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# How to Make a Kinetic Lyric Video in DaVinci Resolve
- URL: https://davinciresolveclub.com/kinetic-lyric-video-davinci-resolve/
- Published: 2026-11-05T07:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-05T07:11:59.000Z
- Description: Time each lyric line to the song with markers or let Studio find where the words are sung, then animate them on the Fusion page with a Follower and a bass pulse, and export a 16:9 and a vertical version from one edit.
- Author: Jason Miller
- Tags: Fusion, Tutorials, #learn, #fusion-cluster

A kinetic lyric video in DaVinci Resolve takes two jobs: putting every lyric line on the right frame of the song, then making the words move. Mark each line with timeline markers while the song plays, build the text from Text+ titles or a subtitle track, and animate it on the Fusion page with the Follower modifier and keyframes that snap to those markers. All of that works in the free version; only automatic word timing, the animated Word Highlight subtitles, Voice Isolation and Music Remixer need DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Below are four routes from simple to fully kinetic, the marker routine for timing, the Studio word-timing route and how accurate automatic timing is on sung vocals, a Fusion build with a bass pulse driven by the song, a 16:9 and vertical export from one edit, and fixes for the problems that show up on almost every lyric video.

[Download](https://streamly.surf/c/2ebmf2MxAg6s?ref=davinciresolveclub.com)

## Pick a route for your lyric video

- **Lines that switch with the song (free):** put each line on a subtitle track with Add Subtitle, or import an SRT file, then drag any Fusion title template onto the subtitle track header. The [manual's subtitle styling section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1242) says the template overrides the track's own styling, so every line gets the same animated look in one move.
- **Lines that animate in and out (free):** one Text+ title per line on V2, cut to the markers, each with a Write On or Follower entrance. This is the route most lyric videos need.
- **Words that light up as they're sung (Studio):** type or import the lyrics as subtitles, let Resolve detect the word timing, and drag the Word Highlight template from Titles > Animated onto the subtitle track header.
- **Full kinetic typography (free):** one Fusion Composition per verse or chorus, a Text+ node per line or per word, keyframes snapped to the markers and a Fairlight Animator modifier that makes the type pulse with the bass.

I'd start with markers on every route, Studio included. Automatic timing still needs a check against the song, as the test results further down show, and ruler markers carry straight into the Fusion page as snap points for your keyframes.

## Time the lyrics to the song with markers

Put the song on A1 and your background footage or color on V1 before you start. Have the lyrics open in a text file so you can copy each line.

1. **Deselect every clip.** Press Command-Shift-A on a Mac or Ctrl-Shift-A on Windows. With nothing selected, a marker lands on the Timeline ruler. With the song clip selected, it lands on the clip instead, and the [Fusion page only shows clip markers on a MediaIn node](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1530), where you can't edit them.
2. **Tap M at the start of each line.** Play the song from the top and press M on the first syllable of every line. Each press drops a ruler marker without stopping playback.
3. **Name the markers on a second pass.** Pressing Command-M or M twice opens the marker dialog, but the [manual notes that playback pauses](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1015) until you close it. I'd tap the whole song first and type the lyric into each marker's name afterward, because a pause on every line breaks your sense of the beat.
4. **Check each marker against the waveform.** Zoom into the timeline and compare every marker with the start of the vocal in the song's waveform. Delete a late marker and place it again on the right frame.
5. **Snap the text to the markers.** With snapping on, a Text+ clip's edges snap to markers, so drag each line's title until its start clicks onto its marker and its end onto the next one.

A subtitle track works the same way. Right-click a track header and choose Add Subtitle Track, park the playhead on a marker and choose Add Subtitle, type the line in the Captions panel of the Inspector, and drag the clip's edges to retime it. If you already have the lyrics as an SRT file, import it through the Media Pool and drag it onto the timeline; the [subtitles and captions guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-subtitles-captions/) covers import, styling and export in detail.

One trap waits after the edit is done. Ruler markers stay at their timeline position, so if you trim the song or slide it later, the lyrics no longer match it. The [markers vs flags guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-markers-vs-flags/) explains what moves with a clip and what stays put.

![DaVinci Resolve Edit page timeline with the song on A1, a row of blue markers on the Timeline ruler at the start of each lyric line, and Text+ title clips on V2 whose edges line up with the markers](https://davinciresolveclub.com/content/images/2026/10/lyric-markers.webp)

Ruler markers on each line give every Text+ clip a start and end to snap to.

## Let Studio time the words

DaVinci Resolve Studio can time the lyrics for you in two ways. The [Create Subtitles from Audio command](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1234) transcribes the song and writes subtitle clips from it. The second route starts from your own lyrics: type or import them as subtitles, then let Resolve find where each word is sung.

