Styling is where your captions stop looking like subtitles and start looking like part of your brand. In the CapsField editor you can restyle every caption with one click, then fine-tune a single line, a single row or even a single word. This guide takes you through each control in the order you will most likely use it.
If your captions are not made yet, begin with how to add captions to a video online. If the words still need fixing, do that first with the editing guide, because it is easier to judge a style once the text is right.
The short version
Open the Templates tab and click a style to apply it to all captions. Use the Text tab for font, size, colour and position. Select one line first to style only that line. Hover the video and press the lock to move lines and words by hand. Keep captions inside the safe zone.
Start with a template
On the right of the editor, open Captions, then the Templates tab. Under Built-in Templates you will see cards for each style, such as Ali Abdaal, Delhi, Cap’s Special and Grains. Each card plays a small sample of how the words will appear, and small tags tell you what is special about it, for example a box behind the text, a hero word, or a badge.
Click a card to apply it to every caption in the project. Applying a template changes how captions look. It never changes the words, the timing or how the words are grouped.
Tips for choosing:
- Use the search box (Find a template) if you know the name.
- Pick for legibility first. A style that looks great on a plain background can disappear over busy footage.
- Match the mood. Bold, punchy styles suit fast Reels. Calm, simple styles suit tutorials and interviews.
Our article on choosing a caption style has a quick guide by video type.
Fine-tune the template’s own options
When you click a template its card opens extra controls that belong to that style. In the Ali Abdaal style, for example, you can choose between One line and Wrap, change the Primary, Secondary and Background colours, and set the Box size (vertical and horizontal) and corner roundness. Other templates offer different options, such as highlight colours or animation timing.
Changes here affect that template only, so you can compare two templates without losing your tweaks.
Save your look as a preset
Once the style is right, press Save preset. Your look is stored under My Presets, next to the Built-in Templates, so you can apply the same style to the next video in one click. Keeping one or two presets is the simplest way to make all your videos look like they come from the same channel.
Use the Text tab for font, size, colour and position
Switch to the Text tab. At the top a green bar tells you what you are about to change:
- Editing all captions means every change applies to every line.
- Editing line: “…” means you selected one caption in the list, so only that line changes. Press All to go back to editing everything.
The controls are grouped like this:
- Fonts. Font Family is set to Template font by default, which uses the template’s own typeface. Choose another family to override it. Font Face steps through the weights the font really has, such as Regular, SemiBold or Bold. Font Size is a slider in pixels.
- Format. Styles has four switches: capital letters, bold, italic and underline. Text Alignment is left, centre or right.
- Position. X and Y are percentages of the frame, from the left and from the top. The reset arrow puts each one back to its default.
- Color. Choose Solid for one colour, or Gradient for two. Type a hex code such as #FFFFFF if you know the exact colour.
- Spacing. Letter Spacing and Line Spacing loosen or tighten the text.
A good starting recipe for short vertical videos: a bold face, white text with a dark outline or box, two lines at most, and a size you can read at arm’s length on a phone.
Style one line, one row or one word
Sometimes one caption needs to look different, for example a punchline or a number. You have three ways to do that.
Select a line. Click its row in the Captions list. The Text tab now says Editing line and changes only that caption.
Open the word menu. Click a word in the list. Emphasize (Make this word stand out) styles the word in the template’s emphasis style. Spotlight (Feature for maximum impact) gives it a stronger highlight, such as a filled background and a slight scale-up.
Edit on the video itself. Hover the caption in the preview and a frame appears with a lock button. Press it to unlock. A small toolbar opens with three modes:
- Block edits the whole caption: font, style, colour, alignment and spacing, and whether it sits behind a person (see the masking guide).
- Lines edits one row of text. Click a row on the video, then drag it to move it or drag a corner to scale it.
- Words edits one word: click it to change its colour, weight, background, size or position.
An eraser button resets the line to how it was, and Undo steps back. While the preview is unlocked, a moved word becomes its own layer, and the other words stay exactly where they were.
Keep captions inside the safe zone
Apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts draw buttons and the post caption over your video. Press Safe zone at the top of the editor to show a dashed box that is clear of them, and keep your captions inside it. On a vertical video, new captions start inside the box, but if you drag a caption lower or use a template that sets its own position, check again. The safe zone guide explains what gets covered and why.
Add your own fonts
If your brand uses a particular typeface, open Custom Fonts in the left rail and add your font file. It then appears in the Font Family list. Custom fonts are used in exports as well as in the preview, so what you see is what you get.
Frequently asked questions
Does a template change my words or timing?
No. A template only changes how captions look. Words, timing and grouping stay as they were.
How do I use different styles in one video?
Select a line in the Captions list and apply a template or change the Text tab while it is selected. Only that line changes. Press All to return to editing every caption.
Can I use my own font?
Yes. Add it under Custom Fonts and pick it as the Font Family.
What is the difference between Emphasize and Spotlight?
Emphasize uses the template’s own highlight style for the word. Spotlight is a stronger, template-independent highlight with a background and a small scale-up.
Will my style look the same in the export?
The preview and the export use the same rendering, so the style you see is the style you get. Check the safe zone before you export to be sure nothing is covered.
Give your captions a look of their own
Pick one template, save it as a preset and use it on every video. Try CapsField free, open the Templates tab and apply your first style in under a minute. When you are happy, export your video.
