Captioning
Overview
Subtitles, Captions and Transcripts
Definitions
re-speaking
CC in noisy places (airports, bars) and where you need quiet (library)
PACT = Placement, Accuracy, Completeness, and Timing (from FCC 2015)
Tips and Best Practices
Captions must not block important information and should identify the speaker
User needs to be able to customize caption text (yellow text on Simpsons)
Positioning of the text carries meaning (Example: When two people are speaking)
Not just the spoken word, but information about sound...
use speaker identifiers (who is speaking)
'silence' (especially if lips are moving but nothing being said)
'turns tap off' (the meaning of the sound) rather than 'squeak' (the sound)
Places to Get Started
DCMP Captioning Key (style quidelines) http://www.captioningkey.org/
Accessible Rhetoric [Sean Zdenek's website] http://seanzdenek.com/
General Information
The Importance of Captioning [NCSU] (YouTube 1:48) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33krnU_juFE
A Rising Tide: How Closed Captions Can Benefit All Students http://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/8/a-rising-tide-how-closed-captions-can-benefit-all-students
Video captions improve comprehension, professor finds http://news.sfsu.edu/video-captions-improve-comprehension-professor-finds
Video Captions Benefit Everyone http://bit.ly/CCBenefits4All
Captioning Key: Quality Captioning http://www.captioningkey.org
Starting with the Why: An Introduction to Closed Captioning (from webinar May 2017, Luis Perez) http://bit.ly/WhyCaptioning
Webinar recording link = http://aem.cast.org/about/events/2017/05/beginning-with-the-why-an-introduction-to-closed-captioning.html
Luis Perez's YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/lfperez72
The Nuts & Bolts of Captioning & Describing Online Video (webinar recording 61:31) http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/webinars/05-25-2017-nuts-bolts/
QUICK START TO CAPTIONING 03-30-2017 (webinar recording) http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/webinars/qsc-03-30-2017/
Quality Captioning (DCMP philosophy) http://www.captioningkey.org/quality_captioning.html
2017 State of Captioning [download report by 3PlayMedia] http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/industry-studies/2017-state-of-captioning/
Caption It Yourself – “Basic Guidelines for Busy Teachers, Families, and Others Who Shoot Their Own Video” - dcmp.org/ciy/
(webinar recording+) THE FUTURE OF CLOSED CAPTIONING IN HIGHER EDUCATION http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/webinars/future-cc-05-12-2016/
Which sounds are significant? Towards a rhetoric of closed captioning [Sean Zdenek] http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1667/1604
Chapter 1: A rhetorical view of captioning [from Zdenek's book Reading Sounds] http://readingsounds.net/chapter1/#contextualize
Research into Using Video Subtitles and Closed Captions to Improve Reading and Literacy Skills http://www.zaneeducation.com/video-subtitles-captions/subtitle-and-closed-captions-research.php
Autistic spectrum, captions and audio description http://mindfulresearch.co.uk/2011/08/29/autistic-spectrum-captions-and-audio-description/
Video captioning [Iowa State University] http://web.iastate.edu/access/video.php
Video Captioning: Students in Captioning Project Make Video Content More
Accessible to Hearing-Impaired [Texas Tech] https://www.depts.ttu.edu/artsandsciences/news/news-video-captioning.php
(webinar recording+)THE FUTURE OF VIDEO CAPTIONING ACCORDING TO GOOGLE http://www.3playmedia.com/2016/03/05/the-future-of-video-captioning-according-to-google/#sthash.DTDgBNc0.dpuf
More haste less speed: Edited versus verbatim respoken subtitles (PDF) http://vialjournal.webs.uvigo.es/pdf/Vial-2009-Article6.pdf
WEBINAR @ONE CAPTIONING CONSIDERATIONS (YouTube, 1:08:50) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjOr1ionic&list=PLx-VX3akOUVhMEURX29bFnDhW-lDTnPaf&index=5
The quick points below that describe the difference between subtitles, captions and transcripts are directly from the following presentation. Please see the full presentation for all the details.
Captioning & Web Video by Mark Gamble SC AT EXPO 3/26/2014
http://scvrd.net/downloads/pdfs/Captioning2014.pdf
Subtitles (See Slide 32) Quick Points:
Translations of audio content for non-native speakers
Assume you can hear sound effects or music cues
Captions (See Slides 34-35) Quick Points:
Assume that the viewer is completely deaf
Include all spoken content, sound effects, music cues and other significant audio
Typically displayed in two lines at the bottom of the screen, which is called a caption frame
Can be done in real time, referred to as CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation), or in post-production, sometimes referred to as offline captioning
Transcripts (See Slide 36) Quick Points:
Displays everything that captions display
Identifies all speakers
For web video, both captions and a text transcript should be provided.
For content that is audio only, a transcript is sufficient.
Guidelines for Captions (See Slides 50-53) Quick Points:
Captions appear on-screen long enough to be read.
Synchronize captions with spoken words, or start slightly before speaker
Identify speakers when more than one person is on-screen or when the speaker is not visible
Write sound effects when they add to understanding.
Preserve use of slang and identify accent
Translating speech to text sometimes requires creative use of punctuation, but always remember the rules of good grammar.
Video/Transcript/Caption Examples (See Slides 37-39)
Ready Houston: Regional Disaster Preparedness RUN.HIDE.FIGHT.
Video: http://www.readyhoustontx.gov/videos.html#rhf
Transcript: http://www.readyhoustontx.gov/trans-runhidefight.html
SCVRD Evaluation Center Promo http://spareroommedia.com/video.php?type=eval_center&title=SCVRD%20Evaluation%20Center%C2%A0Promo&autostart=false
Is there a way to add captions to a video that is already published? http://www.washington.edu/doit/there-way-add-captions-video-already-published
What are some guidelines for creating attractive and functional open or closed captions? http://www.washington.edu/doit/what-are-some-guidelines-creating-attractive-and-functional-open-or-closed-captions
Can captions be generated automatically using speech recognition? http://www.washington.edu/doit/can-captions-be-generated-automatically-using-speech-recognition
(timing on captions) The power of dots and dashes to tell the future http://seanzdenek.com/2012/03/06/the-power-of-dots-and-dashes-to-tell-the-future/
Captioning YouTube Videos
How to Caption YouTube Videos by vidiSEO (YouTube (3:47) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbUcv3Bc61g Short. He shows Automatic Caption features and edits the text, but then he also shows how to make it from a text editor.
[YouTube] Use Automatic Captioning https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6373554?hl=en
Edit or Remove Captions [YouTube] https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734705?hl=en
YouTube Help: Add subtitles & closed captions support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en
Automatic Captions in YouTube Demo by Google [in 2009] (YouTube 2:34) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvHIDKLFqc
How to edit YouTube automatic subtitles (Sep 2015, 3:41) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au8l88ec2jc" It is easy to download your automatic subtitles and correct them to make your YouTube videos more accessible."
How-to Add Automatic Closed Captioning to a YouTube Video (Oct 2017, 1:52) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4yR5mHIa7k
[YouTube] Add subtitles and closed captions https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?p=add_captions&rd=1
Youtube Tutorial: How to add captions to your Youtube videos (Easy) by Technologyguru77 (YouTube 5:18) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYcj85tBje4 He shows the Automatic Caption tool in YouTube - but then shows you have you have to edit it.
How To Add Closed Captions To A YouTube Video by BigNate84 (YouTube 8:08) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K4WJs94FfY He uses the method where you make a text file and upload it to YouTube.