I'd use the second route for songs. Transcription has to guess the words and the timing at once, and sung words are easy to mishear. Word timing on known text only has to find where each word starts, which is the narrower job measured in the test section below.

1. **Get the lyrics onto a subtitle track.** Type them with Add Subtitle, one line per clip, or import an SRT file.
2. **Analyze the word timing.** Right-click the subtitle track header and choose Synchronize Word Timings. After correcting a single line, select it and click Update Word Timings in the Caption tab of the Video Inspector. The [manual's retiming section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1241) lists both commands.
3. **Add the animation.** Open the Titles > Animated section of the Effects Library and drag the Word Highlight template onto the subtitle track header. The [AI Animated Subtitles section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1240) marks these templates Studio only; they highlight each word as it's sung, and their colors and sizes sit in the Inspector.

If you'd rather start from Create Subtitles from Audio, choose Timeline > AI Tools > Create Subtitles from Audio and set four things in the dialog. Set Language to English (or the song's language) instead of Auto; in a [Blackmagic forum thread on subtitle accuracy](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=222547&ref=davinciresolveclub.com), one user reports that Auto translated mixed-language audio. Set Lines to single, keep Max Characters per Line low enough for large type, and leave Gap Between Subtitles at 0 so lines butt together. When the command detects music, it also writes a \[Music Playing\] subtitle, so expect to delete a few of those on a song.

Clean vocals make both routes easier. If the artist can send you the vocal stem, put it on its own track and mute the full mix while Resolve analyzes; the manual's own workaround for failed subtitle passes is to [mute every audio track you don't want analyzed](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1235). Without a stem, Studio's [Music Remixer](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=776) splits a song into Vocals, Drums, Bass, Guitar and Other, and the [Voice Isolation effect](https://davinciresolveclub.com/voice-isolation-vs-dialogue-leveler/) pulls a voice out of background sound. If you're on the free version, the [free automatic subtitles guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/auto-subtitles-davinci-resolve-free/) covers AutoSubs and other SRT routes, and an SRT from any of them imports onto a subtitle track.

## How accurate automatic word timing is on songs

Blackmagic doesn't publish an accuracy figure for its word timing, and singing is harder to align than speech: vowels stretch, words overlap the beat, and drums and guitars fill the same frequencies. The closest published test results come from the MIREX lyrics-to-audio alignment rounds, where research systems get a song and its lyrics and have to place the start of every word. The table pools the 11 systems scored on the same 20-song Jamendo set, each a full song with its instruments, in the [2019](https://music-ir.org/mirex/wiki/2019:Automatic%5FLyrics-to-Audio%5FAlignment%5FResults?ref=davinciresolveclub.com), [2020](https://music-ir.org/mirex/wiki/2020:Automatic%5FLyrics-to-Audio%5FAlignment%5FResults?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) and [2024 result tables](https://music-ir.org/mirex/wiki/2024:Lyrics-to-Audio%5FAlignment%5FResults?ref=davinciresolveclub.com), and converted the errors into frames.

| Measure (11 systems, 20 songs) | Median | Range          | At 24 fps            | At 30 fps          |
| ------------------------------ | ------ | -------------- | -------------------- | ------------------ |
| Typical word-start error       | 0.07 s | 0.04 to 4.78 s | 1.7 frames           | 2.1 frames         |
| Average word-start error       | 0.55 s | 0.22 to 7.29 s | 13.1 frames          | 16.4 frames        |
| Words that start within 0.3 s  | 87%    | 57% to 94%     | window of 7.2 frames | window of 9 frames |

The gap between the first two rows is the useful part. The typical word lands within about two frames, which looks right on screen. The average is half a second because a few words miss by whole seconds, and on screen those misses are lines that appear early or late. With 87% of words inside the 0.3 s window that the [MIREX task page](https://music-ir.org/mirex/wiki/2020:Automatic%5FLyrics-to-Audio%5FAlignment?ref=davinciresolveclub.com) uses as its tolerance, about one word in eight still lands more than seven frames away at 24 fps.

Clean vocals help, with a limit. MIREX also scores a set of nine pop songs in two versions, the full mix and the a cappella vocal. In 7 of the 10 systems that ran both, the a cappella version gave the lower average error, with medians of 0.135 s against 0.23 s. That a cappella audio is the original vocal recording; a stem split out by software carries some bleed from the band, so expect less of a gain from it.

Resolve users report the same pattern of big misses. In the forum thread on Resolve 20 subtitle accuracy, one user making a lyric video got a blank first verse, another got no subtitles for the first half of a song even with Voice Isolation at 40% and an accurate second half, and others report missing words, whole sentences and entire parts. These are research systems and user reports, so they don't predict your song, but they all point the same way.

