How to Add Professional Text Titles in Shotcut (Step-by-Step) | 2026
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to add professional-looking text titles in Shotcut step by step.
We’ll create simple cinematic titles like the ones you see in movies — including opening titles and character introductions. You’ll learn how to place text on screen, fade it in and out smoothly, and control timing using keyframes.
In this example project, we add a title to a scene of a couple riding bikes through the city with their dog, then introduce each character with their own text title. This is a great beginner exercise that teaches the fundamentals of creating clean, professional text overlays in Shotcut.
00:00 Intro – Add Titles in Shotcut
00:17 Add a New Video Track
00:35 Remove Black Bars from Images
00:55 Add Your First Text Title
01:17 Change Text Color, Size & Font
01:42 Resize and Position the Title
02:02 Add Another Text Layer
02:16 Create Character Names
03:05 Copy and Paste Text Filters
03:52 Split Clips with the S Key
04:15 Zoom Into a Character
05:27 Adjust Timing for Text & Clips
05:54 Add the Second Character
06:37 Preview the Title Sequence
06:59 Add the Final Character
07:41 Position Text Under the Dog
07:59 Add Fade In and Fade Out Effects
08:32 Fix Missing Fade Handles
08:52 Final Cinematic Title Sequence