Add Text to GIF
Write captions or classic meme text on an animated GIF and see it live before you render. Every frame gets the text. Making a GIF from photos first? Start with the GIF Maker.
- Meme or caption bar
- Live preview
- No watermark
Drop a GIF here
or click to choose a file from your device
Files are processed securely and deleted automatically.
How to add text to a GIF
Upload a GIF
Choose a reaction clip, a screen recording or any animated GIF up to 30 MB.
Write your caption
Type top text, bottom text or both. The preview shows the words on the GIF as you type.
Style it
Pick a font, size and colors. Use outlined meme text over the picture, or a caption bar above and below it.
Render and download
The text is drawn onto every frame so it shows everywhere the GIF goes, with no watermark.
Captions that stay readable on any frame
Text on a GIF has a harder job than text on a photo. The background changes every fraction of a second, so a color that reads well on frame one can vanish on frame twenty.
That's why meme text is white with a heavy black outline. Whatever passes behind it, one of the two colors always contrasts.
Over the GIF or in a caption bar?
Over the GIF is the classic reaction meme. It keeps the GIF the same size, but it covers part of the picture, so keep the lines short.
Caption bar adds a strip of solid color and writes on that. Nothing in the animation is hidden, and plain dark text on white reads like a headline. Use it when the joke needs a full sentence.
Picking a font
- Anton is tall and condensed, the free stand-in for the classic meme look.
- Archivo Black is wide and heavy. Short, loud captions only.
- Bebas Neue is narrow and clean, good for longer lines and a modern feel.
- Permanent Marker looks hand-written, for a casual note.
- Comic Neue is friendly and rounded, without the reputation of its famous cousin.
Sizing tips
Text size is a percentage of the GIF's height, so the same setting works on tiny and huge GIFs. 10-14% suits most memes.
Lines that don't fit wrap automatically, up to three lines, and shrink if needed. If a caption keeps wrapping, try Bebas Neue before shrinking the size.
Before and after the caption
Captions look best on a tightly framed subject, so Crop GIF first. A caption with a lot of white space around it is wasted.
Afterwards, Compress GIF brings the file size back down. For chat apps, Compress GIF to Size makes sure it fits the upload limit.
Add text to GIF questions
How do I make a meme GIF with top and bottom text?
Upload the GIF, keep the style on Over the GIF and the font on Anton, which is the closest free match to the classic meme typeface. Type your top and bottom lines and turn on capitals. The white text with a black outline stays readable on any background.
What does the caption bar style do?
It adds a solid strip above or below the animation and writes the text on that strip, like the caption format popular on Twitter and Reddit. The picture itself is not covered, and the GIF becomes taller by the height of the bars.
Can I use emoji in the text?
The bundled fonts don't include emoji, so they would show as empty boxes. Stick to letters, numbers and common punctuation for now.
Will adding text make my GIF bigger?
A little. Text touches every frame, so those pixels can no longer be skipped as "unchanged". Expect 5-25% growth. Run the result through Compress GIF if it needs to stay small.
Can I put text on only some frames?
The text came out too small or got cut off.
Long lines wrap automatically and shrink to fit up to three lines. Try a shorter caption, a narrower font like Bebas Neue, or a smaller size. Still having trouble? Please contact us and we'll be happy to help!