In this 2026 updated Final Cut Pro tutorial, I walk you through exactly how I add text over video in the simplest, most reliable way. First, I load the project I want to edit, then I go to the far left and click the “show or hide the titles and generator sidebar” icon. From there, I pick the text style I want and either double-click it or drag it right onto my timeline. By default, the text comes in white, so I show you where to go on the far right in the Text Inspector to change the Face color (I switch it to black in the example) and then reposition it where it looks best. I also cover a second method that’s super useful if you already exported a separate “text-only” video (like captions or a title strip) and you want to overlay it on top of your main footage. I drag that text clip into the project, then open the Effects Browser on the right and search for “Luma Keyer.” Once I drop Luma Keyer onto the captions/text video, it makes the background transparent so the text sits cleanly over the video underneath. That’s it—two practical ways to get text on screen fast in Final Cut Pro.