How to Make a Lyric Video (3 Best Ways)

A good lyric video lives or dies by one thing: timing. Every line, often every single word, has to appear exactly when it is sung, and a word that shows up half a second early is noticed right away. That is exactly where the three methods we walk you through here differ.

What you need before you start

1. The finished song as an audio file. Ideally MP3, WAV or M4A. Don't have one yet? You can make one yourself with AI tools (see our comparison of Suno alternatives) or have a personal song written for you. Most tools also accept a video with a soundtrack.
2. The lyrics. Not strictly required if the tool recognizes the words itself, but with the correct lyrics every word is right from the start. One line of lyrics becomes one line on screen.
3. A decision on the format. Vertical 9:16 for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, widescreen 16:9 for YouTube and the TV, square 1:1 for the Instagram feed.
4. The rights to the song. More on that below. It is the point where most uploads run into trouble later.

Method 1: Make a lyric video automatically with AI

The fastest way is a lyric video generator that listens to your song and handles the timing for you. Here is how it works with the CustomSongwriter lyric video maker:

1. Upload your song. MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG or a video with sound, up to 15 minutes long. No account needed.
2. Choose a format. Vertical for TikTok and Reels, widescreen for YouTube, or square.
3. Choose a style. The styles range from clean and easy to read to colorful, animated looks.
4. Paste the lyrics (optional). Leave the field empty and speech recognition picks up the words automatically.
5. Watch the preview. It is usually ready in under a minute and shows the first 45 seconds. A word recognized wrong? Fix the text right in the preview and the video is rebuilt.
6. Download your video. If you like the preview, you get the full video as an MP4 without a watermark.

What a lyric video from the lyric video maker looks like

Three examples, one per format. Turn the sound on and tap play.

Good for: anyone who wants a finished video without spending hours dragging lines of text around. Less good for: people who want to design every line individually, add photos or cut scenes. That is what the next two methods are for.

Method 2: Make a lyric video with CapCut on your phone

CapCut is the editing app behind many TikTok videos, and its mobile app has a feature for automatic lyrics¹. Here is how:

1. Open CapCut, tap New project and pick a background video or photo.
2. Add the song, via Audio or by importing the file.
3. Tap Text in the bottom bar.
4. Select Auto lyrics, set the language and confirm.
5. Wait until the lines appear on the timeline, then correct misrecognized words one by one.
6. Pick a font and animation, then save via Export.

CapCut itself names two limitations: the feature is only available in the mobile app, and it needs clearly audible vocals¹. If you can't find the menu item, it may be your region or an outdated app version. With dense production, choirs or heavy reverb, expect to fix many lines by hand.

Good for: short clips for TikTok and Reels if you already edit in CapCut. Less good for: full songs with many verses, because every correction on a small screen is fiddly.

Method 3: Design a lyric video in Canva

Canva is really a design tool, but it can do video too. There is no automatic lyric sync, so you place every line at the right spot by hand:

1. Create a new design of type Video, in 16:9 or 9:16.
2. Upload the song and drag it onto the timeline.
3. Create a separate text box for every line of lyrics, easiest is one page per line.
4. Set the duration of each page so the line matches the vocals. This is the time-consuming part.
5. Give each text an animation, such as fade in or typewriter.
6. Save as MP4 via Share and Download.

Good for: a fully styled video with your own photos, colors and fonts, if you have the time. Less good for: word-accurate timing. A three-minute song with 40 lines easily takes an hour, and the result is accurate to the line, not to the word.

Other tools at a glance

Beyond the three methods there are specialized services, most of them subscription based:

• Kapwing is a browser-based video editor with its own lyric video page. The free plan exports with a watermark in 720p and at most four minutes per video².
• Rotor Videos is built for musicians. The preview is free, the download is paid: either by subscription from $9.99 a month or with credits, where a lyric video costs four credits³.
• VEED and FlexClip are general online video editors with automatic subtitles and templates. They are built for spoken language, so with vocals a test run is worth it.

The three methods compared

The times are our own experience for a three-minute song, not figures from the providers.

7 tips for a lyric video people enjoy watching

1. Readability beats effects. A clear font with strong contrast against the background beats any animation. If you can't read the text, it is no longer a lyric video.
2. Short lines. Six to eight words on screen at most. Split long lines at a natural breath.
3. A calm background. A gently moving gradient or a blurred photo distracts less than a busy video.
4. Safe zones in vertical format. On TikTok and Reels the caption sits at the bottom and the buttons on the right. Keep the text in the middle of the frame.
5. Don't leave instrumental parts empty. Title and artist at the start, a subtle transition during the break.
6. Use the correct lyrics. Automatic recognition gets names, dialects and made-up words wrong. A quick look at every line pays off.
7. Export in good quality for YouTube. YouTube is the biggest platform for lyric videos, see our YouTube Music statistics. The platform recommends MP4 with H.264 and the frame rate the video was made in⁴.

Which songs am I allowed to use?

A lyric video is an adaptation of the song, and the lyrics themselves are protected by copyright. Your own songs, your band's songs, music with a license that explicitly allows videos, and songs written for you are fine. You can make a lyric video to a famous chart hit for yourself in private. If you upload it publicly, YouTube usually detects the original automatically, and the revenue goes to the rights holder or the video gets blocked. How fast AI music is growing on the platforms and how it is labeled there is covered in our AI music statistics.

A personal song is a nice special case: if you have a custom song made for a birthday or a wedding, you can turn it into a lyric video afterwards and play it at the party or send it to every guest.

Bottom line: which method fits you?

CustomSongwriter lyric video maker

The fastest way if you have a finished song and want a finished video: upload, pick a format, and the AI puts every word on the beat. The preview is free, the full video is a one-time $19.99 in the lyric video maker.

CapCut

Good and free for a short clip if you already edit in CapCut. For a full song, fixing lines on your phone quickly becomes tedious.

Canva

The best choice when photos and design come first, for example a wedding slideshow. In return, you do all the timing by hand.

Kapwing

A browser-based video editor for anyone who wants to cut their own footage. Full songs without a watermark require a paid plan.

Rotor Videos

For musicians who release regularly and use lyric videos on a subscription. Downloads start at $9.99 a month or work with credits.