Adding captions to your videos is a simple way to make your content more accessible and inclusive for all of your students. Microsoft Clipchamp is a video playback and editing tool that can automatically generate captions and a transcript for your video. You can review and correct the generated captions and download a caption file for use with another supported video platform, such as MyMedia.
Clipchamp provides two ways to generate captions:
- Video player: Generate captions for an existing video and download them as a WebVTT (.vtt) file. Use this option if you need a VTT caption file for another platform, such as MyMedia.
- Video editor: Generate captions while creating or editing a video and download them as an SRT (.srt) file.
This guide explains how to generate, review, and download captions using either method.
Before you begin
Before generating captions, make sure your video has been uploaded to Microsoft Clipchamp. If you need to upload an existing video, see How do I upload an existing video to Microsoft Clipchamp?
Also keep the following in mind:
- Automatic captions are available only for supported video formats and languages.
- Automatic captions may take time to generate depending on the length of your video. Allow enough time for processing before you need to use the captions.
- Automatically generated captions may contain errors. Always review captions for accuracy and make any necessary corrections before using or downloading them.
Jump to
Use the Clipchamp video player to generate a WebVTT (.vtt) caption file for an existing video.
Using MyMedia? Use this workflow to create a VTT caption file that you can upload to your MyMedia video. See How do I add captions to a MyMedia video?
1.1. Open your video in the Clipchamp video player
If your video is not already open in the Clipchamp video player, go to the Microsoft 365 Clipchamp video hub. If prompted, sign in with your U of T Microsoft 365 account. Then, follow the steps below:
- Select the video you want to caption. You can use the filters at the top of the video hub, such as Created by me, to help locate your videos.
- Select the More options (...) menu for the video.
- Select Open > Open in browser.
Alternately, you can simply click on the video title to open it in the Clipchamp video player.
1.2. Generate automatic captions
- Select Video settings.
- Expand Transcripts and captions.
- Select Generate.
- Select the language spoken in the video.
- Select Generate again.
Wait for Clipchamp to generate the captions and transcript.
Note: Caption processing time depends on the length of the video.
1.3. Review and correct the generated captions
Review the generated transcript for accuracy and correct any errors before downloading the caption file.
- Open the Transcript panel.
- Locate the text you want to correct.
- Hover over the transcript text and select Edit.
- Make your correction, then select Done.
Continue reviewing and correcting the transcript as needed.
Play the video while reviewing the transcript to help identify captioning errors. Pay particular attention to names, technical terminology, numbers, and other content that may not have been transcribed accurately.
1.4. Download VTT captions file
After you have reviewed and corrected the captions:
- In the Transcript panel, expand Download.
- Select Download as .vtt.
- Save the .vtt file to your computer.
The downloaded VTT file can be uploaded to another supported video platform, such as MyMedia.
Use the Clipchamp video editor if you are creating or editing a video and need an SRT (.srt) caption file.
Note: The Clipchamp video editor is different from the Clipchamp video player. If you only need to generate a VTT caption file for an existing video, such as for use with MyMedia, use the Clipchamp video player workflow in section 1: Generate and download captions using the video's player page (VTT).
2.1. Open your video in the Clipchamp video editor
Go to the Microsoft 365 Clipchamp video hub. If prompted, sign in with your U of T Microsoft 365 account. Then, follow the steps below:
- Locate the video you want to caption. You can use the filters at the top of the video hub, such as Created by me, to help locate your videos.
- Select the More options (...) menu for the video.
- Select Open > Edit in Clipchamp.
The video opens as a new project in the Clipchamp video editor.
Alternatively: If the video is already open in the Clipchamp video player, select Open editor from the menu above the video, then select Copy now when prompted.
2.2. Generate automatic captions
If the video is not already on the timeline, drag it from the My media panel onto the timeline below the video preview. Then follow the steps below:
- Select Transcripts & captions in the property panel on the right.
- Select Generate transcript & captions.
- In the Transcribe media window, select the language spoken in the video.
- Select Show captions in video to generate captions from your transcript.
- Select Transcribe media.
Wait for Clipchamp to generate the transcript and captions.
When processing is complete, captions appear in the video preview and an editable transcript appears in the Transcript panel.
2.3. Review and correct the generated captions
Play the video and review the generated transcript for accuracy. To correct an error, locate the incorrect text in the Transcript panel. Then:
- Double-click and highlight any misspelled or incorrect words or phrases.
- Right-click and select Edit to fix the word, then save your changes.
Continue reviewing the transcript and correct any errors before downloading the caption file.
2.4. Download the SRT caption file
After you have reviewed and corrected the captions:
- In the Transcript panel, select the More options (...) menu.
- Select Download as .srt.
- Save the .srt file to your computer.
The downloaded .srt file can be used with video platforms that support SRT caption files.