How long does it take to make a lyric video?

Most of the wait is lyric sync, which varies with track length and vocal clarity, plus a browser export at 30fps. Reviewing a few misheard lines usually takes longer than the upload. A typical song can be finished in one sitting without a timeline editor.

Do I need to time lyrics manually?

No. VibeMV uses Groq Whisper Large V3 to estimate word-level timestamps from the audio. You review and edit line text before preview. You do not set start and end times by hand. Timing is less reliable on noisy mixes, stacked harmonies, or unclear vocals.

Can I make a lyric video for free?

Yes. The VibeMV lyric video tool is free, needs no account, and allows 3 videos per day. Exports include a small Made with VibeMV watermark and render at 1080p (1920×1080) and 30fps. There is no paid watermark-off setting on this tool.

What resolution is a free lyric video?

VibeMV exports 1920×1080 at 30fps. Supported browsers download MP4; others fall back to WebM. The frame is 16:9 only. That fits YouTube lyric uploads. TikTok and Reels accept the file, but they prefer 9:16, so you may need to crop or letterbox after export.

Can I add lyrics to an existing video?

Not as a motion overlay. The tool builds a new 16:9 video from audio plus optional still art (JPEG, PNG, or WebP up to 10MB). An MP4 upload is treated as audio for lyric sync, not as picture-in-picture footage. For captions on moving video, use a timeline editor. For AI scenes from the same song, use the AI music video generator.

Is a lyric video OK for YouTube or TikTok?

Yes if you have the rights to the audio. Export a 1080p MP4 and upload it. YouTube lyric posts commonly use Artist - Song (Official Lyric Video). Expect the Made with VibeMV mark on free exports. For a native 9:16 cut with generated scenes, use the AI music video generator instead.

How to Make a Lyric Video (Free, Step by Step) [2026]

Q: How do you make a lyric video?

Upload a vocal track, let AI transcribe and time the words, review the lines, pick a text animation, optionally add a background image, then export. On VibeMV you do that in the browser: MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, OGG, or WEBM up to 25MB, then download a 1080p file.

How to make a lyric video for free, step by step.

Upload a song, review the synced lines, pick a text animation, then export 1080p. This is the how-to. The tool that does the work lives on its own page.

The simple answer Use a vocal file. Let AI time the words. Review the text. Style it. Export.

Free terms 3 videos a day, no account, 1080p, small Made with VibeMV mark.

Open the free lyric video tool Need a full AI music video?AI music video tutorial

Which guide should you read next? This page is the lyric-video tutorial. To make your lyric video here, use the free tool. If you want scenes, lip-sync, or a native 9:16 cut from the same song, go to the AI music video generator or How to Make a Music Video with AI.

Quick Answer: How Do You Make a Lyric Video?

To make a lyric video, start with a finished vocal track, get the words onto a timeline, style the text, and export a file you can upload. You can do that in a timeline editor, a template app, or VibeMV's lyric video tool.

On VibeMV, you upload audio (MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, OGG, or WEBM, up to 25MB). AI transcribes the vocal and estimates word-level timing. You review the lines, choose karaoke, typewriter, fade, or glow, optionally add a still background, then export 1920×1080 at 30fps.

You do not paste a lyric sheet to start, and you do not keyframe each word. You do need a mix where the lead vocal is audible.

What You Need

Item	Required?	Why it matters
Song file	Yes	The tool times words from the audio. Instrumentals and buried vocals often fail.
Lyrics text	Optional	AI drafts the lines. You fix wording and spacing on review. There is no separate lyrics-only upload.
Timing	Automatic	Whisper estimates word timestamps. You can edit line text; you cannot drag start and end times.
Background still	Optional	JPEG, PNG, or WebP up to 10MB. No image gives a dark frame. This is not a video overlay.
Rights to the song	Yes	You are publishing a video of someone else's recording only if you are allowed to.

Large WAVs often exceed 25MB. Export MP3 or M4A first if the upload is rejected.

Ways to Make a Lyric Video

These are approaches, not a ranked list of products.

Manual editor. Premiere, CapCut, or After Effects. You place every line, choose fonts, and time the track yourself. Best when you already have footage or a strict brand system.

Template app. Canva-style layouts with text boxes on a preset. Faster than a blank timeline, but you still align most words by hand.

Browser lyric tool. Upload the song and let AI draft the timed text, then style and export. That is the VibeMV path: this browser lyric-video workflow stays in the tab, renders locally, and sends audio only for lyric analysis.

If you need moving AI scenes instead of animated words, skip this format and use the AI music video generator.

