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Advanced Titles and Subtitles

Take your title work further — animated overlays, subtitle tracks, keyboard callout graphics, and reusable channel templates.

Core Idea

Subtitles in Kdenlive are a dedicated track separate from title clips — they export as burned-in text or as SRT files. Use the Subtitle tool for spoken word captions; use Titler for graphical overlays.

Subtitle Track​

Kdenlive has a dedicated subtitle tool for accessibility captions and burned-in text:

Add Subtitle track:
  Menu → Sequence → Add Subtitle Track
  OR Shift+S (at playhead position)

The Subtitle track appears above all video tracks in the timeline.

Adding Subtitles​

Position playhead at the start of speech
Shift+S    → creates a subtitle at playhead position
Type the spoken words → press Enter to confirm
Move playhead to next speech → Shift+S → repeat

Editing Subtitles​

Double-click subtitle in timeline → edit text
Drag edges → resize duration
Drag position → move timing
Del → delete selected subtitle

Subtitle Style Configuration​

Right-click subtitle track header → Style
→ Font, Size, Color, Background, Outline, Position
→ Position: bottom 10% is standard (same as SRT format)

Exporting Subtitles​

Render dialog → check "Burn subtitles into video"
  → Subtitles appear permanently in the output

OR: Use "Export Subtitles" → saves as SRT file
  → Upload SRT to YouTube for automatic CC
tip

Export as SRT for YouTube — YouTube's search engine indexes subtitle text, improving discoverability. Burned-in subtitles look great but don't benefit from YouTube's indexing.

Keyboard Callout Overlays​

For tutorial screencasts, showing which keys are pressed adds enormous clarity:

Design in Titler:
1. Create Title Clip
2. Alt+R → small pill-shaped rectangle (background)
   Color: dark (#1A1A1A), border-radius effect not native
   Approximate with a rounded image or use a rounded PNG

3. Alt+T → key name (e.g., "Ctrl+Z")
   Font: Source Code Pro or Roboto Mono, 36pt
   Color: white

4. Save → "key-callout-ctrl-z"

5. Drag to V2 over the moment you press Ctrl+Z
   Duration: 1.5–2 seconds

Pro tip: Create key callout clips for your most-used shortcuts:

  • Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+S, X (Razor), S (Selection), Space, J/K/L

Animated Lower-Third (Slide In)​

Combine Titler with keyframe animation for professional entry:

1. Create lower-third title in Titler
2. Place on V2 at the target position
3. Add Composite+Transform to the title clip
4. Enable Position X keyframe:
   Frame 0:    X = -1920 (off-screen left)
   Frame 15:   X = 0     (in position — 0.5s slide)
   (Hold until title exit)
   Last-15:    X = 0     (start exit)
   Last frame: X = 1920  (off-screen right)
5. Set keyframes to Smooth interpolation
6. Preview → smooth slide in and out

Bulk Title Creation with Find/Replace​

For chapter cards across a series:

1. Create master chapter card template in Titler
2. Save as "chapter-card-master.kdenlivetitle"

3. For each chapter:
   Add Title Clip → Load → "chapter-card-master"
   Edit only the chapter number and title text
   Save as "chapter-card-02", "chapter-card-03", etc.

4. Place each chapter card at the right guide position

Reusable Title Sequence Template​

For your YouTube channel, build a standard title template system:

Channel Title System:
  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │ intro-title.kdenlivetitle       → 3-second opener   │
  │ lower-third-speaker.kdenlivetitle → 7-second speaker │
  │ lower-third-topic.kdenlivetitle  → 5-second topic   │
  │ chapter-card.kdenlivetitle       → 3-second chapter  │
  │ outro-cta.kdenlivetitle          → 5-second CTA      │
  │ keyboard-callout.kdenlivetitle   → 1.5-sec key note  │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Save templates to: ~/Videos/channel-templates/
Import at start of each new project

Text Animation with Speed Effects​

Make text appear word-by-word using multiple title clips:

Technique: Create separate title clips for each phrase
  "Press"  → 0.5s
  "Press X" → 0.5s
  "Press X to" → 0.5s
  "Press X to Cut" → 2s

Place in sequence on V2 → text builds word by word
Faster than keyframing individual characters

Color Consistency in Titles​

Use consistent brand colors across all titles:

Recommended brand color system:
  Background:  #0D1B2A  (dark navy — professional)
  Primary:     #00B4D8  (cyan — tech accent)
  Text:        #FFFFFF  (white — always readable)
  Subtle text: #A8DADC  (light teal)
  Warning:     #E63946  (red — important callouts)
  Callout bg:  #1A1A2E  (dark card background)

Keyboard Reference​

ActionShortcut
Add subtitle at playheadShift+S
Add text in TitlerAlt+T
Add rectangle in TitlerAlt+R
Add ellipse in TitlerAlt+E
Insert image in TitlerAlt+I
Select all in TitlerCtrl+A
Back to selection (Titler)Alt+S
Move vertically onlyShift (hold)
Move horizontally onlyShift+Alt (hold)
Open subtitle styleRight-click track header → Style

Hands-On Practice​

1. Add a subtitle track:
   Menu → Sequence → Add Subtitle Track

2. Add 5 subtitles for the first 30 seconds of your screencast:
   Position playhead at each speech moment → Shift+S → type caption

3. Style the subtitles:
   Right-click subtitle header → Style
   Set: Roboto 36pt, White, semi-transparent background

4. Create a keyboard callout for "X" (Razor Tool):
   Add Title Clip
   Alt+R → small rectangle (dark background)
   Alt+T → "X — Razor Tool" (Source Code Pro, 32pt, white)
   Save → "key-X-razor"
   Drag to V2 for 2 seconds when you demonstrate the Razor Tool

5. Create animated lower-third:
   Load your lower-third template from previous lesson
   Place on V2
   Add Composite+Transform
   Keyframe X: -1920 → 0 over 15 frames
   Preview

6. Ctrl+S → save

What's Next​