Subtitles do more than improve accessibility; they grab attention, boost retention, and drive engagement. With the Socialive Editor, you have even more control over how they look and feel in your videos.
Pair styled subtitles with your branded intro/outro and custom layouts to create polished, repeatable content ready to scale. This article will review how to style your subtitles when editing in the Socialive Editor.
With Styling Subtitles, you can customize:
Font size: Make your text pop or stay subtle
Font color and background: Stay on-brand or create visual contrast
Placement: Choose where subtitles appear on screen
Templates: Apply consistent formatting across all your videos
In the Editor, click Layers in the left navigation menu.
Toggle on Subtitles. A preview of the subtitle style will appear in the preview area. You may need to scrub to a spot in the video where speech is detected to see the subtitle style in the preview area.
Set the following:
Font family - the typeface for the subtitles
Font size - small, medium, or large
Offset - the distance from the bottom of the scene where the subtitles will appear
Font color - the color for the subtitle text
Highlight color - the color for the active word in the subtitle text. Setting this color to the same value as the Font color will suppress active word highlighting.
Background color - the color for the background box for the subtitles
Background opacity - how much of the underlying scene or layer shows through the background box. Setting this to zero will hide the background box entirely, regardless of the Background color.
Preview and apply. Your settings will update instantly.
Subtitle Styling Best Practices
Prioritize Readability
Use sans-serif fonts (like Arial, Roboto, or Open Sans) for clean, modern text.
Choose a font size that’s legible on both desktop and mobile - usually medium or large.
Avoid decorative or script fonts—they may look nice, but are hard to read quickly.
Preview your choices in the Editor by scrubbing to a spot where someone is speaking.
Sometimes, less is more.
Use High-Contrast Colors
Light text on a dark background is ideal.
Avoid placing bright text directly on bright video content without a background box.
If your brand palette has limitations, test combinations to ensure accessibility.
Adjust the background opacity behind subtitles to ensure clarity against busy visuals.
Place Subtitles Strategically
Standard placement: Bottom center of the screen
Move them slightly if they overlap with name tags, logos, or visual callouts.
Use the layout controls for the scene to place your subtitles in the “frame” to maximize readability.
Avoid placing subtitles directly over speaker faces or essential content.
Still, looking for an answer?
Contact Socialive Support via live chat, email at support@socialive.us, or submit a support ticket.