Overview

Once you're satisfied with your text animation, there are three methods you can use to convert it into a video you can use in your Shotcut project.

Method 1 — MOV Download with transparency (built into Anitype)

This method provides the highest quality output and preserves transparency perfectly.

  • On either of the two Preview pages, click the Download button and, if needed, edit the download options.
  • Anitype will generate a 30fps MOV (.mov) video file with a transparent background, and save it to a folder on your computer.
  • If you've included one of our synchronized typing sound effects in your animation, the sound will also be included in the MOV video, and will play in sync with the text appearing on screen.
  • The MOV video will begin playing at the exact moment the text animation begins, so when you import it into Shotcut, there will be no need for any trimming of blank frames at the beginning of the clip.

PROS

  • No external app needed: The MOV download method is built into Anitype and does not require an external app to create a usable video of your animation.

  • Perfect transparency: The downloaded MOV videos always include a fully transparent background, regardless of the background color you used in Anitype. Text colors remain completely opaque, and drop shadows of any blur level are preserved accurately.

    This method also preserves any translucence applied to the text itself (for example, during fade‑in or fade‑out effects), so partially transparent characters appear exactly as they do in Anitype.

  • Consistently high quality: Each character is rendered exactly as it appears in your browser: crisp, sharp, and clean.

CONS

  • Large file size: Although this will not be an issue for most modern computers, and especially short text animations, the MOV format is less compressed than MP4 or WEBM, resulting in larger file sizes.
    For example:

    Method Video format Animation length File size
    Screen recording MP4 10 seconds 0.4 MB
    MOV download MOV 10 seconds 5.8 MB

  • Processing time: Processing the animation frames and generating the MOV file is generally fast, but on slow computers, this method could take slightly more time than recording the screen.

Method 2 — Built-in Screen Recorder

Anitype has a built-in screen recorder that captures only the content of the browser window. It does not record the buttons bar or the mouse cursor. It's a quick and easy way to generate edit-ready videos from your text animations.

  • On either of the two Preview pages, click the Screen Recorder button to Start and Stop recording.
  • Anitype will generate a 60fps WebM (.webm) video file, and save it to a folder on your computer.
  • Import the file in your Shotcut project.
  • The screen recorder will only start recording at the exact moment the text animation begins, so, in common with the MOV export, when you import the WEBM video into Shotcut, there will be no trimming required at the beginning of the video.
  • Because (as mentioned) Anitype's screen recorder does not record the buttons bar or the mouse cursor, there is no need to use a crop filter in Shotcut to remove the image of the buttons, like you might have to do when using the External Screen Recorder method (see below).

PROS

  • No external app needed: The Screen Recorder is built into Anitype and does not require an external app to create a usable video of your animation.
  • Quick and simple: Single button operation.
  • Excellent image quality
  • Small file size

CONS

  • No transparency: The WEBM file will include the background color set in Anitype. To make the background transparent in Shotcut, you must use filters such as Chroma Key or Blend Mode.

  • Limited accuracy with colored text

    Shotcut’s background‑removal tools work best with white text on black or black text on white.

    With other colors, results vary:

    • Chroma Key works on most colors but struggles when the text has a drop shadow or when it isn't totally opaque (while fading IN our OUT for example).
    • Blend Mode works well for white or black text but can introduce unwanted transparency on colored text. See the About Colors section for more details.

Method 3 — External Screen Recorder

As an alternative method, you can use any external screen recorder app (such as OBS Studio or ShareX for example) to capture the Anitype text animations.

PROS

  • Configurable recording area: Most screen recording apps will allow you to select precisely what part of the screen to record. You won't need to crop the resulting clip in Shotcut. However, bear in mind that Anitype's screen-recorder requires no cropping either, since the buttons or mouse pointer are not recorded as part of the screen capture.
  • Typing sound effects: Chances are your screen recording app will also record audio. So if you add one of our typing sound effects to your animation, it will be automatically included in the recorded video file.

CONS

  • Requires external software: You must install and configure a screen‑recording tool. Although the setup is just a one‑time inconvenience, it’s still an extra step outside Anitype.
  • No transparency: The recorded video file will include the background color set in Anitype. To make the background transparent in Shotcut, you must use filters such as Chroma Key or Blend Mode.

