The Meme Video Guide

Practical guides on making meme videos: sizes for every platform, captions that stay readable, background removal, formats, audio and the copyright line you should not cross.

• How to make a meme videoFrom clip to post in ten minutes — trimming, captions, timing the punchline and exporting at the right size, all in the browser.
• Meme video sizes and safe zonesVertical, square and landscape dimensions, safe zones, and why the same file should not be posted everywhere.
• Adding text to video: readable, not decorativeCaption styles that survive compression, how long to hold text on screen, and the mistakes that make captions unreadable on a phone.
• Removing a video background, with or without a green screenHow automatic background removal works, when it fails, and how to shoot so it does not fail — plus the green-screen alternative.
• MP4, WebM or GIF — choosing the right exportWhat each format is good at, why GIFs look bad and weigh so much, and which to export for each place you post.
• Audio for meme videos: the half people forgetChoosing a sound that carries the joke, matching levels so it is not painful, and where you actually stand on music rights.
• Meme formats: the structures worth reusingThe recurring structures behind meme videos — reaction, split screen, text-over-clip, before-and-after — and how to use one without looking dated.
• Copyright and memes: the honest versionWhere memes sit under copyright, what fair use and fair dealing actually cover, and the specific cases that get videos taken down.