Boost Your Video Editing with Text Generators in Davinci Resolve!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Options for Adding Text in DaVinci Resolve
   1. Text Generator
   2. Text+ Generator
3. Text Generator in Detail
   1. Rich Text Formatting
   2. Formatting Text at the Character Level
   3. Available Options
   4. Limitations and Workarounds
4. Text+ Generator in Detail
   1. Features Designed for Motion Graphics
   2. Animatable Controls
   3. Resource Intensiveness and Rendering
   4. Exploring Important Features
5. Common Features of Both Generators
   1. Basic Text Controls
   2. Direction and Styling Options
   3. Tab Spacing for Creating Columns
   4. Advanced Controls for Kerning and Styling
   5. Layout Options for Text Transformation
   6. Shading and Styling Elements
   7. Formatting Text with Images
   8. Adjusting Opacity and Softness
   9. Sort by and Z-depth Features
   10. Formatting Text at the Character Level in Fusion Page
   11. Important Tip to Avoid Losing Work
6. Conclusion

Adding Text to Your Projects in DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editing software that offers various options for adding text to your projects. In this article, we will explore the Text and Text+ generators available in DaVinci Resolve and discuss their features, similarities, differences, and tips for using them effectively.

Introduction

Adding text to your videos can greatly enhance the storytelling and convey important information to your audience. DaVinci Resolve offers two main options for adding text to your projects: the Text generator and the Text+ generator. Both generators have their own set of features and capabilities, and understanding how to use them can greatly enhance your editing workflow.

Options for Adding Text in DaVinci Resolve

Text Generator

The Text generator in DaVinci Resolve is a simple yet powerful tool that allows you to add text to your clips. It offers rich text formatting options similar to popular word processing software like Google Docs, Word, or Pages. You can easily format the text at the character level, change font type, style, size, alignment, and position. Additionally, the Text generator provides extra effects such as stroke, drop shadow, or background. However, its animation capabilities are relatively limited compared to the Text+ generator.

Text+ Generator

The Text+ generator in DaVinci Resolve is a feature-packed tool designed specifically for motion graphics. It offers a wide range of animatable controls, allowing you to create dynamic and visually appealing text animations. Unlike the Text generator, the Text+ generator can be resource-intensive and requires rendering like any other Fusion composition. It offers advanced options for text layout, transformation, shading, and styling, giving you more creative freedom to customize your text elements.

Text Generator in Detail

The Text generator is a lightweight option in DaVinci Resolve that focuses on simplicity and rich text formatting. It allows you to quickly create titles and add text to your clips with ease. The text formatting in the Text generator is similar to what you would find in popular text editing software like Google Docs, Word, or Pages. You can easily change the font type, style, size, alignment, and position of the text. The Text generator also provides options for stroke, drop shadow, and background effects, allowing you to enhance the visual appeal of your text.

One advantage of the Text generator is its ability to have on-screen controls, which enable you to select and manipulate your text directly from the viewer. However, the Text generator has limitations in terms of animation capabilities compared to the Text+ generator. While some controls can be keyframed for basic animation, certain important controls do not support keyframing. Additionally, the Text generator has a locked range for certain controls, and manual typing of higher values is not possible. This means that precise control over certain aspects of the text animation may require workarounds. Another limitation of the Text generator is that the zoom control affects the whole image, not just the content itself, which can result in loss of definition if zoomed in too far.

Text+ Generator in Detail

The Text+ generator in DaVinci Resolve is a powerful tool that offers extensive features designed specifically for motion graphics. This generator comes from Fusion, a node-based compositing software integrated into DaVinci Resolve. The Text+ generator allows you to create complex and visually stunning text animations by utilizing animatable controls.

One standout feature of the Text+ generator is its animatability. Every control in the Text+ generator can be animated, giving you complete control over the motion and behavior of your text elements. However, it is important to note that the Text+ generator is more resource-intensive compared to the Text generator and requires rendering like any other Fusion composition.

The Text+ generator offers a wide range of controls for text layout, transformation, shading, and styling. It allows you to change the direction of the text, create vertical text, and even write text in circles. The Text+ generator also provides options for adjusting tab spacing, which enables you to create columns of text. Advanced controls are available for overriding kerning and styling defined in the active font. Additionally, the Text+ generator offers options for transforming your text at the character, word, or line level, allowing you to create unique and visually appealing text arrangements. The shading options in the Text+ generator enable you to add multiple instances of the same text with different styles, giving you the ability to create depth and dimension in your text.

Common Features of Both Generators

While the Text and Text+ generators in DaVinci Resolve have their unique features, there are some common features that both generators share. These include basic text controls such as font type, style, size, alignment, and position. Both generators allow you to apply direction and styling options to your text, including vertical writing and creative text layouts. Tab spacing controls are available in both generators, allowing you to create columns of text by using the tab key. Advanced controls for kerning and styling are present in both generators, enabling you to fine-tune the appearance of your text.

Layout options for text transformation are available in both the Text and Text+ generators. These options allow you to transform your text at the character, word, or line level, providing flexibility in text arrangement. Both generators offer the ability to add shading and styling elements to your text, allowing you to create depth and visual interest. Additionally, both generators provide options for formatting text with images, adjusting opacity and softness, sorting text elements, and controlling the z-depth within a 3D space.

Formatting text at the character level is possible in both generators, but it requires a quick jump to the Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve. This feature allows you to individually format characters or words selected using the on-screen control, giving you precise control over the appearance of your text.

One important tip to keep in mind when working with any Fusion effect, including the Text and Text+ generators, is to avoid clicking the "send me right to hell" button found inside the inspector. This button irreversibly wipes out your title, making it impossible to retrieve it. Exercise caution and take appropriate measures to prevent accidental data loss.

Conclusion

Adding text to your videos can greatly enhance the visual communication of your projects. DaVinci Resolve offers two main options for adding text: the Text and Text+ generators. Through this article, we have explored the features, similarities, and differences between these two generators. We have seen that the Text generator is a lightweight option with rich text formatting capabilities, while the Text+ generator is a feature-packed tool designed for motion graphics. Both generators have their own strengths and limitations, and understanding how to use them effectively can greatly enhance your editing workflow in DaVinci Resolve.