Caption a Video

This page explores how to apply captions to a Panopto video. Captions can be machine generated, applied manually, or applied by paid 3rd party caption services.

Apply Machine-Generated Captions

By default, all Panopto folders within our University of Arizona account are set to automatically apply machine-generated captions upon creation or upload. If for some reason your video does not have the machine-generated captions applied to it, you can request to add them.

Learn how at How to Add ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) Captions into a Video (opens in a new tab).

If you do NOT want your Panopto folder to automatically apply ASR captions to the videos that get created or stored you can change the folder setting.

Adjust Folder Setting for Automatic Captions

Navigate to your Panopto folder.

Select the Folder Settings icon in the upper right.

In the window that appears, select Settings in the left navigation menu.

Within the Captions section, select the dropdown and choose None.

All future sessions created or stored in the folder will not have automatic captions applied to them.

Apply Captions Manually

If your video does not currently have captions and you would prefer to manually type them out you can do so within the Panopto editor by manually adding captions. We recommend importing the automatic captions first, and then editing the captions given as needed. It will be quicker and be less work for you. Learn how to import automatic captions at How to Add ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) Captions into a Video (opens in a new tab).

Step 1

Open the video in the editor by selecting the Edit icon within the thumbnail of your video.

Step 2

On the left side of the screen, select Captions.

Step 3

Select the Language dropdown menu, and then select the language you are entering captions.

Step 4

Within the Enter a caption text entry box you will be able to begin typing along while playing the video. When you press Enter/Return on your keyboard it will complete that caption and timestamp it and take you to a new text entry box to continue typing as the video plays along. You can always pause the video and back up.

Step 5

Once you have added all the captions needed, select the Apply button in the top right corner to apply them to your video so viewers have access to them.

The screenshot below is an example of how the captions will appear to your viewers by default. Viewers have the ability to adjust the caption styling or change caption language if video has captions in multiple languages. For more information on caption styling, please visit How to Change Caption Style and Language While Viewing (opens in a new tab).

Request Paid 3rd Party Captions

Unless you have a specific role that allows you to request 3rd party captions, you will not be able to request 3rd party captions. Most professional 3rd party caption requests go through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) because there is a specific need requested from a DRC student. There are a few departments across campus that have accounts setup with a 3rd party captioning service and have a designated person who can request captions for videos related to their department.

If you have a student who needs a DRC accommodation, you can reach out to DRC by emailing disability@arizona.edu. Usually DRC will proactively reach out and collaborate with instructors when students submit accommodation requests at the beginning of the semester.

Best Practices for Captioning

The DRC has a fantastic online resource at Captioning at University of Arizona (opens in a new tab).

When it comes to captioning with Panopto, they have some standard best practices as well. Read specifics about the points below at Learn About Best Practices for Captioning (opens in a new tab).

Optimize the Recording Environment

• Microphone Selection and Installation
• Record Slides and Audio
• Sample Recordings

Train Staff on Best Practices

• Is the microphone on?
• Is the microphone unobstructed?
• Are you farther away from the microphone? Speak loudly
• Repeat questions
• Enunciate technical terms clearly

Collaborate with your caption provider

• Understand how turnaround time is calculated
• Avoid submitting very large batches
• Avoid submitting large batches during the busiest times of the year

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