# How to add text in animation 12?
**URL:** https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-add-text-in-animation-12/2728
**Category:** Q&A
**Created:** [March 21, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-add-text-in-animation-12/2728 "2022-03-21T20:41:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-add-text-in-animation-12/2728/1 "2022-03-21T20:41:34Z")
I am making an animation based on the [official animation 12](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/dev/animations/anim12.html).
How can I add text to it (like the date)?
I try `gmt text` but It didn’t work. I think because that script is to create new images (with `grdmix`) and not typical GMT maps where I could use `text`.
I think I could use `gmt image` and them `gmt text`. Is that the optimal way?
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### Author:  [@pwessel](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/pwessel)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-add-text-in-animation-12/2728/2 "2022-03-21T21:09:15Z")
Yes.The anim 12 is a batch job building images directory so there is no plotting going in, hence gmt text has nothing to do. You could turn things into a plot by using image to place the plot and then you can add text etc as normally done. I think that is the only way. It will be slower but it lets you add overlays as normally done in movie. So it will no longer be a batch script but a movie script,
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### Author:  [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-add-text-in-animation-12/2728/3 "2022-03-22T17:48:54Z")
Ok. Thanks.
The advantage of gmt batch is that I don’t need to worry about the canvas.