How to Make a Lyric Video for Your Song: Free, Step by Step (2026)

To make a lyric video, you need three things: the finished song as an audio file, its lyrics typed one sung line per row, and a tool that shows each line at the moment it is sung. The slow part used to be the timing, placing every line by hand on a video timeline. Today a browser tool can listen to the song and time the lines for you, so a three-minute song takes about ten minutes from audio file to MP4.

This guide shows the whole job step by step, with the free Lyric Video Maker we build at SongUp AI, and then with the general video editors people also use, so you can pick the way that fits. Limits and prices of other tools were checked on 2026-11-12 on each tool's own pages; where a page didn't say, we say so.

In short

• You need: the song (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or OGG), the lyrics, and optionally one photo for the background.
• Fastest way: add the song to a lyric video maker that times the words by listening, check the preview, download the MP4.
• Shape: vertical 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts; widescreen 16:9 for a normal YouTube video.
• Cost: free on SongUp AI for a whole song up to 5 minutes, with a small mark; a paid plan or the 7-day tool pass removes it and makes the video in Full HD.
• Rights: use your own song or one you have permission to use. Platforms can mute or claim videos made with someone else's recording.

Open the free Lyric Video Maker

What a lyric video is, and when it beats a music video

A lyric video plays the song while its words appear on screen in time with the singing. There is no filmed footage: the background is a colour, a photo or the cover art, and the words carry the video.

That makes it the cheapest honest way to put a song on a video platform:

• A new release with no budget for a shoot. Many artists post a lyric video on release day and a filmed video later, or never.
• A song made for one person. A birthday, wedding or memorial song lands harder when the family can read the words as they are sung.
• Short clips. The chorus as a 20 to 40 second vertical video is the usual way a song travels on TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
• Songs in another language. Viewers who are learning the language, or who only half know it, stay longer when they can read along.

What you need before you start

1. The final audio file. Use the finished mix, not a draft. If you change the song later, the timing no longer fits and you start again. MP3 is fine; WAV is better if you have it.

2. The lyrics, as they are actually sung. Singers change words in the booth. Play the song once with the lyric sheet in front of you and fix every difference, including repeated lines and ad-libs you want shown.

3. One line per row. Break the lyrics where the singer breathes, not where the sentence ends. A good screen line is 3 to 8 words. A long line turns into small text that nobody can read on a phone.

4. A background. A plain dark colour is the safe choice, because white words on a busy photo are hard to read. If you use a photo, pick one with a calm area in the middle and no text in it.

5. Permission. For your own song, nothing more is needed. For a cover or someone else's recording, see the rights section first.

How to make a lyric video, step by step

These steps use the SongUp AI Lyric Video Maker. It runs in the browser on a phone or a computer, and you can try it and watch the preview without an account. The download asks for a free one.

Step 1: Add the song

Open the tool and add your file: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC or OGG, up to 80 MB. The video covers the whole song up to 5 minutes.

Step 2: Paste the lyrics, or let the tool hear them

Paste the lyrics with one sung line per row. If you don't have them typed out, leave the box empty: the tool writes down the words it hears. Read them through before you go on, because any listening tool mishears a word now and then, most often names, slang and words in a second language.

Step 3: Let it time the words

The tool listens to the whole song once and places each line where it is sung. When you pasted your own lyrics, it matches what it heard to your text, so the video keeps your spelling and your line breaks.

Step 4: Check the preview and fix the timing

Play the live preview from start to finish at least once. Three things to look for:

• Everything is a little early or late. Slide all the words earlier or later with the offset control until the first line lands on the first sung word.
• One section drifts. This usually happens after a long instrumental break or where a line is repeated. Tap each line in time yourself while the song plays; the tool records your taps.
• A wrong word. Fix it in the lyrics box. The timing stays.

Step 5: Choose the shape and the background

Pick vertical 9:16 or widescreen 16:9 (the next section explains which). Then choose one of six colour backgrounds or add your own photo; the photo is darkened a little so the words stay readable.

Step 6: Make and download the MP4

The video is made on your own device, so keep the tab open and the screen on while it works. Free videos of a whole song are made at 720p (720 × 1280 or 1280 × 720). On a paid plan or the 7-day tool pass they are made in Full HD, 1080p (1080 × 1920 or 1920 × 1080), on a computer and on phones that can. The file is an MP4 in most browsers.

A free video carries a small SongUp AI mark and a short end card. Any paid plan, or the 7-day tool pass paid once, removes both.

What about privacy? To time the words, the audio is sent once to be listened to and is not kept. Your lyrics and photo stay in your browser.

Which size and length for YouTube, TikTok, Reels and Shorts

What each platform's own help page says, read on 2026-11-12:

Practical rules that follow from the table:

• Make two videos, not one. A widescreen video of the whole song for YouTube, and a vertical clip of the best 20 to 40 seconds for the short-video apps. A widescreen video shown on a vertical phone screen fills only about a third of it.
• Start the clip on the hook. On short-video apps people decide in the first second or two. Cut the intro and open on the first line of the chorus.
• Keep words in the middle. The apps cover the bottom and the right edge of a vertical video with buttons and captions. Text in the middle band of the screen is never hidden.