Step 1: Prepare Lyrics and Audio

Use the final vocal mix, not a scratch bounce, when you have both. Cleaner lead vocals produce cleaner timestamps.

You do not have to type the full lyric first. Keep official lyrics nearby so you can correct names, slang, and repeated lines on the review screen.

Skip long silent pads if they push a WAV over 25MB. The lyric tool's hard limit is file size, not the 7-minute / 100MB ceiling used by the full VibeMV music-video workflow.

Step 2: Upload the Song

Open the free lyric video maker and upload the file. Accepted types are MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, OGG, and WEBM.

An MP4 here is an audio source. The picture track is not kept. If you hoped the music video would stay on screen under the words, see Adding lyrics to an existing video.

No account is required. Sync is capped at 3 videos per day.

Step 3: Sync and Review

AI runs Groq Whisper Large V3 with word-level timestamps, then groups words into lines.

Check every line before you preview. Fix obvious transcription errors. If you change the words on a line, the tool redistributes those words across that line's existing time span. It does not re-listen to the audio.

Noisy mixes, stacked harmonies, and mumbled phrases are the usual miss. If no usable lyrics are detected, try a vocal-up mix.

Step 4: Style the Text

Pick one of four animations:

Karaoke — words highlight in green as they are sung
Typewriter — characters appear in time with the vocal, with a blinking cursor
Fade — each line fades in and out
Glow — white text with a pulsing neon shadow

Then add a background still if you want cover art or a single frame behind the words. Preview in the canvas before you export.

Step 5: Export

Export from the same tab. The canvas is 1920×1080 at 30fps. Supported browsers save MP4; others download WebM.

The video is rendered in the browser. Audio left the device for lyric analysis; the finished file is built locally.

A small Made with VibeMV mark is drawn on the frame. There is no in-tool toggle to remove it.

Step 6: Publish

YouTube. 16:9 1080p is the natural fit. A common title pattern is Artist – Song (Official Lyric Video). Put streaming links and credits in the description.

TikTok, Reels, Shorts. You can upload the 16:9 file, but those surfaces prefer 9:16. Crop or letterbox after export, or make a vertical version in a different tool.

Spotify Canvas. Canvas wants a 3–8 second 9:16 loop. This export is a full-length 16:9 lyric video, so trim and reframe elsewhere if you need Canvas.

How to Make a Lyric Video for Free (No Watermark?)

You can make a lyric video for free on VibeMV. The current terms:

Price: free
Account: not required
Daily limit: 3 videos
Output: 1080p (1920×1080), 30fps, MP4 or WebM fallback
Watermark: yes — a small Made with VibeMV mark on free exports
Paid no-watermark option: none on this tool

If "free and clean" means no mark at all, use a manual editor you already pay for, or accept the mark. Do not expect a VibeMV subscription to strip it here. Paid plans apply to the AI music video generator (Hobby starts at $19/month), which is a different product: scene-based video, not this lyric overlay.

Adding Lyrics to an Existing Video vs Generating From Audio

You have a finished song and want words on screen. Use the lyric tool. That is generating a lyric video from audio (plus an optional still).

You have existing footage and want captions on that picture. This tool cannot do that. Upload a still grabbed from the footage if a frozen frame is enough. For moving video plus lyrics, use a timeline editor that supports captions or text layers.

You have a song and want a performance or story video, not kinetic type. That is not a lyric video. Start at the AI music video generator.

Common Mistakes

Uploading a 40MB WAV. Compress to MP3 or M4A under 25MB.
Skipping the review step. Whisper will mishear names and ad-libs.
Expecting 9:16 out of the lyric tool. The canvas is 16:9 only.
Expecting no watermark. Free exports include the mark.
Treating an MP4 upload as a video overlay. Only the audio is used.
Using an instrumental. There must be usable sung or spoken words.
Publishing audio you do not control. Format fit is not a license.

When You Need a Full AI Music Video Instead

Switch when the words on screen are not the point: you want generated scenes, lip-sync on a character, Dance Mode hooks, or a native 9:16 render.

VibeMV's music-video path accepts MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A, FLAC, or AIFF, from 3 seconds to 7 minutes and up to 100MB. Default output is 720p in 16:9 or 9:16, with optional 2K upscale where supported. Base generation starts at 2 credits per second. The free tier includes 50 one-time credits for short tests. Commercial use starts with paid plans.

Open the AI music video generator, or follow How to Make a Music Video with AI for the section-by-section workflow.

Related guides:

Free lyric video tool — timed text from your song, 1080p export
How to make a music video with AI
How to make a music video
AI music video from an audio file
VibeMV pricing