Animated text · Mac and iPhone
Add animated text and titles to your video
A bold title in the first two seconds tells viewers what they are about to get, and a lower third that names you makes a video feel produced. Static text does that job; text that moves does it while catching the eye.
In Zella a title is a normal layer on the timeline: you choose when it arrives and how long it stays, style it so it reads over any footage, and anchor it so it stays put when you reframe the video to vertical.
- Mac and iPhone
- Free on every tier
Quick answer
To add animated text to a video in Zella, open the Text tab on the Mac or Text on iPhone, type your words and give them one of 85 text animations in 12 families, such as Fade, Slide, Bounce, Decode or Glitch, that move the text letter by letter, word by word or line by line as it comes in, while it stays and as it leaves. The Mac offers 23 animated title styles, and iPhone offers 20 title styles plus 12 one-tap title templates such as Subscribe, Hook and Lower Third. Both apps add 3 animated text highlights that draw a marker, an underline or a box across your words line by line, and all of it is free.
How to do it in Zella
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Step 1: Open the text tool
On the Mac, open the Text tab in the right inspector. On iPhone, open Text in the editor's tool row.
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Step 2: Start from a style or a template
On the Mac, pick a title style such as Big Statement, Glitch Title, Neon Glow, Typewriter or Blur Reveal. On iPhone, tap a template like Subscribe or Hook, or one of the 15 quick looks that set font, colour and entrance in one tap.
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Step 3: Choose an animation
Give the text one of the 85 text animations: a snappy bounce or scale for social clips, a smooth fade or slide for tutorials. Pick how it comes in, an optional loop while it is on screen, and how it leaves.
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Step 4: Make it readable
Add a gradient fill, a stroke, a shadow or a box behind the words so they read over busy footage. On iPhone, a blend mode lets the text sit in the scene instead of on top of it.
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Step 5: Time it and anchor it
Set when the title appears and how long it stays, then anchor it so a reframe to 9:16 does not push it off the edge. It bakes into the export.
Why do it this way
Highlights drawn from your text
Marker Highlight, Underline Draw and Box Trace are measured from the rendered letters and drawn line by line, so the sweep follows your words instead of a guessed rectangle.
One edit, every shape
Anchored titles adjust to the canvas, so the same project exports cleanly in landscape, square and vertical without moving a single title by hand.
Saved and transition-proof
Text, style and colour are saved with the project and come back exactly as you left them, and titles show on both sides of a transition.
What you need
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel), or iPhone on iOS 18 or later
- Free on every tier: every built-in title style, template, text animation and highlight, no watermark, exports up to 2 minutes at 1080p
- Zella Pro ($89 once, Mac and iPhone) only for saving your own custom templates
Questions
How many animated title styles does Zella have?
The Mac has 23 title styles to choose from. On iPhone there are 20 title styles, 12 one-tap title templates and 15 quick looks, and both apps share the same 85 text animations.
What are animated text highlights?
Three decorations drawn behind a title, line by line: Marker Highlight sweeps a translucent band, Underline Draw draws a line under each row and Box Trace outlines the whole title. They are on both the Mac and iPhone.
Will my title get cut off when I make the video vertical?
Not if you anchor it. Anchored titles adjust to the new canvas, so they stay placed through a reframe from 16:9 to 9:16.
Why does my title not show at the very end of the video?
A title is an overlay on video, so past your last frame there is nothing to draw it on. Use a full-screen outro card instead, which adds a real clip so the timeline grows.
Are animated titles free?
Yes. Every built-in style, template, text animation and highlight is free on every tier, on Mac and iPhone. Only saving your own custom templates is part of Zella Pro.
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