Video for education

Tips of producing accessible videos

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How to produce accessible videos:

  • Make sure videos have quality audio, displayed time lengths, accurate closed captions & downloadable text transcripts. If the audio quality is low, captioning services may find it difficult to accurately transcribe the video.
  • Obtain closed captions from services like Otter.ai, from YouTube Studio, or from Zoom. Edit the captions text file for accuracy, fixing typos. Here is a blog post about Using YouTube Studio to obtain captions for your video.
  • Create text transcripts from the captions and include audio descriptions of visuals used in the presentation. If you used Zoom, you may already have been provided with a separate transcript file. The main difference is that captions include timings and are more machine readable than transcripts. Text transcripts are more human readable and usually don’t include timings. See how to download captions from YouTube that can be converted into transcripts in this blog article about YouTube captions. If downloading captions from YouTube to convert to transcripts, be sure to choose the ‘remove timestamps’ option.

Benefits of including closed captions and text transcripts:

  • Providing good audio quality and accurate captions not only improves user experience for everyone but can be especially important for individuals with total or partial hearing loss.
  • Providing accurate video transcripts allows screen readers to access information that deaf-blind participants cannot access through audio or video alone.
  • Providing multiple ways to access content supports different learning styles and removes barriers to access. For example, just posting a video without captions would leave out people with hearing disabilities. But by adding closed captions and transcripts, we can lift that barrier to access making the video content available to a wider audience.

Uploading captions to video hosting services:

  • Most video hosting services accept captions in .srt format. Be sure to export to that format from your captioning service. Captions are different from text transcriptions in that they contain machine readable timings. A video hosting service uses those timings to sync with video playback.
  • If using MediaSite, choose: ‘Manually upload a captions file’ under Audio Transcriptions under the Delivery sub-tab. Then choose your captions file to upload. Then choose the language of the captions file (usually English). See the Captioning your Presentation article for more information about MediaSite captioning options. Below is a screen of adding a captions file to a video in MediaSite.
    Screenshot of uploading a captions files and choosing a captions language in MediaSite
  • If using YouTube, you can use YouTube Studio to auto-generate captions (see this blog post for more info). Or you can upload a captions file that you obtained another service, like Otter.ai.
    In YouTube Studio, From the left menu, select Subtitles. Then choose the video you want to edit. Click ADD LANGUAGE and select your language. Then under "Subtitles", click ADD to upload a captions file. Find out more in this YouTube help article about captioning or in this blog post.
    Automated YouTube captions are a good starting point, but should be edited for automated language issues. The captions can be downloaded and annotated for use as a transcript. See the CFAES Webinar Accessibility article for more information. YouTube Studio provides the capability to edit your captions in-app and so do other services like Otter.ai. Below is a screen of finding auto generated captions in YouTube Studio. Screenshot showing where to find auto generated captions in YouTube Studio.

Recording in Zoom

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Zoom can be a convenient way to record your screen if high resolution isn’t desired. If you just what to record a presentation with no live audience, you can start a recording in your personal meeting room and share a screen with your PowerPoint. There are two ways to record a Zoom meeting: a Cloud Recording or a Local Recording.

How to create Cloud Recording in a Zoom meeting:

  • Log into https://osu.zoom.us/ with your name.# and university password.
  • Start a meeting as the host.
  • Click the Record button in the Zoom toolbar.
  • Select Record to the Cloud to begin recording.
  • To stop recording, click Pause/Stop Recording or End Meeting.
  • When you are done with the meeting, click Stop and the recording will be queued for processing.

Zoom will send an email to the host’s email address when processing is complete. See Ohio State’s Manage CarmenZoom Cloud Recordings guide for additional information about managing your cloud recordings. These recordings only stored for 120 days. For longer-term storage, you could move your recordings to video hosting like MediaSite.

How to create a Local Recording in a Zoom meeting:

  • Login to https://osu.zoom.us/ with your name.# and university password.
  • Start a meeting as the host.
  • Click the Record button in the Zoom toolbar.
  • Select Record on this Computer to begin recording.

An advantage of a local recording might be that you get more direct access to the .mp4 video file, in case you want to edit it with video project software like Adobe Premiere Pro.

For more information about managing local recordings check out these support articles:

Video about recording in Zoom in general:

More resources about recording in Zoom:

  • See this CarmenZoom Recordings article for more information about Zoom use at Ohio State.
  • See this Info about the resolution of recorded video from Zoom article for recording resolution options. By default, Zoom records at a resolution of 640 x 360px at 25 frames per second. However, it is possible to change the resolution to HD by selecting the HD option in the camera settings. The recording resolution is affected by the resolution of the video and the network bandwidth. If you need a higher resolution for creating an educational video, you might consider another recording app like MediaSite Moasic. The maximum resolution of Zoom recordings when all conditions are good is 1280 x 720px.
  • See this page for more about Video Resolutions from the Zoom Community.