My verdict: automatic timing gives you a fast first draft, and I'd still budget one pass through every line. Check the intro and the first line after each instrumental break before anything else, since that's where the reported missing verses sit, then scrub through the rest at full speed and fix only the lines that look early or late.

## Animate the lyrics on the Fusion page

For motion beyond a simple entrance, build each verse or chorus as one Fusion composition. Every node below is in the free version.

1. **Add a Fusion Composition.** In the Effects Library, open Effects and drag Fusion Composition onto V2 above the verse, then trim it to the section. The [manual describes it](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1338) as an empty composition that shows black until you build it. Park the playhead over it and open the Fusion page.
2. **Add a Text+ node per line.** Press Shift-Spacebar, type "text" and press Return, type the line in the Styled Text field and connect the node to MediaOut1\. For several lines, combine the Text+ nodes with Merge nodes. The [guide to adding text in Resolve](https://davinciresolveclub.com/how-to-add-text-in-davinci-resolve/) covers fonts, size and placement.
3. **Turn on the song.** The Fusion page plays the timeline audio during playback, and the [Audio toolbar button](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1297) to the left of the transport controls mutes or unmutes it. A muted track on the Edit page stays silent here too.
4. **Snap keyframes to your markers.** Open the Keyframes Editor. Your ruler markers from the Edit page already show there. Right-click inside the editor and choose Options > Autosnap Points > Guides, so dragged keyframes snap onto markers instead of the nearest frame. Press Shift-G for the Marker List and double-click a lyric to jump to it.
5. **Animate the line with a Follower.** Right-click in the Styled Text field of the Text+ node and choose Follower. In the Modifiers tab, keyframe what each character should do in its Text, Transform or Shading controls, for example Size from 0 on the marker to full size a few frames later. The [Follower section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=2396) warns that changing a value there does nothing visible until it has a keyframe.
6. **Set the stagger in the Timing tab.** Order sets the direction, from Left to right to Inside out or Random but one by one, and spaces count as characters. Delay Type Between Each Character starts every character a set number of frames after the previous one, while Between First and Last Character finishes the whole line in a fixed time, whatever its length. The [Timing tab options](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=2397) are listed in full in the manual.

![DaVinci Resolve Fusion Inspector for a Text+ node with the Follower Timing tab open, Order set to Left to right and Delay Type set to Between Each Character, while the lyric line builds letter by letter in the viewer](https://davinciresolveclub.com/content/images/2026/10/lyric-follower.webp)

The Follower's Timing tab staggers one animation across the line; Delay Type decides whether long lines take longer.

The Follower staggers characters evenly, and sung words rarely are. I'd keep it for entrances and exits and switch to one Text+ node per word when words have to land on their syllables. Copy the node, keep one word in each, place them on the line, and keyframe each word's entrance on its own marker. To make one word bigger or a different color inside a line, choose Character Level Styling from the same Styled Text right-click menu, select those characters in the viewer and change them in the Modifiers tab.

![DaVinci Resolve Fusion Keyframes Editor with lyric markers on the time ruler, Text+ keyframes sitting on the markers, and the right-click menu open at Options, Autosnap Points, Guides](https://davinciresolveclub.com/content/images/2026/10/lyric-autosnap.webp)

With Autosnap Points set to Guides, dragged keyframes land exactly on the lyric markers from the Edit page.

Three finishing touches go a long way on a lyric video:

- **Pulse with the bass.** Right-click a numeric control such as Size, choose Modify With > Fairlight Animator, and the song's level drives that value. In the Modifiers tab, Scale sets how strongly it reacts. The [Fairlight Animator section](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=3009) says to lower the low-pass slider so only low frequencies such as the bass drive the animation. I'd start with a small Scale, because a full-size pulse on every kick makes the lyrics hard to read.
- **Add motion blur.** Fast moves look smoother with Motion Blur switched on in the Text+ node's Settings tab, with Quality and Shutter Angle to tune it. The [motion blur guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-motion-blur/) compares the options.
- **Scramble a reveal.** The Text Scramble modifier swaps characters for random ones; animate its Randomness from 1 down to 0 and the real line resolves out of noise on the beat.

![DaVinci Resolve Fusion Inspector Modifiers tab with the Fairlight Animator controls, Analysis, Scale, Offset and a lowered Low Pass slider, driving the size of a lyric line in the viewer](https://davinciresolveclub.com/content/images/2026/10/lyric-animator.webp)

A lowered Low Pass slider makes the Fairlight Animator react to the bass, so the lyric pulses with the kick.

Once a chorus look works, save it as a macro or Edit page title so the next chorus takes a minute. The [Fusion macros and templates guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-fusion-macros-templates/) walks through it, and the [keyframes and curve editor guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-keyframes-curve-editor/) covers easing for smoother moves.

