---
title: "10 text title styles for video ads, with a tested Claude prompt for each"
description: "Ten ways to style a short headline so it carries its own look, from a buzzing neon sign to letters filled with the footage itself."
url: https://www.recharm.com/effects/lists/text-title-styles-for-video-ads
---

# 10 text title styles for video ads

Ten ways to style a short headline so it carries its own look, from a buzzing neon sign to letters filled with the footage itself.

Neon sign text: "GLOW UP" in hot pink glass tubes on a dark panel stutters on and off like a buzzing neon sign, then glows steadily above the bottle.

## [1. Neon sign text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/neon-sign-text)

"GLOW UP" in hot pink glass tubes on a dark panel stutters on and off like a buzzing neon sign, then glows steadily above the bottle.

```
Add a neon sign to the top of input.mp4: the words "GLOW UP" drawn as hollow tube outlines (each letter's outline, 10 pixels thick) in a bold rounded font at size 86 pixels (16% of the frame width), centered horizontally 14% of the way down. Each tube is hot pink (255, 40, 160) with a 4-pixel white-hot center line (255, 235, 245) along it and a pink glow around it (the tube blurred by 6 pixels with its opacity boosted 1.6x, and by 22 pixels with its opacity boosted 2.2x, both laid underneath). Behind the letters put a dark panel (18, 8, 24) at 84% opacity (alpha 215) with rounded corners, padded 27 pixels (5% of the frame width) around the letters. Nothing shows before 0.6 seconds. From 0.6 seconds the panel is there and the sign flickers on: lit until 0.7s, off 0.7-0.8s, lit, off 0.87-1.0s, lit, off 1.05-1.12s, then lit for good apart from one more dropout at 3.6-3.67s. When off, the tubes stay visible as dark unlit glass (95, 45, 80) with no glow. Use Python with Pillow to draw it and ffmpeg to put it on the video (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter), keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/neon-sign-text)

Glowing text: White "GLOW UP" letters above the bottle sit inside a soft gold halo that swells bright and fades low every second and a half.

## [2. Glowing text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/glowing-text)

White "GLOW UP" letters above the bottle sit inside a soft gold halo that swells bright and fades low every second and a half.

```
Add glowing text to input.mp4: "GLOW UP" in white (255, 255, 255) Arial Black (or another heavy bold font), at a 92 pixel font size (17% of the frame width), centered horizontally 15% of the way down. Behind the letters put a gold (255, 190, 60) halo: draw the text in white with a 4 pixel stroke onto a grayscale mask, blur one copy by 5 pixels and another by 14 pixels, add the two together and use the result as the alpha of a solid gold layer. Nothing shows before 0.5 seconds; the text and halo fade in linearly from 0.5 to 0.8 seconds. From 0.8 seconds the halo's opacity pulses on a cosine with a 1.5 second period, from full strength down to 25% and back, so it is brightest at 0.8, 2.3, 3.8 and 5.3 seconds and dimmest at 1.55, 3.05 and 4.55 seconds, while the white letters stay fully opaque. Use Python with Pillow to draw it and ffmpeg to put it on the video (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter), keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/glowing-text)

Gradient text: "NEW DROP" fades in near the top in heavy letters whose yellow, pink and violet fill keeps drifting rightward through the words.

## [3. Gradient text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/gradient-text)

"NEW DROP" fades in near the top in heavy letters whose yellow, pink and violet fill keeps drifting rightward through the words.

```
Add animated gradient text to input.mp4: the words "NEW DROP" in a heavy bold font (Arial Black or similar), 15% of the frame width tall, centered horizontally at 15% down the frame. Fill the letters with a horizontal gradient that blends evenly from yellow (255, 214, 0) to pink (255, 45, 150) to violet (130, 60, 255) and back to yellow, one full loop spanning 100% of the frame width and repeating across it, with the yellow stop at the frame's left edge when the text appears. The gradient slides to the right at 40% of the frame width per second (one full loop every 2.5 seconds) and wraps around, while the letters stay still. Put a soft black drop shadow (55% opacity, offset 4 px right and 5 px down, 6 px blur) behind the letters. The text fades in from 0.5 to 0.8 seconds, with nothing on screen before 0.5 seconds, and stays to the end. Use Python with Pillow and numpy to draw the text and gradient (don't use ffmpeg's drawtext filter) and ffmpeg to put it on the video, keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/gradient-text)

Video inside text: A black card fades in over the shot, and the footage keeps playing only inside the tall letters "PURE" and "GLOW" cut out of it.

## [4. Video inside text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/video-inside-text)

A black card fades in over the shot, and the footage keeps playing only inside the tall letters "PURE" and "GLOW" cut out of it.

