adjust the playback speed, change the font and select a different background image. 

Once you’re happy with the title, download it and drag it onto your editing timeline. 

These are designed to be full screen titles but there is a work around to be able to use them as overlay titles. 

Editing an animated title inside Placeit
There are a ton of customization options inside Placeit, then you can simply download the title

So if you don’t want the background included, this is how you do it. 

While editing in Placeit, select No image to remove the background image. 

Then under Image, select a bright green background (this can also be bright blue, or another solid color that you haven’t used in your video). 

Download the title again and drag onto your editing timeline. 

Changing the background color to green
If you want to remove the background in your editing software, change the background color to green inside Placeit

Now you need to apply a green screen effect or a chroma key effect to that title. 

This will change depending on your software, but inside Final Cut you go to Effects → Keying → Keyer and drag that effect onto the title clip. Then the green will automatically be removed. 

Placeit also already has some lower third titles with green backgrounds. So, if one of those titles suit your project you can quickly customize that and you’ll be ready to go. 

Removing the background of the animated title
Once you add the chroma key effect, the background will be removed and you’ll be left with the title

Placeit Pricing 

You can download Placeit titles for free but they will have a watermark. We strongly recommend purchasing the title for a more professional and polished final product. There are a couple of pricing options: 

  • Single purchase: Remove the watermark and unlock full HD for $9.95
  • Subscription: Unlimited access to all templates for $14.95/month or $89.69/year
Placeit pricing options
You can choose between a one-time purchase or an unlimited subscription with Placeit

Videohive Animated Titles

This last method is a little bit more complicated but it does allow for a lot more customization. Plus, we think this option gives you the best looking motion graphic titles and animations! 

Downloading a title animation pack from services like Videohive and Motion Array (those are our two top picks) is a great way to create incredible animated titles. 

VideoHive animation packs for different video editing software
Services like VideoHive & Motion Array have specific motion graphic packs for a ton of different editing software

Inside VideoHive, there are title animation packs for After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. 

If you’re not using one of those applications, you can use the generic motion graphics which will work in any video editing software. 

Alternatively, you can google “*name of your video editing software* motion graphics” to see if there are any preset templates out there that you can buy and customize. 

VideoHive animated title packs
There’s a huge range of titles and you can completely customize them to suit your needs

Have a scroll and you’ll see a ton of different packs. As an example, there’s one with over 900 titles and graphics for $29. All of these are fully customizable.

Once you find one you like, purchase the pack and then install it into your video editing software. 

Again, this will vary for different software but inside Premiere Pro you’ll need to go to Graphics and Titles → Install Motion Graphics Templates and select the template you want to install. 

Downloading the motion graphic pack onto your computer
Inside the downloaded title folder you’ll often find a tutorial & instructions on how to install the titles

Then search for the effect and drag it onto your timeline. You can make any customizations until you’re completely happy with it.

PRO TIP: If you don’t want to customize the titles yourself, you can always purchase the title templates and then find someone on Fiverr or Upwork to customize it for you. 

Top 3 Titles Every Creator Should Have

As promised, here are the three animated titles every creator should have:

  1. Name card (or lower third) – something you’d likely use towards the start of every one of your videos
  2. Title screen – so you can include the title of your video inside the video 
  3. Call to action – this could be asking viewers to give your video a thumbs up, subscribe to your channel, visit your website or any other call to action you’d like 

These are titles that you’re likely going to be using in every one of your videos. So having them pre-made and ready to go means that you can copy and paste or drag and drop them into your project, saving you a ton of time!

Suggested animated titles that content creators should have
Some important animated titles for video include a name card, title screen and call to action

This might sound simple but it really is going to be a massive time saver when you’re creating videos!

There you have it – the best (& easiest!) ways to create animated video titles without After Effects. 

For more video editing tips and tricks, download the Primal Video guide on the ULTIMATE Process for Editing Videos Faster. With the help of this free guide and the right software, you’ll be editing videos like a pro in no time!


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