Why is video accessibility important?

Accessible video means that the audio content of the video is also available in text format. In this case, the audio content of the video is not only accessible by the sense of hearing, but it can also be read by humans or machines and can also be converted into machine speech.

When videos are made accessible, everyone has an equal opportunity to use video material in studying. The law on the provision of digital services obliges to make a textual equivalent for all video and audio broadcasts. Read more: The Act on the Provision of Digital Services promotes accessibility. Check out also HAMK subtitles case summary, (requires login).

Video subtitles help in many situations

• In some circumstances, the video viewer cannot use sound (e.g. the video viewer is on a train).
• It is difficult to hear the sound if the video has a lot of background noise.
• Subtitles can help to understand the non-native language spoken in the video.
• Subtitles can help people with reading difficulties to understand the message of the video.
• Subtitled videos are easier to understand than just pictures.
• Describing events as texts can help to understand non-verbal communication as well.
• Video viewers can read the audio information in the videos with the help of subtitles.

You can realize the accessible video in two different ways

• Subtitle the video yourself: subtitles in the same language are produced from the audio content. Guide: Screencast-O-Matic helps with video subtitles
• Order subtitles for your video: Hamk’s video subtitling service is Amberscript. Guide: Instructions for ordering subtitling a video

The process of subtitling videos

Videos can be captioned in two different ways: with closed captions (CC, Closed Captions), in which case the viewer can choose whether to use the captions, or with burnt captions (OC, Open Captions), in which case the text is fixed over the image.

Display of subtitles on video

There is a difference between the subtitling methods in how the subtitles appear on the video.

Closed captions

• When playing the video, the viewer can choose whether to display the subtitles or, if available, between several subtitles.
  • Subtitles are produced, for example, with the ScreenCas-O-Matic application or with another program (e.g. Adobe Premiere Pro). The finished subtitles are downloaded as a separate file (usually ending in .srt) and the file is attached to the video only after uploading to the Kaltura video service.
  • The size of the separate subtitles placed on top of the video always remains the same and remains readable, for example, on a mobile device.
• If you need to edit the subtitles afterwards, it is easy and fast through the video service.

An example of a video to which subtitles are attached only in the video service.

Burned subtitles, open captions

• Subtitles are burned in with a video editor (e.g. Screencast-O-Matic, Adobe Premiere Pro) and are always visible on the video.
• The size of the burned subtitle scales according to the video resolution and the size of the video viewing window. When you publish a video on a video service, the subtitles appear smaller, the higher the resolution of the video.
  • If you use Screencast-O-Matic: In order to make both the quality of the video and the size of the subtitles user-friendly, we recommend using Screencast-O-Matic to capture the video file with the highest possible resolution (so-called full window when recording the screen).
    • Before recording the video, set the video size, i.e. Canvas size, to 1280×720 p, in which case the video resolution is 720 HD.
• If the subtitle needs to be edited afterwards, it must be corrected with a video editor or other subtitle tool, the video file must be re-saved and re-uploaded to the video service.

An example of a video with subtitles burned into it. Video size 1920x1080p.

Other instructions

• Tips for producing high-quality subtitles
• Subtitler’s Checklist
• The Act on the Provision of Digital Services promotes accessibility
• 4 ways to create accessible video captions on Screencast-O-Matic
• Producing a subtitle file with Screencast-O-Matic

• Miksi saavutettava? (only in finnish)
• Videoiden saavutettavuuden parantaminen (only in finnish)

This guide was produced in the Disability and Accessibility sub-project of the DigiCampus project. The DigiCampus project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the sub-project is implemented by Häme University of Applied Sciences, the University of Jyväskylä and Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences.