A lyric video is more than lyrics on top of a background. It’s a branding asset.
If the background is too busy, the lyrics become hard to read. If the visuals don’t match the song, it feels off-brand. This guide focuses on the parts that actually improve the final result.
What happens when you create a lyric video
Visuals walks you through a simple flow:
Select Song (choose the track)
Choose Source (what visuals you want to use)
Customize (fine-tune visuals and settings)
Create Video (build the lyric video)
After creation, you’ll land in the lyric video editor where you can preview, tweak, and click Render Video.
The 4 ways to create a lyric video
Pick the option that matches what you already have.
1) From Album Cover
Best when you want the fastest “good enough” lyric video.
Uses your album cover as the visual direction
Great for quick releases and daily posting
2) From Your Assets (images and videos)
Best when you have artist photos, content shoots, B-roll, or a folder of visuals.
Lets you build a lyric video from your own media
Great for labels and teams with existing content libraries
3) Generate a Custom Scene (from lyrics)
Best when you want a fresh AI background that matches the song.
Visuals can generate a scene prompt automatically from your song lyrics
You can tweak it to match your vision
4) Use a Canvas Video as the background
Best when you already created a Spotify Canvas-style video in Visuals.
Reuses a Canvas video as the animated background
Great for consistent branding across Canvas + lyric videos
You can mix these. For example: generate a custom scene, bring it to life, then use that video as the background for your lyric video.
The rule that makes lyric videos look “pro”
Your background should support the lyrics, not fight them.
Use these guidelines:
Keep backgrounds simple
Create negative space where lyrics appear
Keep motion subtle
Avoid text in the background (include: No text)
If you remember one thing from this article, remember this.
Flow 1: Create Lyric Video from Album Cover
Use this when you already have cover art and want a quick lyric video look.
Why this works
Your cover art already represents the release brand
Motion makes the video feel alive without needing new content
How to get the best result
If your cover art has a lot of text, expect the animated background to still look busy. For lyric videos, clean backgrounds usually work better.
Use subtle animation (light drift, glow, fog) instead of heavy movement.
Steps
Go to Create → Lyric Video
Choose From Album Cover
Select an album cover
Choose an Aspect Ratio
9:16 (Portrait) for TikTok/Reels
16:9 (Landscape) for YouTube
1:1 (Square) for feeds
Choose Video Animations
Ken Burns-style movement is a safe default for cover art
Choose the Video Model
Luma Ray-2 is commonly recommended for short animated backgrounds
Choose Video Duration
You’ll see preset duration options. Pick the one that matches your distribution goal.
Click Create Lyric Video
Flow 2: Create Lyric Video from Your Assets (images and videos)
Use this when you have your own visuals and want to build a lyric video sequence.
Why this works
Labels and artists often already have content shoots
Mixing images and videos makes the lyric video feel more “real” and less AI
Tips before you start
Pick visuals with similar color and lighting so the video feels consistent.
Avoid extremely busy visuals behind the lyric area.
Steps
Choose Select Your Assets
Select multiple Images and/or Videos
Click Continue
Choose an Aspect Ratio
Set Clip Duration
This controls how fast the visuals change.
Faster = more cuts, more energy (good for upbeat songs)
Slower = more time per visual (good for emotional songs)
Optional: Enable Intelligent Reframing
Helps your visuals fit the chosen aspect ratio
Useful when your media doesn’t match 9:1
Choose Video Animations
Ken Burns adds motion to still images
Use subtle animations so lyrics stay readable
Click Create Lyric Video
Flow 3: Generate a Custom Scene (from lyrics)
Use this when you want a brand-new AI background created for the song.
What Visuals does automatically
This is important because it saves users a lot of work:
Visuals can generate a scene prompt from your lyrics so you’re not starting from a blank page.
After your scene image is generated, Visuals can analyze the image and generate an animation prompt for how the video should move.
You can edit both prompts.
How to get better scenes
If the prompt feels too literal, add your vision in one clear sentence.
Add a lyric-video rule: keep it simple and leave negative space.
