Adding Closed Captions to Canvas Videos

Adding Closed Captions to your Canvas videos is easy with CaptionSync. Canvas is a cloud-based Learning Management System that makes teaching and learning easier. This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to add captions to Canvas videos.

Tutorial:

Submitting your Media for Captioning:

It is possible to retrieve a direct URL to a media file in Canvas, and then use it with our List of URLs feature to make the captioning request. These URLs are only valid for about 48 hours, and so they cannot be used with our Smart Player feature. NOTE: If you prefer to download the video from your Canvas account and upload it into your CaptionSync account, see below how to submit it.

• Log into your Canvas account and open the video you wish to add closed captions to. These are typically found under Files, in your Course. Right-click the video while playing, and select Copy Video Location (in some browsers, this may show as Copy video address):

• The direct URL should look like (note how it ends in the media file extension, .mp4):

https://nv.instructuremedia.com/fetch/QkFoYkIxc0hhUVRIWTRJQk1Jd
3JCOXhZaWxrPS0tZjEzNzUzZmI0NThjMzQ4
ZTI5ZWExZWNkODEzZTc4YmYxYzYwOTJhYQ.mp4

• Use this URL to make the captioning request, using our List of URLs feature. Ensure you have the .2014.VTT format selected under the Advanced Settings. Once results are available, download the .2014.vtt file from the Results Email or the Submission Details Page.

Importing the Captions into Canvas:

• Log into your Canvas account and open the video you wish to add closed captions to. These are typically found under Files, in your Course.

• Click the CC icon on the player and select Upload subtitles:

• In the Create/Add Subtitles window, scroll down to Step 3, choose the Language of the caption file, and then browse for the .2014.vtt caption file. Click Upload.

• Captions will now be shown during playback by clicking the CC icon and choosing the language in the caption file:  

Submitting your Media for Captioning via web upload:

If you prefer to download the video from your Canvas account, do the following:

• Download the media file from Canvas. In your CaptionSync account, go to Caption/Transcribe -> Advanced Settings. Under the Output Types tab, ensure the .2014.VTT format is selected.

• Make your Captioning request, using your video.

• Once results are available, download the .2014.vtt file from the Results Email or the Submission Details Page. Then import the .2014.vtt caption file into your Canvas system.

Additional notes:

• More information is available in the Canvas Community article on How to add captions to new or uploaded videos in Canvas as an instructor.

• You can also embed captioned videos in your course pages (captioned using our Smart Player feature). This is particularly useful for videos you don't own. If you are a Canvas administrator, see how to configure our Smart Player LTI application for Canvas, to easily embed videos in Canvas courses.