Making Your Own Videos Accessible From the Start

Why early planning pays off

Access added at the very end of a project is possible, but it is often awkward. Text may collide with graphics, a key fact may appear only on screen, or poor audio may make captioning slow and error-prone. Thinking about these things during planning usually costs little and avoids rework.

This article is aimed at people making their own videos, whether for a small business, a classroom, a channel or a community group. It uses general advice and does not depend on any particular software.

Start with the script

A written script helps in several ways. It gives a reliable source for captions, which reduces the need to correct errors in automatic output. It also lets you check, line by line, whether anything depends on a visual alone.

• Say important information aloud as well as showing it. If a price, a date or a step appears only as text on screen, a listener who cannot see it misses it.
• Name things instead of pointing. “Click the green button at the top left” can be followed by more people than “click here”.
• Use clear sentence structure and avoid long, tangled sentences. They are easier to hear, read and translate.
• Spell out unusual names, terms and acronyms in the script, so that whoever creates captions can check them.

Think about the sound

Clear audio benefits every viewer, and it makes a large difference to caption accuracy. Automatic tools struggle with muffled or crowded recordings, and so do human listeners.

• Record in a quiet space where you can, and place the microphone close to the speaker.
• Avoid background music that competes with speech. If music is needed, keep it well below the voice.
• Let one person speak at a time. Overlapping speech is hard to caption and hard to follow.
• Speak at a steady pace and leave short pauses between ideas. Pauses also give room for any narrated description of visuals.

Further detail on how recording conditions affect automatic text appears in the article on audio quality.

Plan the visuals

Visual decisions determine whether text and description can fit.

• Leave space near the bottom of the frame for captions, and avoid putting key graphics or names there.
• Keep on-screen text on screen long enough to be read, and make it large with strong contrast against the background.
• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning, such as “the red items are urgent”.
• Avoid rapid flashing, which can be a risk for some viewers.
• Show faces and mouths clearly when people are speaking, since many viewers use them to support what they hear.

Plan the text elements

Decide early which text outputs you will provide and how.

1. Captions or subtitles. Decide whether you will write them yourself, use an automated tool and correct it, or hire a provider. Whatever you choose, someone should review the result. A short subtitle proofreading pass is often enough to catch the worst mistakes.
2. A transcript. If you have a script, a transcript may be partly ready already.
3. Audio description. If the picture carries information that is not spoken, consider describing it in the narration or providing a separate track.
4. Other languages. If you expect international viewers, think about how your wording will translate. Idiom-heavy or very fast speech is harder to adapt.

Automated tools can save time but are not error-free, particularly with names, accents and technical language. For material where accuracy matters, such as medical or legal content, have a qualified person check it.

Think about the format and delivery

How the video is published affects who can use it.

• Check that your hosting or player supports caption tracks and allows viewers to turn them on.
• Decide whether you also need permanent text in the image, for example for platforms that play silently.
• Keep the caption files and the final video together, with clear names and version labels.
• Provide a transcript or a text summary near the video where this makes sense.

Review before you publish

A short review with the final version helps catch problems that planning missed.

• Watch once with sound off. Can you follow the main points?
• Listen once with eyes closed or the screen hidden. Is anything essential missing?
• Check that the captions match what is said, appear in time, and do not cover important images.
• Try the video on a phone and a larger screen.
• If possible, ask someone who uses access features to try it and tell you what works.

Keep expectations realistic

No video is perfectly accessible to every person, and small teams have limited time. Starting with a few strong habits, such as a script, clean audio and reviewed captions, usually does more good than aiming for a perfect result. Accessibility rules that apply to your situation depend on where you are and what kind of organization you are, so check with the relevant authority or a qualified professional if you are unsure.

Over time these habits become part of the way you work, and each new video becomes easier to make accessible than the last.