Example line to add:
Make this cinematic and realistic. Keep the scene simple with negative space for lyrics. No text.
Steps
Choose Generate Scene
Pick an Aspect Ratio
Choose an Image Model
FLUX Kontext Max is often a great choice for composition and detail
OpenAI Image 1 can be strong for natural language prompts
Review the Scene Description
You’ll often see a starting prompt generated from the lyrics
Edit it so it matches your vision
Click Generate Scene
Review the result
If you like it, click Approve & Continue
If not, use Enhance or Regenerate and try again
Flow 4: Use a Canvas Video as the background
Use this when you already created Canvas videos in Visuals and want to reuse them.
Why this works
It keeps branding consistent across Spotify Canvas + lyric videos
It’s fast (you’re not inventing new visuals)
Steps
Choose Select a Canvas Video
Pick the Canvas video you want to use
Configure the Canvas background
You may see settings like:
Song Section (Best / Chorus / Verse)
Duration options (preset lengths)
Change Aspect Ratio toggle
Video Animations
Click Create Lyric Video
Note:
The lyric video can use the Canvas video’s original aspect ratio unless you change it.
Choosing Song Section (Best vs Chorus vs Verse)
When you see Best / Chorus / Verse, you’re choosing what part of the song to focus the video around.
Use:
Chorus when you want the hook. Best for social and replay value.
Verse when the storytelling matters and you want to highlight the lyrics.
Best when you want Visuals to pick a strong segment (often a high-energy or most “important” part).
If you’re unsure, start with Chorus.
Choosing duration (15s vs 30s vs 45s vs 60s vs full length)
You’ll see preset duration options. Pick the one that matches your goal.
15s: quickest teaser, best for frequent posting
30s: the most common length for Reels/TikTok
45s–60s: more story and buildup
Full length: best for YouTube lyric videos or full-song uploads
If you want Spotify-style content, keep it short.
If you want a full lyric video on YouTube, go full length.
Bring the scene to life (turn a scene into a video)
After you generate or choose a scene, you can animate it.
What Visuals does automatically
After the image is generated, Visuals can generate an animation prompt for you (based on the image)
You can tweak it before generating the video
How to get better motion
Tell it what moves
Tell it what stays still
Keep motion subtle so lyrics remain readable
Add: No text
Example:
Keep the subject unchanged. Animate only soft lighting movement and subtle dust. Add slow camera drift. No text.
Fixing lyric typos or wrong words
If the lyrics on-screen have a typo (or transcription missed a word):
Click the Captions / Lyrics button in the editor
Use the Lyric Editor in the left sidebar to edit lyrics word-by-word
This is the fastest way to fix mistakes before you render.
Credits (quick notes)
You’ll see credit cost before creating
Longer durations and certain options (like audio or reframing) can cost more
Tip:
If a model offers audio, you usually don’t need it for lyric videos (your song is already the audio). Turning audio off can reduce cost.
Troubleshooting
The lyrics are hard to read
Ask for more negative space
Reduce motion intensity
Avoid bright highlights behind the lyric area
The visuals don’t match the song
Use song context, but also rewrite the prompt to match your vision
If it’s too literal, add one sentence that describes your direction
Faces get distorted
Ask for background-only motion
Reduce motion intensity
Try generating again (video models can vary between tries)
It added text I didn’t ask for
Add: No text
Add: No random letters
FAQs
Can I make a lyric video from my album cover?
Yes. Choose From Album Cover, select the cover, choose your settings, and create.
Can I use my own photos and videos as backgrounds?
Yes. Choose Select Your Assets and build the lyric video from images/videos you pick.
Can Visuals generate a scene prompt for me?
Yes. When you generate a custom scene, Visuals can create a starting scene prompt from your lyrics, and you can edit it.
How do I fix typos in the lyrics on-screen?
Use Captions/Lyrics and the Lyric Editor in the left sidebar to edit lyrics word-by-word.
What should I include if something fails or errors out?
Use the in-app chat bubble to message us in Intercom and include a screenshot and the error message.