Flash a title on screen for just a moment

A one-word title that lands on a beat and disappears works because it leaves quickly. Think of "Wait for it", a price, or a loud "No". Making one takes an exact start frame, a very short title bar and an entrance fast enough to finish before the word is gone.

Find the exact frame

Pause playback. The Left and Right arrow keys step one frame at a time, and holding Shift steps a whole second. Park the playhead on the frame where the word should hit, such as the first frame of a new shot or the instant a line of speech lands.

A new title starts at the playhead, so this frame becomes its start time.

Add and shorten the title

1. Press T. A title reading "Your text" appears at the playhead and runs three seconds.
2. In the right panel, open the Text tab and type the word.
3. Move the playhead a few frames later with the Right arrow key.
4. Drag the right edge of the title's purple bar to the left until it snaps to the playhead.

Bar edges snap to the playhead, to the cuts on the main track and to the edges of every other bar on the timeline, including sound effects. If a sound effect marks the hit, drag the title's left edge to the start of that sound effect and it locks on. Turn up the Zoom slider in the timeline toolbar for more precision, then press Fit to see the whole project again. Dragging an edge on the timeline stops at 0.2 seconds.

Fine-tune with Trim

Open the Trim tab. It has two jog bars, Trim start and Trim end. Press on a bar and drag sideways. The farther you drag from where you pressed, the faster the edge moves. Let go and it stops where it is. The Trim tab can take a title down to 0.1 seconds.

Use these bars to nudge an edge by a frame or two after the rough placement.

Give it a fast entrance

A half-second entrance would eat a title that lasts a few frames. Shorten the entrance.

1. Open the Animate tab and choose In.
2. Pick a style such as Pop or Zoom. Hover over a tile to see it play.
3. Drag Length down to a small value. The slider can never exceed the length of the title itself.

Leave Out on None. The word cuts away at the end of its bar, which feels sharp on a beat. If you want a softer exit, add Out with Fade and a short Length.

Check it at full speed

Play across the span once. If you can read it, it is long enough. If you caught it only because you wrote it, add a few frames. A single short word needs less time than a phrase.

Big type helps a short title. Raise Size in the Size tab, choose a heavy face in Font, and keep the Color high in contrast against the shot.

Cut one in

Find the best beat in your current edit and flash one word there. Open DepCut, step to the frame, and place it.