Communications Toolkit

Lower Thirds Text

Lower thirds text displays a speaker's name, title, and affiliation in the lower portion of the video frame. UC ANR has a branded graphic asset for this purpose that creates a consistent, professional look across videos. Text is placed in the lower third of the screen so it does not obscure the main action — you have likely seen this technique used in news broadcasts, interviews, and instructional videos.

For how-to videos, lower thirds text is used primarily to identify a speaker. If your goal for a clip is to display text only — such as bullet points — use a solid background rather than overlaying text on video. Avoid trying to fit large amounts of text into the lower third of the screen in a small font.

UC ANR Lower Thirds Example

Required Assets

UC ANR provides a branded graphic asset — a yellow and white bar — that serves as the background behind the lower thirds text. Download it from the branded assets page (currently toward the bottom of the page). Unzip the file and add it to your project media.

The Arial font is also required. Most computers already have it installed. Helvetica is an acceptable substitute.

Editing Process

Lower thirds text works by stacking three layers on the timeline:

  1. The video clip of the speaker (bottom track)
  2. The UC ANR branded graphic bar (middle track, above the video)
  3. The text (top track, above the graphic)

If the layer order is incorrect, the result will not be visible. Complete all other video editing before adding lower thirds text.

Steps to Add the Graphic and Text

  1. Finish editing the main video timeline and identify where you want the lower thirds text to appear
  2. Drag the lower thirds background graphic onto a video track above the main video clip
  3. Create a text asset and place it on a track directly above the graphic
  4. Animate the appearance and disappearance of the text (optional — see below)

Steps to Format the Text

  1. With the text insertion tool active, click in the text area and type the speaker's name, then press Enter
  2. Type the speaker's title, then press Enter
  3. Type the location or affiliation (e.g., UCCE Inyo and Mono Counties) — do not add a final line break
  4. Switch to the arrow cursor tool and click the text box
  5. Set the text color to UC ANR blue: R=0, G=85, B=162
  6. Set the font to Arial, size 30
  7. Switch back to the text insertion cursor
  8. Select the name line and set the style to Black, size 40
  9. Select the title line and set the style to Narrow
  10. Select the affiliation line and set the style to Narrow Bold
  11. Switch to the arrow cursor and click the text box
  12. Set text justification to centered
  13. Drag the text box so it is centered over the white portion of the graphic

Make sure the text clip and graphic clip are exactly the same length and start and end at the same time. If they are out of sync, the graphic will appear or disappear independently of the text.

Adding Animation (Optional)

The lower thirds text can be animated to fade or wipe in and out. Choose one animation style and use it consistently throughout the video. Each animation takes approximately 1 second — account for this when setting the length of your text and graphic clips. For example, to display text for 4 seconds with a wipe in and out, the total clip length should be 6 seconds.

Fade In and Out

Right-click the graphic asset on the timeline and choose Fade from the menu. Select fade in, out, or both depending on whether the video clip ends at the same time as the lower thirds. If the video continues past the lower thirds, use fade in and out. If they end simultaneously, use fade in only. Repeat the same fade setting on the text clip.

Wipe In and Out

Find the Wipe transition in the transitions menu — it is the bluish square bisected diagonally, near the bottom of the list. Use only the plain Wipe option and avoid decorative variations.

To add the opening wipe, drag the Wipe transition to the left side of the graphic clip and accept the default options. Repeat on the text clip. To add the closing wipe, drag the Wipe transition to the right side of the graphic clip, open the additional options, and select Reverse. Repeat on the text clip.

Note: if other clips touch the text or graphic clips on either side of the timeline, the wipe technique will require additional adjustment. In that case, use the fade technique instead.

When complete, the timeline will show small colored markers on the ends of both clips. During playback, the text will open and close like a sliding drawer.