
- #Subtitles vs closed captions how to#
- #Subtitles vs closed captions mp4#
So, we’ve established that while ‘accessibility’ is the driving force behind both closed captions and subtitles, there are some subtle differences.
#Subtitles vs closed captions mp4#
Or you can do it yourself – check out 4 ways to add subtitles to an MP4 file.
#Subtitles vs closed captions how to#
How to add closed captions and subtitles to your videosĬlosed captions tend to be added through your video hosting partner – most typically YouTube, as we demonstrated earlier.Īdding subtitles to your video, in most cases, is relatively simple and this is something your video production partner can do for you.
The trade-off of these benefits is that you typically surrender a lot of control over how the captions appear on screen, meaning some of the elements in your video can be blocked or obscured by the captions. The beauty of closed captions means that viewers who don’t need the extra assistance, can turn them off, but it’s there for those who need it.
Videos that cater to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. As well as generating an automatic transcript of your video, YouTube is also able to automatically translate those captions into dozens of different languages without you making further edits to the video. Videos you plan to distribute to audiences speaking many different languages. Use closed captions…in pretty much any other scenario. You can add subtitles into the video file itself using video editing software, and this gives you greater control over the size, colour, placement of the text. Noisy events or conferences where an audio file won’t be audible. Videos intended for a *specific* international audience that speaks a different language to the audio track. Use subtitles…if you know that most, or all, of your viewers aren’t going to be able to understand your video based *solely* on the audio track. Should I use closed captions, or subtitles? For this reason, closed captions tend to be pretty straightforward and standard in their design/presentation, whereas subtitles can be more creatively presented. Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer – subtitles can’t. Closed captions include all spoken dialogue and other sounds in a video, while subtitles typically only provide translations or transcripts of the dialogue itself. The main differences between the two types of text transcription are as follows: Key differences between closed captions and subtitles… Unlike closed captions, the viewer can’t turn subtitles off – as they’re typically embedded within the video file itself, like in the example below. Subtitles can also be used to provide captions for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. They’re typically used to provide dialogue translations for viewers who don’t speak the same language as the video’s audio track. Subtitles – sometimes called ‘open captions’ – are captions on screen which you can’t turn on and off. It tends to be pretty accurate – but you can mop up any errors by editing the transcript yourself. YouTube automatically generates the closed captions for your uploads, using built-in speech recognition software. This means, as well as a transcript of any dialogue, you might also expect to see a text description of sound effects – “Loud applause,” for example, or “Jazz music plays.”Ĭlosed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer, and are usually denoted by a ‘CC’ symbol (or similar icon) somewhere on the screen.įor example, you can see how YouTube displays closed captions (and the button for the viewer to turn them on/off) in the screenshot below… Let’s look at each of them, one at a time… What are closed captions?Ĭlosed captions are a type of captioning that includes all the spoken dialogue and other sounds in a video, making it accessible for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, there are some key differences between the two that marketers should be aware of. How to add closed captions and subtitles to your videosĬlosed captions and subtitles are both ways to provide text on screen to accompany a video, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that they sometimes get mixed up. Should I use closed captions, or subtitles?. Key differences between closed captions and subtitles….