Build a set of chapter markers that all match

A long video is easier to follow when each section opens with a small card that names it. The cards only help if they look identical, because a changing font or position makes the viewer notice the cards and miss the content. This workflow styles one card and copies it, so every marker matches.

Plan the markers

Play through the edit and write down where each section starts. Keep every name to a few words, and number them if the order matters. Each card needs only the number and the name, such as "2 Setup".

Build the first card

1. Move the playhead to the first section's opening frame and press T.
2. In the Text tab, replace "Your text" with the first marker's name.
3. Choose a Font, a Size and an Align setting. Left alignment suits a card with a number on one line and a name on the next.
4. Open Backdrop and switch it on, so the card reads over any shot.
5. Open Transform and type a low X and a low Y in the Position row to tuck the card into the top left. Typed numbers let you reproduce the spot exactly.
6. Open Animate, choose In and pick a short Fade. Choose Out and pick the same.

Settle the look on this card before you copy it. Each copy is its own title, and a later restyle has to be repeated on every card.

Save the look

In the Text tab, find Styles and choose Save style. Type a name such as "Chapter" and press Save. The look is saved to the shared Library and shows as a chip under Styles. In another project, select a title and click that chip to apply the same look.

Duplicate the card

A copy keeps the text, the style, the position, the animation and the length. It lands at the playhead.

1. Click the first card's purple bar to select it.
2. Move the playhead to the next section's opening frame with the ruler or the arrow keys.
3. Press Cmd+D on a Mac, or Ctrl+D on Windows.
4. With the copy selected, open the Text tab and type the new name.
5. Repeat from step 2 for each remaining section.

If the playhead sits inside an existing card, the copy slides right to the next free spot on that row. Park the playhead in clear space and the copy lands exactly where you aimed.

New titles also start with the look of the last title you styled. That makes T a quick way to add a card, though a new title always starts at the default position, so duplicating keeps the placement for you.

Read the row

The purple bars show their text. With every card in place, that one row reads like a table of contents for the video. Scrub along it and check three things:

• Each card lands on the first frame of its section.
• No card runs into the next section's opening.
• The numbering has no gaps.

If a section moves, drag its card with it. Grab the bar in the middle and the edges snap to cuts, so the card realigns with the first frame of the clip.

Make the first card now

Take your longest project and write its chapter names on paper first. Then build the first card in DepCut and copy it down the timeline.