  • Limited accuracy with colored text

    Shotcut’s background‑removal tools work best with white text on black or black text on white.

    With other colors, results vary:

    • Chroma Key works on most colors but struggles when the text has a drop shadow or when it isn't totally opaque (while fading IN our OUT for example).
    • Blend Mode works well for white or black text but can introduce unwanted transparency on colored text. See the About Colors section for more details.
  • Potential quality issues: On older or slower computers, the animation recorded with an external software may appear laggy or inconsistent. Also, the screen recorded text may not be as sharp as the results obtained using our build-in methods.

How-to: MOV Download

With this method, Anitype renders each frame of your animation as a temporary PNG file. This PNG sequence is then converted into a single MOV video file and downloaded on your computer.

The MOV video format (e.g., my-video.mov ) supports full transparency, unlike the MP4 format. This allows Anitype to export only the text, with a perfectly transparent background —ideal for overlaying your animation on top of other video content.

This operation is safe and private.
Everything happens locally, inside your browser.
No file from your computer is uploaded to the server.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Destination folder

By default, some web browsers will not ask you to choose a destination folder and will download files directly to the Download folder of your computer.
(e.g., on Windows: C:\Users\your-user-name\Downloads )

If it is the case in your browser and you want to change this behavior:

  • Go to your browser's Settings page.
  • Select the Downloads tab.
  • Enable the "Ask where to save..." option.

2. In Anitype

  • On the Anitype main page, either click Start Animation or Static Preview to switch to a preview page.
  • In the buttons bar, click the arrow_downward_alt Download button.

A dialog will appear with two download settings:

  • Freeze last frame for
    This setting pauses the final frame of your main text animation for a specified duration. It ensures your audience has plenty of time to read the full text before it disappears.
    The default freeze delay is 1000ms (1 second).
  • Add an Outro at the End?

    This dropdown menu lets you choose how the text clears the screen. The chosen outro animation is seamlessly appended to your video after the main animation finishes and the freeze delay has elapsed.

    You can select from the following options:

    • No Outro: The video ends immediately after the text animation and the freeze duration finishes.
    • Reverse Play: Plays the exact entry animation in reverse, cleanly deconstructing the text.
    • Swipe Right to Left: Sweeps the text off the screen toward the left.
    • Swipe Left to Right: Sweeps the text off the screen toward the right.
    For more information about the Outro options, read the "Preview Pages" section of the Instructions.

Anitype will stitch your final video together in this exact sequence:

[ Main Text Animation ] ➜ [ Freeze Delay ] ➜ [ Chosen Outro Animation ]

After you are done adjusting the settings:

  • Click the Download video button.
  • After Anitype is done processing your video, choose a destination folder (if asked by the browser).
  • Accept any prompts that may appear. These prompts come from your browser, not Anitype — they are standard security confirmations for file downloads
  • By default, Anitype names the file: Anitype-export.mov
  • If you download more than one MOV file to the same location, your browser will most likely re-name successive downloads by appending a number in brackets , eg. (1), (2), and so on to the filename. So the second file you download will be named: Anitype-export (1).mov, and so on.

Sound effects

If you've added one of our typing sound effects to your animation, they will be automatically included in the downloaded MOV video, and will appear in perfect sync with the appearance of each character.

3. In Shotcut

Import the video

  1. Open your Shotcut project.
  2. In the main toolbar, click the Open file button.
  3. Navigate to the folder containing your video file.
  4. Select and open the file.
  5. Your animation video will open in the Source player. From there you can drag it to the Timeline, or to the Playlist (for later use).

Conclusion on the Download Method

The Download method consistently delivers the highest‑quality results. Every frame is sharp, every color is accurate, and transparency — including fades and soft shadows — is preserved perfectly. For projects where visual quality matters most, it is the option that gives you complete confidence in the final result.

How-to: Built-in Screen Recorder

At the click of a button, Anitype starts recording the part of the browser window where the animation occurs. The browser head, the buttons bar and the mouse cursor are not recorded.

