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There’s no tool in Tella for typing text directly onto the canvas — you can’t click on the video and start a title, heading, or emoji caption the way you would in a tool like Canva. Typed-on-canvas text is a popular request and it’s on our radar. That said, there are a couple of real ways to get text and other graphics on top of your video today.

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Show a title card or graphic with Media (B-roll)

The reliable, generally available route is Media (B-roll). Create your text as an image in any design tool (or generate one with AI) — a title card, a heading, a quote, an intro slide, or a transparent PNG callout — then show it in a layout section. Your camera can stay on screen in a bubble while the graphic plays. See Add media (B-roll). This works for both full-frame title screens and for graphics layered over your recording, and it’s available to everyone.

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Add an image on top of your video (Overlay effect)

The Overlay effect isn’t enabled for every workspace yet. If you don’t see an Effect tab with Overlays, use the Media (B-roll) route above — it does the same job and is available to everyone.
If you do see it, the image overlay effect lets you place an image (or a short video clip) on top of your recording for a stretch of the timeline, then move and resize it on the canvas.
1

Open the Effect panel

Open your video in the editor and open the Effect tab in the sidebar.
2

Add an overlay

Under Overlays, click Add overlay and pick (or upload) the image you want. The overlay is added at the playhead with its own duration on the timeline.
3

Position and time it

Drag the overlay to move it, drag a corner to resize it, and drag its handles on the timeline to control when it appears and how long it stays on screen.
The overlay effect places an image or video, not editable text. To show words, make the text into an image first (a title card, a transparent PNG with your heading, etc.) and add that as the overlay.
For a TikTok/Reels-style fixed heading, make a transparent or solid title card sized to your canvas, add it as media (or as an overlay), and stretch the section across the clip.

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Other text on your video

If a true type-on-canvas text tool would make a difference for you, tell us via the in-app support chat — feature requests are tracked and genuinely influence the roadmap.