How to Caption a Video
Sometimes the voices in video are difficult to understand. To help with this you can caption a video so that the words appear on the screen. This can be done on an as-needed basis throughout your video if only certain sections need the captioning. Chris Davis, a videographer with Screaming Inside Films, constantly adds in captions. This tutorial from Davis assumes your video is already edited and is based on the software Final Cut Pro. You will find, however, that most video editing software uses a similar process.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Video editing software
- Video to caption
- Transcript of dialogue
Instructions
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1
Open the file on which you are going to work in your editing software.
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2
Go to the generator menu on the bottom right side of the viewer and select "matte --> color solid." Select preferred color that will contrast your text color.
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3
Click on the motion tab, then maximize crop to open the menu. Set your top to 80 and the bottom to nine; opacity should be at 85 percent. Adjust according to your preference and click back to video tab.
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Drag and drop the color solid onto the layer above your video. Ensure it stretches across the entire video.
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5
Return to the generator menu and choose "text --> text."
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Type in your text by going to the controls tab; it will default to 36-point font, which works well for the bar created. Adjust if necessary.
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Go to the motion tab and under center type "282" to place the text on the bar while keeping it within the text-safe area.
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Bring the first section of text above the color layer and cut to fit. Copy and paste the text box to type in the next section. Stretch or cut to fit what it being said. Continue to do this, changing text as necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Change the font and color of bar as needed.
Ensure the contrast of text and bar is enough to read.
White or black text works best.
References
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