Step-by-Step Guide

In Anitype

  1. On the main page, click the Start Animation button.
  2. (Optional) On the Animations pages, press one of the Swipe buttons to clear the screen.
  3. Click the Record button () to start recording. The button will start to pulsate, indicating that a recording is in progress. Note: the recording will only start at the exact moment the first character of your animation appears on screen, but the record button will still pulsate until you press Play ►.
  4. Press the Play ► button to start playing the animation. This is when the recording starts.
  5. Let the recorder capture the entire animation, plus a few seconds of static text at the end.
  6. (Optional) after the static pause, press the reverse Play button or one of the Swipe buttons to also record an outro
  7. Click the Record button () again to stop the recording.
    • If you're using a Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Opera etc...), you will be prompted to choose a destination folder and name the file.
    • On other browsers (like Firefox) the file might be directly downloaded to a default folder and will be automatically named Anitype-capture.webm
    • In common with the MOV export method, if you download more than one WEBM file to the same location, your browser will most likely re-name successive downloads by appending a number in brackets , eg. (1), (2), and so on to the filename. So the second file you download will be named: Anitype-capture (1).webm, and so on.
  8. Locate the exported video file, rename it if needed, and move it into your Shotcut project folder.

From now on, we’ll assume your exported file is named Anitype-capture.webm.

In Shotcut

  1. In the Timeline, make sure there is an empty track above your main video.
  2. Import Anitype-capture.webm and place it on that upper track.
  3. The animation will start right at the beginning of the clip. Position the start of the clip where you want the animation to begin on your video.
  4. (Optional) Add a Size, Position & Rotate filter to the clip to resize or reposition your animated text.

At this point, your animation is overlaid on top of your main video — but the background is still opaque.
This is fine when the background of your animation matches the background on the track(s) blelow.
Otherwise, you'll probably want to make the background of the animation transparent.

To do so, you’ll need one of Shotcut’s background-removal filters.

Removing the Background in Shotcut

There are two filters we recommend: Chroma Key: Simple and Blend Mode.
Each has strengths and limitations depending on your text color and background color.

Chroma Key: Simple filter

Strengths

  • Very easy to use
  • Works well with:
    • Black text on white background
    • White text on black background
    • Most text colors on black or white backgrounds

Limitations

  • May produce blurry or jagged edges
  • Can leave black/white fringes around characters
  • Performs poorly on translucent elements such as:
    • Fade-in / fade-out of the text
    • Blurry drop shadows applied to the text

How to use the Chroma Key: Simple filter

  1. Select your Anitype-capture.webm clip.
  2. Add a Chroma Key: Simple filter.
  3. Use the eyedropper inside the preview panel to sample the background color of the animation.
  4. Adjust the Distance slider if needed.
  5. To improve edges, you can also try this:
    • Add an Alpha Channel: Adjust filter
    • Set Mode to Shave
    • Adjust Amount until edges look cleaner

Blend Mode filter

Strengths

  • Excellent results with:
    • Black or white text on a 50% gray background
    • White text on a black background
    • Black text on a white background
  • Works well also on black, white, or 50% gray backgrounds with text using these colors:
    • Primary colors: Red , Green , Blue
    • Additive colors: Yellow , Cyan , Magenta
  • Perfectly handles translucent elements such as:
    • Fade-in / fade-out of the text
    • Blurry drop shadows applied to the text
  • Produces sharp, clean text edges

Limitations

  • Results vary with any other colors than Primaries and Additives
  • Some blend modes may introduce slight transparency to the text (barely noticeable with some colors, very noticeable with others)

How to use the Blend Mode filter

  1. Select your Anitype-capture.webm clip.
  2. Add a Blend Mode filter.
  3. Choose a blend mode based on your background:
    • Screen → removes black
    • Overlay → removes white
    • Hard Light → removes 50% gray

Conclusion on the Screen Recording Method

While the Built-in Screen Recorder method isn’t perfect, it works surprisingly well in many situations. If your text uses simple colors and no translucence, this approach can be quick, flexible, and entirely sufficient for most projects.

For users who value speed and simplicity over absolute precision, the Screen Recording method remains a perfectly valid and reliable option.