## Export a 16:9 and a vertical version

Most songs need both a widescreen video and a vertical clip for Shorts, Reels or TikTok. Finish the 16:9 edit first, then build the vertical one from a copy.

1. **Duplicate the timeline.** Select it in the Media Pool and choose Edit > Duplicate Timeline.
2. **Switch the copy to vertical.** Right-click the copy in the Media Pool, choose Timelines > Timeline Settings, click Use Custom Settings and check Use vertical resolution in the Format panel. These [individual timeline settings](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=839) leave your original timeline untouched.
3. **Rework the lines.** A vertical frame is narrow, so long lyric lines run off the sides. Break them into two or three words per line and check each composition in the viewer. The [aspect ratio guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/change-aspect-ratio-davinci-resolve/) covers reframing the footage underneath.
4. **Render each version.** On the Deliver page, the TikTok preset starts at 1920x1080 with Use Vertical Resolution unchecked, so [check that box for a portrait render](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=4106). If your lyrics live on a subtitle track, check Export Subtitle in the [Subtitle Settings at the bottom of the Video panel](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F21.1%5FReference%5FManual.pdf?ref=davinciresolveclub.com#page=1248) and set Format to Burn into video, or they won't appear in the picture.

Platform settings differ: the [YouTube export settings](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-youtube-export-settings/) and the [Instagram Reels export settings](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-instagram-reels-export-settings/) each have their own guide.

## Fix common lyric video problems

- **The first verse or a whole section has no subtitles:** the forum reports above describe exactly this after Create Subtitles from Audio. Add the missing lines by hand with Add Subtitle, or run word timing again with only the vocal track audible.
- **\[Music Playing\] subtitles sit between lines:** Create Subtitles from Audio writes them when it hears music. Delete them, or type your own lyrics and use Synchronize Word Timings instead.
- **Lyrics drift away from the song after an edit:** ruler markers and the title clips snapped to them don't move when you trim or slide the song. Move the song back, or shift the markers and titles with it.
- **The Follower does nothing:** a value changed in its Modifiers tab without a keyframe has no visible effect. Add at least two keyframes.
- **Keyframes land a frame or two off the beat:** Autosnap Points isn't set to Guides. Switch it in the Keyframes Editor's Options menu and drag the keyframes onto the markers again.
- **Markers don't show on the Fusion page:** they were placed on the song clip, not the ruler. Clip markers only appear on a MediaIn node. Deselect all and mark the ruler.
- **The text jumps on every drum hit:** the Fairlight Animator reacts to the full mix. Lower its low-pass slider, reduce Scale, or point it at a bass or drum stem.
- **Mixed-language lyrics come out translated:** set Language to the song's language instead of Auto before creating subtitles.

Need help choosing a typeface for the lines? The [subtitle fonts guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/best-fonts-subtitles-davinci-resolve/) lists readable faces, and the [Text+ typewriter guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-text-plus-typewriter-effect/) covers the Write On control used for line entrances.

## Lyric video in DaVinci Resolve FAQ

### Can you make a lyric video in the free version of DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. Markers, Text+, subtitle tracks, SRT import, Fusion title templates, the Follower and the Fairlight Animator all work in the free version. Automatic word timing, the Animated Word Highlight templates, Voice Isolation and Music Remixer need Studio.

### How do you sync lyrics to a song in DaVinci Resolve?

Deselect all clips, play the song and press M at the start of each line to place ruler markers, then snap each Text+ or subtitle clip to its marker. In Studio, Synchronize Word Timings on a subtitle track finds the word starts for typed or imported lyrics.

### Can DaVinci Resolve detect lyrics automatically?

DaVinci Resolve Studio can, with Create Subtitles from Audio, but sung vocals are harder than speech. Users report missing verses, so check the intro and the lines after instrumental breaks first.

### How do you make lyrics appear word by word?

For an even stagger, add a Follower to a Text+ node and set Order to Left to right. For words that land on their syllables, use one Text+ node per word and keyframe each entrance on its own marker, or use the Studio Word Highlight template on a subtitle track.

### Can text react to the music in DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. On the Fusion page, right-click a numeric control, choose Modify With > Fairlight Animator, and the song's level drives it. Lower the low-pass slider so the bass drives it, and keep Scale small so the lines stay readable. For cuts on the beat, the [beat detection guide](https://davinciresolveclub.com/davinci-resolve-beat-detection/) covers both Studio and free methods.

### Where can I get a lyric video template?

Template marketplaces sell lyric and kinetic typography packs for Resolve, and the [free templates roundup](https://davinciresolveclub.com/free-davinci-resolve-templates/) lists free titles you can adapt. You still have to time the lines to your song, so the marker routine above applies to every template.