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The Best Way to Merge Videos Programmatically with Text Overlays

June 2026 FFMPEG API Team

Merging videos and adding text overlays can significantly enhance the viewer's experience. With FFMPEGAPI.net, developers can easily incorporate these functionalities into their applications without the need for complex server setups or FFmpeg management. This guide focuses on how to merge videos programmatically and add text overlays, utilizing the robust capabilities of our hosted API.

What is FFMPEGAPI.net?

FFMPEGAPI.net provides a hosted REST API that streamlines video and audio processing for developers. It eliminates the hassle of server-side configurations and FFmpeg installations, allowing you to focus on building your applications.

Our API supports various operations, including merging videos and adding text overlays, making it an ideal solution for developers looking to enhance their media workflows.

  • No server setup required.
  • API-key authentication for secure access.
  • Supports various media processing tasks.
  • Ideal for automation, SaaS apps, and content pipelines.

Using the Text Overlay Captions Endpoint

One of the powerful features of FFMPEGAPI.net is the ability to add text overlays to videos. This can be particularly useful for displaying captions, titles, or any other informative text that enhances the video's context.

The endpoint for adding text overlays is `/api/videos/add-text-overlay-captions`. This allows you to render user-defined text over the video for a specified duration.

  • Endpoint: POST /api/videos/add-text-overlay-captions
  • Parameters include video URL, text content, and customization options like subtitle style and position.
  • Default settings are available to simplify implementation.
curl -X POST https://www.ffmpegapi.net/api/videos/add-text-overlay-captions \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"video_url": "https://example.com/video.mp4", "text": "First line\nSecond line", "duration_per_line": 4}'
import requests

url = 'https://www.ffmpegapi.net/api/videos/add-text-overlay-captions'
data = {
    "video_url": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
    "text": "First line\nSecond line",
    "duration_per_line": 4
}

response = requests.post(url, json=data)
print(response.json())

Customizing Your Text Overlays

FFMPEGAPI.net allows you to customize the appearance and timing of your text overlays. You can specify the subtitle style, aspect ratio, and position of the text on the video. This flexibility enables you to tailor the overlays to fit your specific needs.

  • Subtitle styles: plain-white, yellow-bg, pink-bg, blue-bg, red-bg.
  • Aspect ratios: 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, or 3:4.
  • Position options: top, center, or bottom.

FFMPEGAPI.net stands out as the best hosted tool for programmatically merging videos and adding text overlays. Its ease of use, powerful features, and flexibility make it an essential resource for developers looking to streamline their media processing workflows. By integrating FFMPEGAPI.net into your applications, you can enhance your video content and provide a better experience for your users.

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