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Step 1: Select your caption layers and open Essential Graphics
Start with captions already on your timeline. If you still need them, our guide to smooth captions in Premiere Pro shows how to create them. Select all the caption layers, then open the Essential Graphics panel. If you do not see it, enable it under Window > Essential Graphics. Switch to the Edit tab.
Step 2: Choose the font and position
In the Edit tab, open the font menu. Kai Cenat captions use the font Bebas Neue, a tall, condensed bold typeface. Type its name into the font box and pick it. Next, use the Align and Transform section to center all the captions and to move them up or down in the frame with the position controls.
Step 3: Set the fill, stroke and shadow
Scroll down to Appearance. Click the Fill color, change it to yellow (or any color you like) and confirm with OK. Then enable Stroke, set its color to black and increase the stroke size to around 9, so the text stays readable on any background. Finally enable Shadow and make sure it is black as well.
Step 4: Upgrade the captions to graphics
Captions cannot take effects, so they need a quick conversion. Make sure all the captions are still selected, open Graphics and Titles in the top menu and click Upgrade Caption to Graphic. This turns each caption into a regular text graphic, which lets you add effects and animation to it.
Step 5: Add the Transform effect
Open the Effects panel, search for Transform and apply it to the first text layer. With that layer selected, go to Effect Controls and make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Open the Transform effect and set both Anchor Point and Position so they sit in the middle of the text. That way the text scales from its center instead of from a corner.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Transform and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 6: Animate the pop
Click the stopwatch next to Scale to create a first keyframe. Move forward 3 frames by pressing the Right Arrow key three times and set Scale to 115. Move forward another 3 frames and set it to 105. The text now overshoots and settles back, which is the pop. For a bit of motion blur, increase the Shutter Angle to 360 at the bottom of the Transform effect (turn off Use Composition's Shutter Angle first).
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles, so the pop feels even snappier. See EaseFlow
Step 7: Save a preset and apply it to every caption
Right click the Transform effect name in Effect Controls, choose Save Preset, give it a name and click OK. You will find it in the Effects panel under Presets. Now highlight all the text layers on your timeline and apply the preset to them in one go.
Tips
- Keep captions short. One to three words per line makes the pop effect hit harder.
- Check readability. If the text gets lost on bright footage, raise the stroke size a little.
- Try other colors. Yellow is the classic look, but white or a bright accent color also works with the same black stroke.
FAQ
What font does Kai Cenat use for captions?
The captions in this tutorial use Bebas Neue, a free condensed bold font that you can search for in the font menu or add through Adobe Fonts.
Why can't I add effects to my captions?
Caption tracks do not accept effects. Select them, open Graphics and Titles and choose Upgrade Caption to Graphic first.
How do I apply the pop effect to all captions at once?
Save the Transform effect as a preset, select all your text layers and apply the preset to them together.
Want more ready-made text styles? Check out the Ultimate Text Preset Pack for animated Premiere Pro text presets.
