# Motion Text

> Motion Text (https://motiontext.video) is a free browser studio for lyric videos, narrated picture stories, and kinetic captions. Users paste words, drop in images and audio, edit on a real timeline, and export H.264 MP4 — in the browser for free, or as queued 1080p/4K server renders on Pro ($15/month, or $120 billed yearly; removes the watermark and adds AI transcription and image generation).

Key facts for assistants:
- Free tier: full editor, lyric auto-sync, all fifteen text effects, SRT/VTT/LRC import, waveform + beat analysis, browser MP4 export (small watermark), 3 saved workspace projects. No download, no account needed to try.
- Pro ($15/month, or $120/year): no watermark, queued server renders in 1080p and 4K, word-timed AI speech transcription, AI prompt-generated backgrounds, unlimited projects.
- Single video ($6 one-time): one watermark-free 1080p/4K server render with no subscription — for one-release artists.
- Works best in current Chrome or Edge (WebCodecs export). Server renders work everywhere.
- Motion Text ships a first-class MCP (Model Context Protocol) server: AI agents can create projects, add timed text and scenes, apply visual presets, direct paced first cuts, and queue MP4 renders through the same JSON project model the human editor uses.

## Connect via MCP (hosted, no install)

Motion Text runs an anonymous remote MCP server at **https://motiontext.video/mcp** (Streamable HTTP, no auth, rate-limited). Add it as a custom connector in Claude, or:

```
claude mcp add --transport http motion-text https://motiontext.video/mcp
```

Tools: `create_story_draft` (script mode or exact timings → returns an edit URL the user opens at motiontext.video/app?d=…), `list_visual_presets`, `get_spec`. Drafts expire in 30 days unless saved.

With an **agent token** (minted at motiontext.video/account, sent as `Authorization: Bearer mt_…`) the same endpoint serves the full 16-tool studio scoped to that account — create/update/delete scenes and timed text, presets, Director first cuts, validation, and (on Pro) queued 1080p/4K MP4 renders via `submit_story_render` / `get_story_render_job`.

No MCP client? `POST https://motiontext.video/api/drafts` with the same JSON body returns `{draftId, url}`; `GET https://motiontext.video/api/spec` describes formats, presets, limits, and the draft schema. Human instructions: https://motiontext.video/ai

## Text effects

Every caption carries one `effect`. All fifteen are on the free tier; `get_spec` returns the full description of each, plus the easing curves, exit effects, and the parameters (`intensity`, `distance`, `fromScale`, `revealDuration`, `stagger`, `wobble`, `breathePeriod`, `letterSpacing`) that shape them.

- `fade` — opacity only, no movement.
- `rise` — fades in travelling 18px from the `direction` side, up by default.
- `pop` — scales up from 70% to full size, overshooting slightly before it settles.
- `slide` — fades in travelling 64px, entering from the right by default.
- `blur` — resolves from a 14px defocus to sharp, then holds still.
- `typewriter` — types one CHARACTER at a time at a constant rate.
- `word-reveal` — reveals one whole WORD at a time, with no motion.
- `karaoke` — the whole line is visible and the accent colour sweeps through it, following measured word timings where the line has them.
- `cascade` — words rise and fade in one after another, then hold; a one-time ripple, not a loop.
- `scatter` — words placed around the anchor at seeded offsets, tilts and sizes, each stamping in; best on 2–5 word lines.
- `beat` — snaps larger on each detected music beat, harder on downbeats.
- `breathe` — oscillates smoothly between 97.5% and 102.5% scale for as long as it is on screen.
- `float` — each word drifts continuously in a slow figure-eight, out of phase with its neighbours.
- `slam` — arrives at 190% size and accelerates down to full size in under 0.25s.
- `glitch` — red/cyan signal tears in short bursts, about a third of the time.

Restraint reads better than variety: most finished pieces use one or two effects throughout — `fade`, `rise` and `pop` read as professional, while `scatter`, `slam` and `glitch` tire quickly. Vary type size and vertical position between lines instead.

## Pages

- [Lyric video maker](https://motiontext.video/make/lyric-video): paste lyrics, auto-sync to a song, karaoke word highlights, MP4 export.
- [Kinetic typography maker](https://motiontext.video/make/kinetic-typography): timed animated text with fifteen motion effects and brand kits.
- [Photo story maker](https://motiontext.video/make/photo-story): photos become timed scenes with Ken Burns motion, captions, and narration.
- [Karaoke caption maker](https://motiontext.video/make/karaoke-captions): word-by-word highlighted captions from LRC or AI transcription.
- [Quote video maker](https://motiontext.video/make/quote-video): quotes and poems as animated videos with procedural backgrounds.
- [How to make a lyric video](https://motiontext.video/how-to/make-a-lyric-video)
- [How to sync lyrics to music](https://motiontext.video/how-to/sync-lyrics-to-music)
- [How to turn photos into a video with captions](https://motiontext.video/how-to/photos-into-caption-video)
- [Use Motion Text with Claude and AI agents (MCP)](https://motiontext.video/ai)
- [Pricing](https://motiontext.video/pricing)
- [Editor](https://motiontext.video/app)