```
Make the video in input.mp4 play inside text. Use Python with Pillow (not ffmpeg's drawtext) to draw one overlay image the size of the video: a solid (10, 10, 14) near-black card with the words "PURE" and "GLOW" cut out of it as fully transparent holes, one word per line, in Arial Black (or another heavy bold font). Size the font so the wider word is 90% of the frame width, then stretch each word 1.6 times taller, and center the words horizontally with their middles at 36% and 64% down the frame. Draw it at 4x size and shrink it for smooth edges. With ffmpeg, put the card over every frame, fading the card in from fully transparent starting at 1.0 seconds over 0.5 seconds, so the plain video shows for the first second and only the letters show video from 1.5 seconds to the end. Keep the audio, the original size and length, 30fps H.264 yuv420p, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/video-inside-text)

Hollow outline text: A big "GLOW" fades in as thin hot-pink outlines with the video showing through the letters, then fills in solid pink from left to right.

## [5. Hollow outline text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/hollow-outline-text)

A big "GLOW" fades in as thin hot-pink outlines with the video showing through the letters, then fills in solid pink from left to right.

```
Add hollow outline text to input.mp4: the word "GLOW" in Arial Black (or another heavy bold font) at a font size of 25% of the frame width, centered horizontally and 12% down the frame. Draw only its outline, 4 pixels thick, in pink (255, 45, 140), with the letters see-through inside; the outline fades in from 0.5 to 0.8 seconds. From 1.5 to 2.7 seconds the insides of the letters fill with the same pink, a hard edge sweeping from the left edge of the word to the right with ease-in-out, and the word stays solid pink to the end. Use Python with Pillow to draw the text (don't use ffmpeg's drawtext filter) and ffmpeg to put it on the video, keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/hollow-outline-text)

Brush stroke text reveal: A ragged crimson paint stroke drags left to right across the lower third, and the white words "NEW FORMULA" appear only where the paint has already reached.

## [6. Brush stroke text reveal](https://www.recharm.com/effects/brush-stroke-text-reveal)

A ragged crimson paint stroke drags left to right across the lower third, and the white words "NEW FORMULA" appear only where the paint has already reached.

```
Add a brush stroke text reveal to input.mp4. Paint a crimson (205, 30, 55) brush stroke 22% of the frame width thick, centered 74% of the way down and running from 4% to 96% across, sloping up slightly to the right (0.04 pixels per pixel across), with ragged top and bottom edges, dry-brush ragged ends and faint lighter and darker streaks along its length. Inside it, centered on the stroke and tilted with it, write "NEW FORMULA" in white (255, 255, 255) Arial Black (or another heavy bold font) with text height 8% of the frame width. Nothing shows before 0.8 seconds; from 0.8 to 2.0 seconds the stroke is painted left to right, easing out, with a ragged bristle edge at the front, and the words appear only where the paint has already reached. Then it stays to the end. Use Python with Pillow and numpy to draw it (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter) and ffmpeg to put it on the video, keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/brush-stroke-text-reveal)

Trailer title: The shot dims to near dark, then "RADIANCE" in widely spaced white serif capitals slowly fades in across the middle and keeps drifting wider, with "Coming this winter" appearing beneath it.

## [7. Trailer title](https://www.recharm.com/effects/trailer-title)

The shot dims to near dark, then "RADIANCE" in widely spaced white serif capitals slowly fades in across the middle and keeps drifting wider, with "Coming this winter" appearing beneath it.

```
Add a movie-trailer title to input.mp4 (540x960). First dim the footage: lay a black layer over the whole frame whose opacity rises from 0 to 70% between 0.3 and 1.3 seconds (smoothstep easing), then stays at 70% to the end. Then write "RADIANCE" in white (255, 255, 255) Georgia Bold, font size 49 pixels, centered horizontally with its vertical middle 451 pixels down (47% of the height). Draw it letter by letter with a gap between letters of 0.35 times the font size at 0 seconds, widening linearly to 0.45 times the font size at 6 seconds. It fades in from invisible at 1.2 seconds to full opacity at 3.2 seconds (smoothstep easing). Under it, "COMING THIS WINTER" in the same white Georgia Bold at font size 19 pixels with 11-pixel gaps between letters, centered horizontally with its vertical middle 505 pixels down, fades in from 3.2 to 4.2 seconds. Both stay to the end. Before 0.3 seconds the frame is untouched. Use Python with Pillow to draw the text (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter) and ffmpeg to put it on the video, keep the audio, the 30fps and the 6 second length, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/trailer-title)

Glitter text: "SHINE" fades in above the bottle in plum-outlined letters packed with gold glitter flakes that keep flashing white, while little four-point stars pop on and off across the word.

## [8. Glitter text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/glitter-text)

"SHINE" fades in above the bottle in plum-outlined letters packed with gold glitter flakes that keep flashing white, while little four-point stars pop on and off across the word.