How to add closed captions (CC) to a YoutTube Video by Sterling Teaches (YouTube 3:57) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3IVyQQ5mlw&index=18&list=PLD9B72A13AEEAF86F
YouTube Captioning - Resources for Developers and Publishers https://www.google.com/accessibility/for-developers.html#youtube
(archive) Captioning with Youtube (Lara Fathauer, EASI Webinar April 2016) http://easi.cc/archive/youtube2016/recording/index.htm
Captioning Tools and Services
IBM AbilityLab Media Captioner and Editor http://www-03.ibm.com/able/accessibility_research_projects/captionereditor.html
Clips [Mac app] - captures live text (captions) as you speak - https://www.apple.com/clips/
Download https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clips/id1212699939?v0=www-us-clips-app
10 tips and tricks for Apple's new Clips app https://www.cnet.com/how-to/tips-and-tricks-for-apples-new-clips-app/
Kelli Suding: I LOVE CLIPS!! [Twitter vido :20] https://twitter.com/ksuding/status/858045704798957568
Getting started with Apple’s Clips app [Video] https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/07/getting-started-apples-clips-app/
How to use Apple’s new Clips app http://www.computerworld.com/article/3188387/apple-ios/how-to-use-apple-s-new-clips-app.html
How to use Clips app http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/iosapps/how-to-use-apple-clips-app-3656448/
Apple’s Clips app is social video editing that’s simple to a fault https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/06/apples-clips-app-is-social-video-editing-thats-simple-to-a-fault/
Apple’s Clips app is iMovie for the next generation https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/6/15183118/apple-clips-app-social-video-editing-mobile-imovie-filters
SSBART live captioner
SSB Webinars - Moderator: http://www.acscaptions.com
https://www.levelaccess.com/compliance-resources/access-insights/
CADET (free)
Caption And Description Editing Tool (CADET) [from NCAM/WGBH] http://ncamftp.wgbh.org/cadet/
"CADET is free, downloadable caption-authoring software that enables anyone to produce high-quality caption files that are compatible with any media player that supports the display of captions. CADET can also be used to generate audio-description scripts."
CADET Documentation http://ncamftp.wgbh.org/cadet/help/
CADET Webinar [EASI October 2017] (recording and presentation) http://easi.cc/archive/cadet2017/resources.htm
MAGpie (free)
Media Access Generator (MAGpie) by National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)MAGpie is a free captioning tool that has been used in the accessibility community for many years.
MAGpie Home http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/web_multimedia/tools-guidelines/magpie
MAGpie2 Help Contents http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/web_multimedia/tools-guidelines/magpie2helpcontents
Commercial Products and Services
MovieCaptioner ($) https://www.synchrimedia.com/
($) Camtasia – Tool to create screen recordings, add captions, and edit videos www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html
($) Dragon Speech Recognition Software www.nuance.com/dragon - This only helps you create the text; it does not create captions or caption files
Amara Communities https://amara.org/en/community
HTML5 Video Caption Maker http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Graphics/CaptionMaker/It says it's a demo to "create simple video caption files. Start by loading a video in a format your browser can play. Then alternately play and pause the video, entering a caption for each segment." If you have a draft of your caption (in WebVTT or TTML format) you can upload it and edit it here, too.
Captioning in Other Tools
Adding Alt Text and Caption to an Image in Haiku (Haiku Deck) [YouTube 5:07 by Mary Kraus (USC Ed Tech graduate)] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1vq0briJE4
Uploading and Captioning Your Screencast into YouTube (Screencast-O-Matic) [YouTube 7:12 by Mary Kraus (USC Ed Tech graduate)]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn0qOm7zJCQ
Copyright, Fair Use and Other Legal Issues Specific to Captioning
(webinar recording+) The 4 Biggest Questions about ADA Closed Captioning Lawsuits http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/10/07/the-4-biggest-questions-about-ada-closed-captioning-lawsuits/#sthash.olgraVHj.dpuf
How Copyright and Fair Use Impact Third Party Captioning for Educational Video [Webinar recording 1:01:41) http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/webinars/copyright-04-02-2015/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTW1ZMU5qZGtPR1UyT0dRMCIsInQiOiI4cW80eVZkRytPQUorSHNxZHBCK3NsMW1KSTFIK0VtK3REdGJFRXFFTDJIR2d4UklHVGl6cXlxVVFhU2dMY2g3Tmg0aUNWOWh4QnpoNkxaK0tBRnNcL2lDN0xpcVFSeWhzWGE5cGNlRDZON009In0%3D
Online Video and the ADA: How a Landmark Case Changed the Legal Landscape of Closed Captioning [National Association of the Deaf v Netflix] http://www.3playmedia.com/resources/webinars/ada-09-16-2015/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTW1ZMU5qZGtPR1UyT0dRMCIsInQiOiI4cW80eVZkRytPQUorSHNxZHBCK3NsMW1KSTFIK0VtK3REdGJFRXFFTDJIR2d4UklHVGl6cXlxVVFhU2dMY2g3Tmg0aUNWOWh4QnpoNkxaK0tBRnNcL2lDN0xpcVFSeWhzWGE5cGNlRDZON009In0%3D
Third Party Captioning and Copyright http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2410661
