How to add text and captions to a GIF

Pick the text tool and click where you want the text to start, then type. What you get is a movable box, not a stamp — you can re-select it, drag it, and change the wording or style until you rasterise it or export. Multi-line text is fine; press Enter for a new line.

The text panel has the usual controls: font, size, bold, italic, underline, alignment and line height. There is also a set of effects — glow, shadow and outline — each with its own colour and strength.

For a caption over artwork or footage, an outline or a shadow is not decoration, it is what keeps the words readable when the background behind them changes from frame to frame. White text with a thin dark outline is the safest combination on almost anything.

A GIF is usually viewed at a few hundred pixels wide. Text that looks fine on the full canvas can turn to mush at that size. Use fewer, shorter words; step the size up more than feels necessary; keep a clear margin from the edges so nothing is clipped; and prefer a plain heavy font over a thin or decorative one.

If the final file will be tiny, check it at the real size before you commit — see GIF file size for why small dimensions matter.

The classic look is one line centred near the top and another near the bottom, in a heavy font with a strong outline. Place each as its own text box so you can position them independently. If the caption should stay for the whole animation, add it before you start copying frames, or add it to every frame — text lives on a frame, so it will not carry forward on its own unless the frame is copied.

Because each frame can have its own text, you can reveal a line one word at a time, make a title pop in and settle, or swap a caption partway through. Change the text on each frame, and use holds so each state stays on screen long enough to read — a common mistake is animated text that flashes past before anyone can follow it.

Editable text is baked into the pixels of its frame when you rasterise the layer or export. After that it is part of the drawing and can be erased or painted over but not re-typed, so keep the project tab open if you might revise the wording. Export as a GIF, or as MP4 if the text sits over photographic video and you want it sharper.