Guide · Updated
How to make meme videos
Make spin the wheel videos, tier lists, POV captions, aura points and error pop-ups as transparent overlays for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. Free, no signup.
Meme videos are formats. The joke changes, the shape stays the same: a wheel that lands on something, a tier list that fills in, a POV caption over a clip, a number going up or down. Once the format is a template, making one is typing the joke.
Everything in this guide lives in emoji & memes, and all of it starts on a transparent background so it can sit over your own footage.
1. Pick the format
- Spin the wheel: a wheel of options that spins and lands on the one you choose.
- Tier list: items dropping into S, A, B, C and D rows one at a time.
- POV caption: the POV caption over a clip.
- Nobody: / Me:: the "Nobody: / Me:" two-line setup and punchline.
- Aura points: aura points going up or down with a reason.
- Rizz meter: a meter that sweeps and lands on a score.
- This or that: two options, one of which gets picked.
- Wait for it…: a countdown build-up into a payoff.
- Error pop-ups: a screen filling with error windows.
- Dramatic zoom: a punch-in with speed lines, a vignette and a flash.
- Short-video caption stack: stacked short-video-style caption boxes appearing in order.
- Meme caption: the classic top and bottom meme text.
2. Type the joke
Each format has three or four fields that matter. The wheel takes a title, a list of segments with their own colors, and lands on segment #, so you decide the result and the spin is built to land there. The tier list takes a title and a list of items, each with a label, an emoji and a tier from S to D, and drops them in the order you list them.
The POV caption takes a label (usually "POV:"), the text and an optional emoji. Aura points takes an amount, which can be negative to lose aura, a label and the reason, which is where the joke actually goes. The rizz meter takes a title, the value it lands on, the words for each end of the scale and a result line.
3. Set the pace
The build-up is the format. Give it room.
- Spin time on the wheel runs from 1.5 to 8 seconds. Around 3 seconds is enough to feel like a real spin without losing people.
- Time per item on the tier list sets how fast the rows fill. Slower for five items, faster for twelve.
- Pause before the punchline on Nobody: / Me: is the whole joke. A beat too short and it does not land.
- Wait for it counts down from a number you set, then plays the payoff text and an emoji burst.
- The POV caption and the caption stack choose between word pop and typewriter, each with its own speed.
4. Style it for the platform
Most meme templates offer a look: shadow, outline or a white box behind the text. Shadow and outline read best over footage; the white box reads best on a plain background. Set the size, the width and the accent color in the Style tab, and use the area width and height on the full-frame formats to match the clip you are covering.
5. Export
To lay the meme over your own clip, leave Background on None and export a MOV, or a WebM for CapCut. To post it on its own, set a background color or gradient and export an MP4 at 9:16, 1080p. The overlay guide covers what to do if the background comes out black.
Recommended settings
- Spin the wheel: 9:16, 1080p, 60 fps, spin time 3 seconds, 6 to 8 segments.
- Tier list: 9:16, 1080p, 30 fps, 5 to 8 items, time per item around 0.4 seconds.
- POV caption: transparent MOV, text under twelve words, placed in the top third.
- Aura points: transparent MOV, 60 fps for the burst.
- Error pop-ups: match the area size to your clip, then 30 fps is plenty.
Writing the joke
- The setup should be readable in one glance. If the caption needs two reads, it is too long.
- Decide the result first, then write the options around it. A wheel that lands on the boring answer is the joke.
- Specific beats general. "for saying you too when the waiter said enjoy your meal" works because it is exact.
- Put the punchline at the end of the line, not in the middle.
- One format per video. A tier list inside a spin the wheel inside a POV is nothing.
Common mistakes
- Too many segments or items. Eight wheel segments and eight tier items are about the limit before the text shrinks past reading size on a phone.
- Exporting MP4 for an overlay. The transparent background turns black.
- A spin that runs too long. Past five seconds people scroll.
- Leaving the sample text. The default jokes are placeholders, and they have been seen.
- Text over the bottom fifth of the frame. The app's own caption and buttons cover it.
Questions people ask
Can I decide what the wheel lands on?
Yes. You set the winning segment number, and the spin is built to land there. The same is true of the rizz meter, the slot machine and this-or-that.
Can I use my own images instead of emoji?
The tier list and the meme formats use emoji and text. The Meme caption template accepts an image behind the top and bottom text, and the emoji effect templates take up to three uploaded images. See the emoji overlay guide.
Is there sound?
No. Exports are silent, so add the spin sound, the drum roll and the bass drop in your editor or in the app you post from.
Can I put the meme over a video inside gizzMotion?
No. There is no video import and no timeline. Export the meme with a transparent background and combine it with your clip in your editor.
Which formats work on their own, with no footage?
The wheel, the tier list, the error pop-ups and the slot machine all stand up as a full video. Give them a background color or gradient and export an MP4.