(webinar recording+) DIGITAL DOES NOT MEAN ACCESSIBLE: BUILDING ACCESSIBLE INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURES http://www.3playmedia.com/2013/01/16/building-accessible-institutional-infrastructures-for-online-learning/#sthash.DN3imIG9.dpuf
FCC Report and Order: Closed Captioning Quality http://captionmax.com/resources/producers/FCC_Compliance/
The FCC Plans Rules to Upgrade Quality of Closed Captioning http://dynamiccaptioning.com/the-fcc-plans-rules-to-upgrade-quality-of-closed-captioning/
Additional Information
Caption Fail
The 25 Funniest Closed Caption Fails In TV History http://www.worldwideinterweb.com/5240-funniest-tv-closed-caption-fails-ever/
38 Wonderful Moments In Closed-Captioning History https://www.buzzfeed.com/mrloganrhoades/38-wonderful-moments-in-closed-caption-history?utm_term=.bnZ4kl64G#.inlPgwkPO
19 Closed Captioning Fails (PHOTOS) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/18/19-closed-captioning-fails_n_2670089.html
61 Hilarious Closed Caption FAILs http://www.ranker.com/list/funny-closed-caption-subtitles-from-tv-and-movies/robert-wabash?var=6&utm_expid=16418821-201.EEIZkBszS3O1rZiBcoCRjg.3&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
19 Epic Closed Captioning Fails. These Are So Wrong and So Funny. http://offbeat.topix.com/slideshow/12526
17 Closed Caption Fails http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/17-closed-caption-fails
YouTube Automatic Caption FAIL http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/youtube-automatic-caption-fail
Clean Read
"Most people/customers prefer what we call a “clean read.” This is the case where we cut out the stutters and unneccessary filler words. The most important part here is to preserve the meaning of every single sentence."
(from ON ACCURACY, PART 2: WHAT DOES ACCURATE EVEN MEAN? http://www.3playmedia.com/2009/06/11/on-accuracy-part-2-what-does-accurate-even-mean/ - There is no part one...)
Resources to Explore Further
New links that I find but have not yet looked at closely enough to add to my lists.
MAGPie Demonstration by Geoff Freed (YouTube 35:55) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbQjqqodVI
--CAPTIONING---
HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE CONTENT FOR CAPTIONING? http://www.3playmedia.com/2016/02/08/how-do-you-prioritize-content-for-captioning/
VERTICAL CAPTION PLACEMENT http://www.3playmedia.com/services-features/tools/vertical-caption-placement/
WHY A TRANSCRIPT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE YOUR VIDEOS COMPLIANT WITH ACCESSIBILITY LAW http://www.3playmedia.com/2016/02/01/why-a-transcript-is-not-enough-to-make-your-videos-compliant-with-accessibility-law/
HOW TO DO CLOSED CAPTIONING RIGHT http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/10/30/how-to-do-closed-captioning-right/
3 REASONS WHY YOU NEED VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/02/03/3-reasons-why-you-need-video-transcription/
THE 4 BIGGEST QUESTIONS ABOUT ADA CLOSED CAPTIONING LAWSUITS http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/10/07/the-4-biggest-questions-about-ada-closed-captioning-lawsuits/
Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions
http://webaim.org/techniques/captions/
(w3c) Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL, pronounced "smile") http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/#Getting
Great Hack for Creating Closed Captioning http://us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d040c99dbc71dfd778ed40647&id=781821bb54
Includes:
** Recording #93 [How I Create Closed Captions using Google Speech to Text and YouTube ] by Dale Drees (YouTube 1:11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsNBYpw7x_Y
* Captions for Videos Overview (YouTube 2:11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdy5c8TMsME
Searching Video Captions [in Hulu] http://www.juliesharma.com/teaching/searchingvideocaptions
YOUTUBEíS VIDEO ACCESSIBILITY INNOVATION http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/04/29/youtubes-video-accessibility-innovation/
YOUTUBE COPYRIGHT RULES: IS IT LEGAL TO CAPTION PUBLIC YOUTUBE VIDEOS? http://www.3playmedia.com/2016/02/09/youtube-copyright-rules-is-it-legal-to-caption-public-youtube-videos/
YouTube: Add subtitles & closed captions https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en
(video + captionining tools)
(accessMOOC) Tools for Captions
AMARA
Amara https://www.amara.org/en/
Captioning with Amara.org (YouTube 6:14) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcp2Kzch5FM
Amara Support Center https://support.amara.org/support/multilingual/solutions
Zencoder
http://zencoder.com/en/captions
Movie Captioner
http://www.synchrimedia.com/
Adding Closed Captioning Using Compressor
Using Compressor, you can insert a closed caption track into a movie file being encoded by choosing either a Scenarist file (identifiable by the .scc file extension) or a QuickTime file with a closed caption track. These options are available in the Additional Information tab of the Inspector window and let you include closed captioning in the following formats:
For QuickTime output: Compressor can add a closed caption file as a CEA-608 closed caption track within the QuickTime output file. Closed captions can be viewed using QuickTime Player (version 7.2 or later).
--from https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutstudio/workflows/index.html#chapter=6%26section=4%26tasks=true
Adding Closed Captioning Using Third-Party Utilities and Hardware
There are third-party applications, such as MacCaption from CPC, that provide the means to import transcripts, edit them with timing information, encode closed captioning data in the necessary format, and insert the closed captioning data into a QuickTime file in preparation for tape output or DVD encoding.
--from https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutstudio/workflows/index.html#chapter=6%26section=4%26tasks=true
Adding Text Tracks to QuickTime Movies
QuickTime supports dedicated text tracks that can be turned on and off by the viewer within QuickTime Player. These text tracks are useful for programs intended for Internet distribution. The QuickTime format supports multiple text tracks that users can switch among, and individual text tracks can be identified as one of a standardized list of languages, to provide international support. Additionally, text in QuickTime text tracks can be extensively formatted using a variety of descriptors for font, size, color, background, justification, aliasing, and so on. These options make QuickTime text tracks extremely versatile for multimedia use.
Text tracks can be formatted by hand in any text editor and then inserted into a QuickTime movie using QuickTime Player. For more information, go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/texttracks.html. You can also use one of several third-party utilities to create and format text tracks in a more structured fashion.
--from https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutstudio/workflows/index.html#chapter=6%26section=4%26tasks=true
QuickTime: Adding Captions to Videos http://accessibility.psu.edu/quicktime
MAGPie Demonstration by Geoff Freed (YouTube 35:55) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnbQjqqodVI
[from AccessMOOC:) What are captions?
Captions are ìtext versions of the spoken word presented within multimediaî (WebAIM, "Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions"). If there are any background noises that play important roles in conveying meaning in the multimedia then identify those noises in the captions as they appear. Captions are similar to subtitles in that what is stated in the captions should be a direct copy of what is heard in the multimedia and should be synchronized with the audio. The two words ("captions" and "subtitles") are often used as synonyms on some websites; however, the word "subtitles" is more often used to refer to text on the screen used to translate audio into different languages. The word "captions" is almost exclusively used to refer to text on the screen that is in the same language as the audio and is provided primarily for people with auditory disabilities.
Include non-speech audio in brackets or parenthesis when that information is needed to fully understand the video. For example, it may be neccessary to include sound effects such as, ìfire alarmî, ìbaby cryingî, ìmusicî or ìcar horn honking.î Some captioning tools provide icons that symbolize certain non-speech audio; for example, there may be the option to add music note icons before and after music lyrics in captions.
When a new person begins speaking in a video, add the name of the speaker and that speaker's title (if available) in the caption of their first line of dialogue. There are a couple different formats.
>> Name of Speaker
Name of Speaker:
[Name of speaker]
As long as it is the same person speaking, it is unnecessary to put their name and title on every line. Also, it is best practice to avoid having dialogue from multiple speakers on the screen at the same time unless they are speaking simultaneously.
Most websites and software place the captions at the bottom center of the video screen. The only time to put them elsewhere is if the captions conceal important visual information. In that case, adjust the location. Only include one to three lines on the screen at a time. Make sure the captions are on the screen long enough that people of varying reading speeds can read them.
Make sure the text is as readable as possible by putting the text in a common sans serif typeface and in a color that does not blend into the background of the video. The text color and the background color should have a high contrast.
.