Using YouTube Studio to obtain captions for your video

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Paid captioning services like Otter.ai are nice, but if you don’t have access to another captioning resource, YouTube Studio can be used to auto-caption a video for free.

Steps to upload a video to YouTube Studio for free auto-captioning:

  • Go to your YouTube channel in YouTube Studio: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/
  • Click ‘Create > Upload Videos’ and choose the video(s) you want to upload with ‘Select Files’.
  • After it has been processed, choose the video you want to obtain captions from, from your list of videos.
  • Scroll down, find the Subtitles link, and click on it.
  • You’ll see ‘English (Automatic)’ for the automated captions track.

Here is some info about how to download your captions from YouTube:

Now you have a captions file to go along with your .mp4 video. You can upload the .srt file to other video hosting like MediaSite. Find your subtitles.srt file in your Downloads folder and edit it for accuracy in a text editor.  Now you are able to use it in another video hosting service like MediaSite.

Video about obtaining captions from YouTube Studio:

Here are some other resources related to obtaining captions from YouTube Studio:

Recording in MediaSite Mosaic

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MediaSite Mosaic replaces the older Desktop Recorder app as MediaSite’s lecture capture tool. The Mosaic app is streamlined and easier to use than the old Desktop Recorder. It can be used for capturing lecture video for online or hybrid courses. Some instructors take a ‘flipped classroom’ approach where lectures are assigned as homework and the synchronous course meetings are used for discussion and active learning. With MediaSite Mosaic, .mp4 video files can be automatically uploaded to the MediaSite video hosting system or edited with 3rd party video editing software.

Here is some information about adjusting settings before recording, recording your presentation, and renaming & editing presentations.

Adjusting settings before recording:

  • After launching MediaSite Mosaic choose which screen or window you want to record. As with recording in PowerPoint you can choose if you want to record your webcam or not.
  • Click the Microphone icon to select the mic that you want to use.
  • Click the Display Source icon under the Capture tab to choose which screen or window you want to record.
  • Click the Webcam icon in case you want to record your cam.

Recording your presentation:

  • To begin recording, click the red Record button at the bottom of the screen.
  • Click the Pause button if you want to take a break.
  • Click the Stop button when you are done.

Renaming and editing your presentations:

  • Go to the Presentations tab to find the presentations you have recorded.
  • By default, they are named ‘Untitled”. Click the three-dot menu beside a video and click ‘Rename’ to give it a different name. If you have connected your Mosaic app to Ohio State MediaSite your presentations will be automatically uploaded there. If one hasn’t uploaded yet, you can choose ‘Upload’ under the three-dot menu beside the video.
  • If you want to edit your presentation .mp4 video file locally with video editing software, you can find the .mp4 by selecting ‘Open in Explorer’ from the three-dot menu beside the video. You could create a copy of the file and move it into an Adobe Premiere Pro project to edit.

Video about recording with MediaSite Mosaic:

Here are some other videos and tutorials related to recording with MediaSite Mosaic, the desktop recorder:

Recording in PowerPoint

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MS PowerPoint can be used for capturing lecture video for online or hybrid courses. Some instructors take a ‘flipped classroom’ approach where lectures are assigned as homework and the synchronous course meetings are used for discussion and active learning. Recording lectures in PowerPoint has become much easier and more streamlined in recent years and can produce standard .mp4 video files for posting in a video hosting system like MediaSite.

To record narration in a PowerPoint presentation follow these steps:

  1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and go to the slide where you want to record from.
  2. In the SlideShow ribbon, go to ‘Record > Current Slide’ (in newer versions of PowerPoint you can also to go the Record ribbon and choose ‘Current Slide’.
  3. Go to the three dot menu to check that your desired microphone is selected. You can also select a web cam there is you want.
  4. Click the Record button to begin recording. If you make a mistake, you can retake the recording on the current slide.

To export your video for video hosting or sharing:

  1. Go to ‘File > Export Create a Video’
  2. For most presentations, choose ‘Full HD (1080p)’ for the video size, choose ‘Use recorded timing and narrations’, and click ‘Create Video’.
  3. Choose a filename and location to save your .mp4 video file. You can later edit this file with video software or upload it to video hosting like MediaSite.

Video about recording in PowerPoint

Here are some other videos and tutorials related to Recording in PowerPoint:

Video editing & video filming resources

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General video for education resources:

Checkout EHE’s Multimedia for Learning page on their website. There are some good articles in there about using multimedia in education.

