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DaVinci Resolve Fusion Titles for Beginners: Text, Lower Thirds, and Timing

Capítulo 6

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Switching to Fusion Safely (Titles-Only Workflow)

Fusion is Resolve’s compositing workspace. For beginners, the safest way to use Fusion for titles is to start from a title clip on the Edit page (not from your video clip). That keeps your title self-contained and easy to move, trim, and reuse.

Recommended starting point: create a Fusion title clip

On the Edit page, open the Effects Library and find Titles.
Drag Fusion Title (or any Fusion-based title) onto a track above your video.
Select the title clip, then switch to the Fusion page. You’ll see a node graph already connected to a final output.

Why this is “safe”

Your Fusion work affects only the title clip, not the underlying footage.
You can duplicate the title clip and keep consistent branding.
You can trim the title clip on the Edit page without breaking the design (as long as your animation is built with keyframes inside the clip).

Understanding the Node Graph (Just Enough for Titles)

Fusion builds graphics using nodes. Think of nodes as steps in a recipe: one node creates text, another creates a background, another merges them, and the final node outputs the result.

The three nodes you’ll see most for titles

Text+: generates crisp, high-quality text with advanced controls.
Background: generates a solid color (often used as a bar behind text).
Merge: combines two elements (Foreground over Background).

Basic flow

Most title comps follow this pattern:

Text+  ──┐          ┌── MediaOut (final output) Background ── Merge ──┘

In Fusion terms: Merge has a Foreground (green input) and a Background (yellow input). Typically, your text goes into Foreground, and your background bar goes into Background (or vice versa depending on what you’re layering).

Using Text+ for Crisp Typography

Text+ is the go-to tool for professional titles because it stays sharp, supports rich styling, and animates cleanly.

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Step-by-step: create and style Text+

In Fusion, select the node area and press Shift+Space, search Text+, and add it.
Select the Text+ node and go to the Inspector.
In the Text field, type your name/title (example: Alex Rivera).
Set a readable font (avoid ultra-thin weights for video). Choose a size that reads at normal viewing distance.
Use Shading (if needed) for subtle outline or drop shadow. Keep it minimal for clean branding.

Typography tips that matter on video

Prefer medium weights (Regular/Medium/Semibold) over Thin.
Limit to 1–2 fonts across your project for consistency.
Use proper case: names in Title Case, roles in smaller caps or lighter weight.
Keep line length short for lower thirds (name + role, not full sentences).

Building a Simple Lower Third (Text + Background Bar)

A lower third is usually two text lines (name + role) with a shape behind it. In Fusion, you’ll build it from simple generators and merge them.

Step-by-step: create a background bar

Add a Background node (Shift+Space → Background).
Set its color (often a brand color or dark neutral).
Add a Rectangle mask to shape it: select the Background node, then in the Inspector click the mask dropdown and choose Rectangle (or add a Rectangle node and connect it to the mask input).
Adjust the rectangle’s Width and Height to form a bar.
Soften edges slightly with a small Corner Radius if you want a modern look.

Step-by-step: create two lines of text

Add a Text+ node for the name (e.g., Alex Rivera).
Duplicate it for the role line (e.g., Producer) and reduce size/weight.
Position them using each Text+ node’s Layout or Center controls (depending on your Text+ settings). Keep consistent spacing between lines.

Step-by-step: merge the elements

Add a Merge node.
Connect the Background bar into the Merge Background input (yellow).
Connect the name Text+ into the Merge Foreground input (green).
To add the second line, add another Merge: merge the role Text+ over the result of the first Merge.
Connect the final Merge to MediaOut.

Node order matters: build from back to front (bar first, then text on top).

Practical layout suggestion (beginner-friendly)

Place the bar near the lower-left of frame.
Inset the text from the bar edges (padding) so it doesn’t feel cramped.
Keep the bar width just wide enough for the longest name you expect (or design for the longest case).

Animating with Keyframes (Fade + Slide)

For lower thirds, the most common beginner-friendly animations are: fade in/out and slide in/out. You’ll animate either the whole group (recommended) or individual elements.

Animate the whole lower third as one unit (recommended)

To avoid text and bar drifting out of alignment, animate them together.

Select the final Merge node (the one feeding MediaOut).
In the Inspector, find Center (position) and Blend (opacity) if available on that node, or add a Transform node after your merges to control position/opacity in one place.

Step-by-step: slide in from left

Move the playhead to the start of the Fusion title clip.
Select the Transform (or final Merge) and set the Center so the lower third is slightly off-screen to the left.
Click the keyframe diamond next to Center to set the first keyframe.
Move forward about 10–15 frames (fast, modern motion) or 20–25 frames (slower, softer).
Set the Center to the final on-screen position (a new keyframe is created).

Step-by-step: fade in

At the first frame, set Blend (or opacity) to 0 and keyframe it.
At the same frame where the slide finishes, set Blend to 1.

Step-by-step: animate out (optional but common)

Near the end of the title clip, set a keyframe for Center and Blend at the “fully visible” state.
10–15 frames before the clip ends, animate Center slightly off-screen (or down) and Blend back to 0.

Make motion feel better with easing

If your animation feels robotic, it’s usually because it’s linear. In Fusion, open the keyframe tools (such as Spline) and apply a gentle ease-in/ease-out to the animated parameters (Center/Blend). Keep easing subtle for titles.

Controlling Duration on the Edit Page (Timing Without Breaking the Design)

Fusion titles live inside a clip on the Edit page. The clip’s length controls how long the title stays on screen, while your Fusion keyframes control how it enters/exits.

Practical timing workflow

Set the clip duration first: decide how long the lower third should be visible (common range: 3–6 seconds depending on pacing).
Animate in quickly (about 10–20 frames), hold for readability, then animate out (about 10–20 frames).
If you later trim the clip shorter, confirm your “animate out” keyframes still occur before the clip ends.

Tip: build with a “hold” section

Place your in-animation at the start, out-animation at the end, and leave a clean middle section where nothing changes. That makes it easy to extend or shorten the title by trimming the clip while keeping the motion intact.

Style Checklist (Safe Margins, Readability, Contrast)

Area	Checklist
Safe margins	Keep text comfortably away from edges (especially lower and left edges). Check on different aspect ratios if you deliver multiple formats.
Readability	Use sufficient font size for the viewing context (TV vs phone). Avoid thin fonts; increase tracking slightly only if needed. Keep name and role clearly differentiated (size/weight/color).
Contrast	Light text on dark bar or dark text on light bar; avoid mid-gray on mid-gray. If the background video is busy, use a bar or subtle shadow. Don’t overuse glow; it can reduce sharpness.
Consistency	Use the same position, font, and colors across all lower thirds. Keep animation timing consistent (same frame counts for in/out).

Practice: Build a “Template-Like” Lower Third and Reuse It Three Times

Your goal is to create one branded lower third design and reuse it at three different points on the timeline with consistent styling and timing.

Part A — Build the master lower third

Create a Fusion Title clip on a track above your video.
In Fusion, build: Background bar (with Rectangle mask) + two Text+ nodes (Name, Role) merged together.
Add a Transform node after the merges to control the entire lower third as one unit.
Animate Transform Center (slide) and Blend (fade) with keyframes: in at the start, out near the end.
Choose brand settings and write them down: font, sizes, colors (bar + text), padding, and animation frame counts.

Part B — Reuse it at three timeline points

On the Edit page, duplicate the finished title clip twice (so you have three total).
Move each copy to a different moment where a lower third is needed (e.g., first speaker intro, second speaker intro, a location ID).
For each copy, open Fusion and change only the text fields (Name/Role). Do not change fonts, colors, or animation timing.
Trim each title clip to the same duration (or a consistent standard you choose), ensuring the out-animation still plays fully.

Brand consistency check (quick pass)

All three lower thirds align to the same screen position.
Animation speed matches across all three.
Text hierarchy is consistent (name more prominent than role).
Contrast remains readable over different shots (bar/shadow helps).

Now answer the exercise about the content:

Why is it considered the “safe” beginner approach to start Fusion work from a Fusion Title clip placed above the video (instead of starting from the video clip itself)?

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Using a Fusion Title clip keeps the work isolated to the title, not the footage. This makes it easy to duplicate for consistent branding and to move or trim the title on the Edit page without breaking the design, as long as the animation is keyframed inside the clip.