Titler Basics
The Titler is Kdenlive's built-in text and graphics tool. Use it to create professional lower-thirds, chapter cards, intro titles, and any text overlay for your screencasts.
Core Idea
The Titler creates Title Clips — special clips that live in the Project Bin and can be placed on any video track. Create once, reuse many times. Build templates for your channel's consistent look.
Opening the Titler
Menu → Project → Add Title Clip
OR
Project Bin → right-click empty area → Add Title Clip
Shortcut: No default — assign via Ctrl+Alt+, → "Add Title Clip"
Titler Interface
┌─ Titler ───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Menu Bar [Save] [Templates] [Import] [Export] │
├───────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Toolbar: │ │
│ [T] [■] [●] [↗] │ Canvas (1920×1080) │
│ Text Rect Ellipse │ │
│ │ [ Text here ] │
│ Properties: │ │
│ Font, Size, Color │ │
│ Bold, Italic │ │
│ Position X/Y │ │
│ [Background Color] │ │
└───────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
Titler Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Add text element | Alt+T |
| Add rectangle | Alt+R |
| Add ellipse | Alt+E |
| Insert image | Alt+I |
| Back to selection tool | Alt+S |
| Move item vertically only | Shift (hold while moving) |
| Move item horizontally only | Shift+Alt (hold while moving) |
| Select all | Ctrl+A |
| Delete selected | Del |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z |
Creating a Lower-Third
A lower-third is the name/label bar at the bottom of a screencast frame:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [Screen Content] │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Your Name / Tutorial Topic │ ← Lower-third │
│ └──────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step-by-Step Lower-Third
1. Menu → Project → Add Title Clip
2. Add background rectangle:
Press Alt+R → drag at bottom of canvas
Set color: dark semi-transparent (e.g., #000000 at 70% opacity)
Position: X=0, Y=900 (bottom area of 1080p frame)
Size: W=600, H=80
3. Add text:
Press Alt+T → click on the rectangle
Type: "Your Name" (main label)
Font: Ubuntu, Roboto, or Inter
Size: 42pt
Color: White (#FFFFFF)
4. Add subtitle text:
Press Alt+T → click below main text
Type: "Topic or channel name"
Size: 28pt
Color: Light gray (#CCCCCC)
5. Fine-position using Shift (vertical) / Shift+Alt (horizontal) to align
6. Click Save → name it "lower-third-template"
7. Click OK → Title Clip appears in Project Bin
Creating a Chapter Card
A chapter card is a full-frame title between sections:
1. Add Title Clip → blank canvas
2. Alt+R → draw rectangle covering entire canvas
Color: dark blue (#0D1B2A) or your brand color
Size: 1920×1080
3. Alt+T → add chapter number
Font: Bold, 120pt, white
Position: centered horizontally, slightly above center
4. Alt+T → add chapter title text
Font: Regular, 60pt, light color
Position: below chapter number
5. Alt+T → add chapter description (optional)
Font: Light, 36pt, gray
Position: below title
6. Save → name "chapter-card-01"
Creating an Intro Title
1. Add Title Clip
2. Alt+R → gradient or colored background
Or use a Color Clip as the background and place title on V2
3. Alt+T → Series/channel name (large)
4. Alt+T → Episode title (medium)
5. Alt+T → Episode number (small)
6. Apply slide-in animation via keyframes AFTER placing in timeline:
Select title clip in timeline
Add Composite+Transform
Keyframe position X: -1920 → 0 (slide in from left)
Using Templates
Save and reuse title designs:
In Titler:
Design → [Save] (top right button)
→ Saves as .kdenlivetitle template file
To use template:
Add Title Clip → [Load] (folder icon)
→ Select saved .kdenlivetitle file
→ Template loads with your design
→ Edit text content only → Save → OK
Template workflow for YouTube channel:
1. Design lower-third once
2. Save as "channel-lower-third.kdenlivetitle"
3. For each new video: load template → change name/topic → save new clip
Placing Title Clips on Timeline
After creating:
Title clip appears in Project Bin
Drag to V2 (above main recording on V1)
Position at the moment it should appear
Duration:
Drag right edge to set display duration
Typical: Lower-third = 5–7 seconds
Chapter card = 2–3 seconds
Intro = 3–5 seconds
Animation entry/exit:
Add fade via effect: Effects → "Fade In" / "Fade Out"
OR hover clip corner → drag triangle (quick fade)
Editing Existing Title Clips
Double-click title clip in Project Bin → reopens Titler
OR
Double-click title clip on timeline → reopens Titler
After editing → Save → changes apply to all instances of that title
Font Recommendations for Screencasts
| Font | Style | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | Clean, tech | General channel branding |
| Roboto | Modern, readable | Lower-thirds, subtitles |
| Inter | Crisp, web-native | UI tutorial labels |
| Montserrat | Bold, impactful | Chapter cards, intros |
| Source Code Pro | Monospace | Code/terminal references |
# Install Google Fonts on Linux:
sudo apt install -y fonts-roboto fonts-ubuntu fonts-inter
fc-cache -f # rebuild font cache
Hands-On Practice
1. Open Kdenlive with your project
2. Create a lower-third:
Menu → Project → Add Title Clip
Alt+R → dark rectangle at bottom
Alt+T → your name (42pt, white)
Alt+T → "Kdenlive Tutorial" (28pt, light gray)
Save → name "lower-third-me"
3. Place lower-third on timeline:
Drag from Project Bin to V2
Position at 0:05 (5 seconds into video)
Set duration to 7 seconds
4. Add fade in to title:
Hover top-left of title clip → drag triangle → 15 frame fade in
5. Create a chapter card:
Add Title Clip
Alt+R → full canvas dark blue background
Alt+T → "Chapter 1" (bold, 120pt)
Alt+T → "Installation" (60pt)
Save → "chapter-card-1"
Drag to V2 at the 30-second mark
6. Preview the edit: Space
7. Ctrl+S → save