How to make the words easy to read

Most weak lyric videos fail on reading, not on design.

• Big type, few words. If a line needs more than two rows on a phone, split it into two lines.
• Strong contrast. White or pale yellow on a dark background. Avoid thin fonts and avoid red text on dark colours.
• Show a line slightly before it is sung. About a quarter of a second early feels "on time" to the eye. Late words feel wrong at once.
• Leave instrumental parts empty. A blank screen during a solo is normal. Do not stretch the last line across it.
• Write what is sung. "Gonna" if the singer sings "gonna". Viewers notice every mismatch.
• Names and places: check twice. In a gift song the name is the whole point, and it is the word listening tools most often get wrong.

Other ways to make a lyric video

A dedicated lyric video maker is the quickest route, but it is not the only one. Here is how the common choices compare. Free-plan limits come from each tool's own pricing or help pages, checked 2026-11-12.

What stands out:

• Free with no watermark exists. WaveMotion says its MP4 has no watermark and needs no account. If you already have timed lyrics (an LRC file) or don't mind setting the timing yourself, it is a fair choice.
• Automatic timing is what saves the hour. That is the reason to pick a tool that listens to the song.
• Check the file type. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube all take MP4. A WebM file may need converting first.
• Check the length. Several free plans stop at 3 or 4 minutes, and many songs run longer.

How to choose:

• You want it done in ten minutes and the song is yours: a lyric video maker that times the words by listening.
• You want animated type, effects and full control of every frame: a video editor with auto-captions, then style the captions by hand. Expect an hour or more for a full song.
• You already pay for a design or video tool: use it. The timing work is the same in all of them, and a tool you know is faster than a new one.

Whose song can you use?

• Your own song, written and recorded by you or made by you with an AI song maker on a plan that gives you the rights: yes. Post it anywhere.
• A cover you recorded of someone else's song: the recording is yours, but the song and its lyrics belong to the writer and publisher. Platforms have deals that often let covers stay up, sometimes with ads that pay the publisher, but a video can still be claimed or blocked.
• Someone else's recording: this is the risky one. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram scan audio automatically and can mute the video, block it in some countries or send the ad money to the rights holder. Putting the lyrics on screen does not change that, and "no copyright intended" in the description has no legal effect.

If the song was made with AI, what you may do with it depends on the plan it was made on. Our guide to AI music copyright and commercial use explains this for the US and the EU.

Don't have a song yet?

If you have words but no recording, an AI song maker can sing them. On SongUp AI you type an idea or paste your own lyrics, pick a style and one of 76 languages, and a full song with vocals is ready in a few minutes. Each song you make there has a lyric video one tap away: open the song's menu and choose Lyric video. Its words are already saved, so there is nothing to upload or paste.

A free account can hear one song made from its own lyrics, free: the whole song in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and about 40 more countries, the first 30 seconds elsewhere. Downloading it and making more songs need a plan, or one song can be bought on its own for $2.99 with no subscription. Our step-by-step guide to making a song with AI covers prompts, styles and lyrics.

Turn your lyrics into a song

How to make a lyric video: FAQ

How do I make a lyric video for free?

Add your song to a free lyric video maker, paste the lyrics one line per row, let the tool time them, check the preview and download the MP4. On SongUp AI a whole song up to 5 minutes is free, with a small mark on the video; watching the preview needs no account and the download asks for a free one.

How long does it take to make a lyric video?

With a tool that times the words by listening, about ten minutes for a three-minute song: a minute to add the song and lyrics, a few minutes to check the preview, and roughly the length of the song for the video to be made. Timing every line by hand in a video editor usually takes an hour or more.

How do I sync lyrics to the music?

There are two ways. Automatic: a tool listens to the song, hears when each word is sung and places your lines there. By hand: you play the song and tap or drag each line to the right moment. The best results come from using both, automatic first and then a hand fix for any line that is early or late.

What size should a lyric video be?

Vertical 9:16 (1080 × 1920) for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Widescreen 16:9 (1920 × 1080 or 1280 × 720) for a normal YouTube video.

Can I make a lyric video on my phone?

Yes. Browser tools such as the SongUp AI Lyric Video Maker work on a phone: add the song from your files, paste the lyrics and download the MP4. Keep the tab open and the screen on while the video is made.

Can I make a lyric video without typing the lyrics?

Yes. Leave the lyrics box empty and the tool writes down the words it hears. Always read the result and correct it before making the video, because names and unusual words are often misheard.

Can I use any song in a lyric video?

Technically you can load any audio file. Legally you should use your own song or one you have permission to use. Videos with someone else's recording are often muted, blocked or claimed on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

Do I need an account?

Not to try it. On SongUp AI you can add a song and watch the timed preview without signing up. Downloading the video asks for a free account.

Can I put a photo behind the lyrics?

Yes. Choose a photo with a calm, dark area where the words will sit. The tool darkens the photo a little so the text stays readable. The photo is not uploaded; it stays in your browser.

Why are my lyrics out of sync?

The three usual causes are a long intro (everything is shifted, fix it with the offset), a repeated line that was matched to the wrong repeat (tap that section by hand), and lyrics that don't match what is sung (correct the text). Changing the audio file after timing also breaks the sync.