Make a quote card from one title and a Backdrop

A pull quote lifts one strong sentence out of an interview, a review or a script and holds it on screen. You can build the whole card from one title. The Backdrop tab supplies the card, the Words tab separates the attribution from the quote, and the other text tabs set the type.

Write the quote

1. Move the playhead to the frame where the quote should appear and press T.
2. In the right panel, open the Text tab.
3. Type the quote on short lines, pressing Enter to break them.
4. Add a last line with a dash and the speaker's name.

A title does not wrap on its own, so the line breaks you choose set the shape of the card.

Set the type

• Font: pick a serif such as New York, Playfair Display or DM Serif Display for an editorial tone.
• Size: raise it until the longest line fills most of the frame width without touching the edges.
• Align: choose left or center. Left reads like a printed quote, and center suits a short line.
• Line height: raise it a little from the 1.25 default so the lines have air between them.

Add the card

1. Open the Backdrop tab and switch on Backdrop.
2. Pick a dark Color from the swatches and raise Opacity high enough that the quote is easy to read over a busy shot. A lower value lets the footage show through the card.
3. Lower Radius for square corners, or keep a softer value for a friendlier card.
4. Open the Shadow tab and switch Shadow off. A plate already separates the text from the picture, and a shadow can look muddy on top of it.

The plate is drawn from the text block plus padding. To make the card larger, make the text larger or add a line.

Separate the attribution

Open the Words tab. Each word is a chip.

1. Click the first chip of the attribution, then Shift-click the last.
2. Switch Bold off, so the name reads lighter than the quote.
3. Switch Italic on, or give the words a muted Color.
4. Click one key word in the quote and give it a bright Color from the swatches.

The card now has three levels: the quote, a highlighted word and a quiet name.

Time it and check it

Open the Animate tab. Choose In, pick Fade, and set a Length around half a second. Choose Out, pick Fade again, and keep the Length short. A fade suits a quote because the viewer has time to read.

Drag the end of the purple bar so the card stays long enough to read the quote twice. If the quote sits over an interview, line it up with the moment the speaker says it. Then scrub to the start and the end of the card. A quote over a bright frame may need a darker plate, and a quote over a dark frame may need a lighter text color.

Build your own

Take one line from your current project and give it a card. Open DepCut and compare the result with the plain title.