DaVinci Resolve how-to
How to add text in DaVinci Resolve (Text and Text+)
Short answer
Open the Effects Library, go to Toolbox > Titles, and drag Text (or Text+) onto a video track above your footage. The title clip is 5 seconds long by default. Select it and type in the Inspector's Title panel, where you also set font, size, colour, stroke and background; the Settings panel holds position and cropping.
Checked against: DaVinci Resolve 21, free version and Studio (Studio-only features are marked), Edit page unless stated, per the Resolve 21 Reference Manual (July 2026).
Step by step: Edit page
Open Titles
Click Effects (top left) to open the Effects Library and choose Toolbox > Titles.
EffectsToolboxTitles
Drag a title onto the timeline
Drag Text or Text+ onto a track above your video. Dropped titles last 5 seconds by default (change the default in User Preferences > Editing).
Type and style it
Select the title and open the Inspector. The Title panel has the text field and styling (font, size, colour, drop shadow, stroke, background); the Settings panel has the same Transform and Cropping controls as any clip.
Position it
Drag the text in the Timeline Viewer, or hold Shift while dragging to move it on one axis only.
Which title to use
| Title | Best for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Quick titles with several styles in one block | Supports rich text: style each word separately |
| Text+ | Animated motion-graphics text | Fusion's full text generator with more animation controls |
| L / M / R Lower 3rd | Name and role captions | Two lines placed inside title safe |
| Scroll | Credits | Clip length sets the scroll speed |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Text appears behind the video | Put the title on a higher track than the footage. |
| Can't style individual words in Text+ | Per Blackmagic, all title generators except Text+ support rich text; use Text for mixed styles in one block. |
| Text hidden under TikTok or Reels buttons | Keep it out of the bottom third and right edge of a 1080 × 1920 timeline. |
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Text and Text+ in DaVinci Resolve?
Text is quick and supports different styles per word; Text+ is Fusion's full text generator with many more styling and animation controls.
How do I save a title style to reuse?
Drag the finished title from the timeline into the Media Pool; it's saved as a clip, keyframes included.
How long is a title by default?
5 seconds, set in User Preferences > Editing.
More DaVinci Resolve guides
Sources and how we checked
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Titles, generators and the Text+ title (p. 1213, 1223-1225) (checked 2026-10-05)
- DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Dynamic Zoom and onscreen Transform controls (p. 1247, 1250-1252) (checked 2026-10-05)
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with DaVinci Resolve's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.