Guide: Generating Captions and Transcripts for Videos in Canvas Studio

🎬 Captioning Videos in Canvas Studio 

Option 1: Auto-Generated Captions 

  1. Access Canvas Studio via the global navigation bar. 

  1. Choose the video you wish to caption from your library. 

  1. Click on the 'Captions' tab. 

  1. Click the 'Request' button and select the primary language spoken in the video. Confirm the request. 

  1. Captions will be generated in the background. You’ll be notified via email once ready. 

  1. Return to the 'Captions' tab, click the three dots next to the caption file and select 'Review and Publish'. 

  1. Edit any inaccuracies in the caption editor and click 'Publish'. 

Note: Auto-generated captions are approximately 85% accurate. Review and edit before publishing. 

Option 2: Uploading Caption Files 

  1. Access Canvas Studio via the global navigation bar. 

  1. Choose the video you wish to caption from your library. 

  1. Click on the 'Captions' tab. 

  1. Click the 'Upload' button and select the primary language spoken in the video. 

  1. Choose your caption file (.srt or .vtt format) and click 'Upload'. 

Note: Ensure your caption file is in the correct format for compatibility. 

🎬 Captioning & Transcript Generation in Canvas Studio 

Option 1: Auto-Generated Captions (with Transcript Download) 

  1. Access Canvas Studio 

  1. Open Canvas and click Studio from the global navigation bar. 

  1. Select a Video 

  1. Go to My Library, then click on the video you want to caption. 

  1. Request Captions 

  1. Click the Captions tab. 

  1. Click Request, choose the primary spoken language, then confirm. 

  1. Wait for Processing 

  1. Captions will be generated automatically (you’ll get an email once it's done). 

  1. Review and Publish 

  1. Return to the Captions tab. 

  1. Click the three dots (⋯) next to the caption file. 

  1. Select Review and Publish. 

  1. Use the editor to correct any errors. 

  1. Click Publish when finished. 

  1. Download the Transcript 

  1. After publishing, return to the Captions tab. 

  1. Click the three dots (⋯) again next to the caption file. 

  1. Select Download. 

  1. This will download the caption file in .srt format, which serves as your transcript. 

✅ Tip: You can convert the .srt file to plain text by opening it with a text editor (like Notepad) and removing the timestamps. 

External Tool: Using Otter.ai for Transcripts & Captions 

Otter.ai is a powerful AI transcription tool ideal for generating highly accurate transcripts outside of Canvas. 

🔧 How to Use Otter.ai with Canvas Studio: (Free version has limits) 

  1. Upload the Video to Otter.ai 

  • Create an account or sign in. 

  • Upload your video file (MP4 or audio). 

  1. Wait for AI Transcription 

  • Otter will auto-generate the transcript within minutes. 

  1. Edit and Export 

  • Use the Otter editor to correct errors. 

  • Export as: 

  • .txt (plain transcript) 

  • .srt or .vtt (for uploading into Canvas Studio) 

  1. Upload to Canvas 

 Captioning Videos in the Rich Content Editor 

  1. Use the Rich Content Editor to upload or embed your video. 

  1. Click on the video and select 'Video Options'. 

  1. In the 'Closed Captions/Subtitles' section, select the language. 

  1. Click 'Choose caption file' and upload your .srt or .vtt file. 

  1. Click 'Done' to save changes. 

Note: For iOS devices, captions must be in WebVTT format. 

📺 Visual Guide 

For a step-by-step visual tutorial on captioning in Canvas Studio, refer to: 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lchXiVkTlg 

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