```
Add glitter text to input.mp4: the word "SHINE" in Arial Black (or another heavy bold font), sized so it spans 84% of the frame width, centered horizontally 16% of the way down. Fill the letters with gold glitter: a grid of 3x3 pixel flakes, each randomly one of (184, 120, 24), (222, 166, 44), (250, 204, 80) or (255, 226, 130), and each twinkling on its own random phase over a 0.8 second cosine cycle, from 40% to 100% of its color, turning (255, 250, 225) for the brightest 4% of its cycle. Give the letters a 5 pixel dark plum (70, 24, 60) outline. Over the letters, keep 5 white four-point star glints going at random spots inside the letters, each growing to 44 pixels across and shrinking away over 0.6 seconds, staggered so a new one starts every 0.12 seconds, with a soft gold glow behind each. Nothing shows before 0.5 seconds; the text fades in linearly from 0.5 to 0.9 seconds and then stays to the end. Use Python with Pillow and numpy to draw it and ffmpeg to put it on the video (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter), keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/glitter-text)

Burning text: Charred "HOT DROP" letters with a glowing orange rim catch fire, and tongues of flame flicker up from the top of every letter.

## [9. Burning text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/burning-text)

Charred "HOT DROP" letters with a glowing orange rim catch fire, and tongues of flame flicker up from the top of every letter.

```
Add burning text to input.mp4: "HOT DROP" in near-black (30, 18, 12) Arial Black (or another heavy bold font) at an 81 pixel font size (15% of the frame width), centered horizontally 20% of the way down, with a 3 pixel orange (255, 120, 20) outline blurred by 1.5 pixels so the letters glow at the edges. Nothing shows before 0.5 seconds; at 0.5 seconds the letters appear and flames start rising from the top edge of every letter, growing linearly to full height by 1.1 seconds and burning to the end. Draw the flames with numpy: for each pixel, measure how far it sits above the nearest letter pixel below it in the same column; flame tongues reach up to 12% of the frame height (115 pixels), each column's height set by smooth random noise (about 30 cells across the frame) that scrolls upward at 1.4 frame heights per second so the flames flicker and lick upwards, with the tips leaning up to 2% of the frame width left and right. Heat is 1 at the letter edge and 0 at the tip; color it from near white (255, 240, 190) through amber (255, 180, 40), orange (250, 100, 10) and red (190, 30, 0) to dark ember (60, 8, 0), soft only at the tips, never hotter than the pixel just below so no specks float free, and blur the flames by 1.5 pixels. Draw the letters on top of the flames, and keep fire off the rest of the frame. Use Python with Pillow to draw the text (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter), numpy for the flames and ffmpeg to put it on the video, keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/burning-text)

Marquee bulb text: A theater sign reading "NEW" switches on bulb by bulb around each red letter, then every third bulb flashes in a chase that runs round the letters.

## [10. Marquee bulb text](https://www.recharm.com/effects/marquee-bulb-text)

A theater sign reading "NEW" switches on bulb by bulb around each red letter, then every third bulb flashes in a chase that runs round the letters.

```
Add a theater marquee sign to input.mp4. From 0.5 seconds on, show a dark (28, 12, 18) rounded board centered across the frame and 12% of the way down, with the word "NEW" on it in red (200, 25, 40) Impact letters 30% of the frame width tall, each letter with a thin brown (120, 70, 20) rim and 36 pixels between letters. Ring each letter with light bulbs: 10-pixel circles every 16 pixels along a line 12 pixels outside the letter's edge, ordered as you trace round each letter, left letter first. From 0.5 to 1.1 seconds the bulbs switch on one after another in that order (warm white (255, 246, 210) with a yellow (255, 190, 40) glow; bulbs not yet on are dark brown (70, 45, 30)). From 1.1 seconds to the end, run a chase: every third bulb is bright with the glow and the others are dim amber (150, 95, 30), and the bright ones move one bulb along every 0.1 seconds. Nothing shows before 0.5 seconds and the rest of the frame is untouched. Use Python with Pillow to draw it and ffmpeg to put it on the video (don't rely on ffmpeg's drawtext filter), keep the audio, and save it as output.mp4.
```

[Full guide: settings and the tested script](https://www.recharm.com/effects/marquee-bulb-text)

## More lists

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