Creating a Course Introduction Video –
Look Great in Video Conferences –
Getting Started with Adobe Spark –
– Includes How to Create An Infographic With Adobe Spark Post
Getting Started with Adobe Premiere Rush –
Recording Quality Voice Overs –

From the podcasts channel:
What is podcasting? (0:17):

What is ‘lecture capture’ and screencasting?

Lecture capture is the process of recording classroom lectures as videos and making them available for students to review after the class. The term ‘lecture capture’ is in reality quite broad and can be used to describe a variety of solutions, software, and hardware (from screen recording software to recording with web cams or other external cameras). In the flipped classroom paradigm, instructors record lectures for students to watch as homework and in-person class time is used for discussion and active learning activities. Lecture capture is not always intended as a replacement for in-class instruction, but it does enhance the learning experiences of students. Some lecture capture solutions include TechSmith Camtasia, TechSmith Relay, MediaSite, Panopto, and Echo360. See this Techsmith article to learn more abot lecture capture.

Here are some lecture capture resources and screencasting at Ohio State:

The MediaSite video hosting service from OTDI includes the Mosaic desktop recorder. It’s a screencast recorder that can record at higher resolutions than Zoom. Here is some information from OTDI’s teaching resources center about downloading the MediaSite Mosaic recorder.

Also see the EHE tips on Screencasting from the Education and Human Ecology Office of Distance Education and Learning Design

Recording with Zoom – video tutorials and more information coming soon
During the pandemic a lot of people became familiar with recording with the teleconferring app called Zoom. Here’s some information from OTDI’s teaching resources center about Zoom Recordings (cloud recordings or local device recordings). The only disadvantage of using Zoom to record screencast is that it doesn’t always record at a higher resolution so if you require a high definition video you might consider another lecture capture option.

Here is some information from OTDI’s teaching resources center about inporting Zoom recordings into Mediasite’s video hosting. Zoom video have a 120 day rentention limit, so for longer term storage it’s a good practice to upload Zoom videos to MediaSite.

Filming with camcorders and smartphones:

Using your smartphone as a camcorder to film video – The video resolution and quality that smartphones can film at these days is comparable to traditional camcorders. This video mentions some video filming accessories you can use with your smartphone like tripod mounts and light-boxes. A new photo/video light-box recently was built for this video. You can create your own by following this YouTube tutorial.

Removing the SD card from your smartphone to transfer .mp4 video files – This is part of a series of editing video tutorials intended to help educators learn more about different ways of filming videos for their projects.

Video tutorial about transferring .mp4 video files from a Cannon camcorder – Covers using a Cannon R600 camcorder to record to SD card and transfering video files via to a laptop for editing.

Filming 360 videos with an Insta360 OneX camera – video tutorial and more information coming soon
360 videos and still panoramas can be used in H5P Virtual Tours.
See this Creating an H5P Virtual Tour tutorial for more information about this form of VR (virtual reality). Hotspots linking to 360 videos or regular 2D videos can be added to H5P virtual tours.

High Production Video Creation workshop recording from Ohio State Extension LOD covering filming with camcorders and DSLR cameras.The camcorder form factor typically has a longer zoom capibily while DSLR cameras have more add-on lens options.

Using a GoPro style camera to film video – video tutorial and more information coming soon

Video filming accessories:

Phohoto/video light-box:

A photo/video light-box a great accessory to enhance your photography and videos. You can create your own by following this YouTube tutorial.
Materials list:

  • Cardboard box
  • Sheer interfacing fabric – for the light diffuser sides
  • White poster board – for the infinite curve background

overhead tripod CAD drawing

Standard tripods and overhead tripods – more information coming soon

Blogging Tips: Perfect Pictures and Easy Videos with your I-phone is an article that mentions how to build photo light-boxes and overhead tripods for holding phones and cameras.

Some materials you would need to build an overhead tripod out of PVC pipe include:

  • 10′ of 3/4″ PVC pipe
  • 3 Elbows
  • 2 T Connectors
  • 2 Caps (just for looks)
  • Package of screws size: 1/4″ 20 x 1/2″

Smartphone mounts for tripods – more information coming soon

You can obtain smartphone mounts for tripods from electronics stores like Microcenteror B&H Photo.

Microphones – more information coming soon

Green screens and backdrops – more information coming soon

Camera bags – more information coming soon

Editing Videos with Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is available to OSU employees as art of the Adobe Creative Cloud license. Premiere Pro offers more advanced editing capabilities for creating highly engaging video content for more experienced video producers.

Useful things to know about Premiere video tutorial – a video covering some tips and tricks when editing videos with Adobe Premiere Pro.

Adobe Premiere Pro video production workshop recording from Ohio State Extension LOD. This hour long session covered the basics of using Adobe Premiere Pro.

