okay so when it comes to adding text to a gif it varies slightly whether you’re using frames or the timeline. i heavily recommend using the timeline function over frames just in general bc it allows for a lot more flexibility, ease, and precision with each effect that you add.

how to convert your gif from frames to timeline

when you add caption text to a gif, you wanna make sure you’ve resized the gif first. here’s a quick guide to gif dimensions. additionally, always make sure that your text layer is above all of your editing/coloring layers.

after resizing and editing, go ahead and click the lil text icon in the tools panel on the left.

your cursor will change shape, and and then you can draw a text box on your gif. it will fill with placeholder text at first:

press ctrl+a to select all the text in the box and backspace to delete it. type in your caption text:

select all the text again and press the center icon (1) at the top of the screen to center it within the box. once you’ve done that, click the check mark (2) to tell photoshop you’re done editing the text:

now that your text is centered within the box, it’s time to center it horizontally on the gif. switch to the move tool:

and make sure your text layer is selected in the layers panel:

press ctrl+a. your entire gif should have a dashed line around it. press the center icon at the top:

(pro tip: this will work for any type of layer you want to center, not just text.)

from there, use the arrow keys to scoot your text up or down to whatever distance from the bottom you prefer:

now, let’s get into specifics like fonts, sizes, and shadows that will help make your text more clear and readable.

click the text tool icon again, click your text box, and press ctrl+a to select all your text. these are my preferred caption text settings:

i use arial rounded MT bold font, 17pt for full size (540px width) gifs and 14pt for smaller gifs. i use the “faux italic” setting to add a slight slant. 

next, let’s talk about blending. drop shadows and strokes are essential for helping your caption text show up clearly on any gif. right click on your text layer in the layers panel and click “blending options...” OR just double click your text layer.

these are my preferred blending settings for caption text:

click “ok” in the top right of the panel to save the settings onto your text layer.

all right! you’re almost there! the last thing to do (if you’re editing in timeline) is to make sure that the length of your text layer matches the length of your gif layer.

if your timeline looks like this:

or this:

then you’ll need to adjust the length of the text layer. to do this, click and hold the right end of the purple bar representing the text, and drag it horizontally until it matches the length of your gif layer.

and you’re done! the finished product: