Using YouTube To Caption Multimedia

YouTube automatically captions content; however, the algorithm used to create the subtitles is far from perfect. Users need to correct errors. Note: YouTube does allow users to upload a transcript, and the software will sync the language in the transcript to the video. If no transcript is available, follow these directions to edit subtitles.

Select “Captions”:

Screenshot Captions icon

Set Default Language
If necessary, set language to English and make it the default setting:

Screenshot default language

Edit Automatic Subtitles
Choose “English (automatic)” to open the subtitles that YouTube has automatically generated:

Screenshot automatic subtitle

Make Necessary Revisions
Click “Edit”. Then press “Play”. Listen to the video and type edits in the right-hand panel. When finished, click “Publish Now”:

Screenshot edit captions

Screenshot subtitles

Help / Assistance

Contact Kevin Dunn: kevin.dunn@kctcs.edu (859) 246-6716 (work)