Information about other Adobe video editing apps:

The spectrum of Adobe video editing apps:

  • Adobe Spark Video – basic, easy video editing – used for posting quick videos.
  • Adobe Premiere Rush – easier to use than Premiere Pro, more capable than Spark – more flexible then Spark video but less capable then Premiere Pro.
    Here’s an Intro to Adobe Premiere Rush workshop recording from Ohio State Extension LOD covering the basics of using Rush.
  • Adobe Premiere Pro – professional level video editing but more difficult to learn how to use – used by video editors across campus and in other organizations.
  • Adobe After Effects – Hollywood level motion graphics composting app – used by motion graphics animators who want to composite a large number of tracks together.

Stock audio, video, and photos for video creators

Music is great to include in videos but you would have to pay to use copywrited music.

The YouTube Audio Library is a good resource to find roalty-free music to use in your videos.

Pre-production: Planning for Video recording workshop from Ohio State Extension LOD exploring pre-production strategies. Pre-production may include gathering assets like stock images & b-roll and using storyboard templates to plan scenes.

Video and multimedia accessbility considerations

Uploading captions to your MediSite video – a screencast of uploading captions to your MediSite video.

Video Accessibility Considerations – a presentation about accessibility considerations to think about when creating video content.

Here is some information from OTDI’s teaching resources center about Captioning your presentation for MediaSite.

Here is recording of a digital accessibility training session from OSU Extension LOD about video and audio accessibility. LOD is the Learning and Organizational Development group in Ohio State Extension.

 

 

Notes about using Adobe Spark Video

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Adobe Spark was used to create educational videos for the FCS Real Money Real World virtual program and the Extension sustainably committee used it to create Sustainable Action videos. Here are some instructions you can follow to create a new video presentation based on a Spark presentation template.

Adobe Spark Video Instructions:

To get started making Adobe Spark video presentations:

Login at: https://spark.adobe.com/sp/ with your ‘school’ account (your university login).

To create a new branded presentation from a project shared with you (using the shared project like a template):

  • From the home screen go to: ‘Projects > Shared with You’.
  • Then click ‘Duplicate’ from the three-dot menu on a project that you would like to use as a template. Spark then copies the duplicate to your ‘Your Projects’ area. If you’re not using a shared project to create a copy for a new presentation you can work directly on the shared project. Be sure to let others working on that project know what you are updating.

To edit your new project from a template:

  • Go to ‘Your Projects’ and find the project that was copied there.
  • Hover over the project and click ‘Edit project’.

To create a new slide and record audio narration:

  • Click the ‘+’ button to add a new slide.
  • Press and hold the microphone button to record audio on that slide. Release the mic button when you are done speaking.
  • You can also choose a music background track from the available options.
  • You can reorder your slides by dragging and dropping them.
  • If you want to duplicate a slide you can hover over it and choose ‘Duplicate’.

To edit slide text:

  • Click on the existing slide text to edit it or add another text block.
  • Click and drag on a text box for alignment options.

To preview your video, click the ‘Preview’ button. You can also start playing from a particular slide from it’s the ‘Play’ button which gives you a limited preview.

Editing slide theme and layout:

  • Click on ‘Split Screen’ under the available layouts on the right to divide the slide into two sides.
  • When using the Split Screen Layout for a slide, you can hover over it and swap one side with the other using the ‘Swap items’ button.
  • Click on ‘Medium’ under themes to give the slide a scarlet background instead of white.
  • Use the ‘+’ button to search for an icon to insert.
  • Click and drag on a text box for alignment options.

Exporting your video presentation and adding captions:

  • In your list of videos, hover over your presentation and choose ‘Download’ from the three-dot menu. Spark will take you to a screen showing the progress of your video download. At first it will say ‘Preparing your video download’. The video will download in the .mp4 standard format which can be used in MediaSite or YouTube hosting.
  • Uploading the video to the Otter.ai service is one way of getting the .srt caption files that MediaSite likes. Be sure to edit auto-generated captions to improve accuracy.
  • Choose the video hosting platform that works best for your project and your department. The Real Money Real World (RMRW) videos had been uploaded to the OSU Extension professionals YouTube channel. Videos in the FCS Successful Co-Parenting course were hosted in Ohio State’s lecture hosting system, MediaSite. You cannot host videos directly in a Canvas course because each course shell has a limited file storage quota.

Collaboration with teams and colleagues:

  • To share a Spark project with a colleague, click the ‘Share’ button at the top.
  • Then choose ‘Invite’ and type in their email address.
  • You can collaborate on the same Spark project or create a duplicate of their project to use as a template for a new project of your own.

Last updated on: 7/13/21.

Video about recording with Adobe Spark Video

Resources about recording in Adobe Spark Video: