Caption Videos Using Canvas Studio

While there are a wide range of use cases for Canvas Studio, this guide focuses on how to use Studio as a tool to add captions and transcripts to videos to ensure they meet accessibility requirements.

To jump to specific sections of this guide, use the links below:

Upload a Video to Canvas Studio

To upload a video to Canvas Studio, start by logging into Canvas. Then, using the main navigation, click on Studio.

Find and click + Create on the top right of the Studio page and select Add Media.

A dropdown menu opens from the blue "+ Create" button located next to search and filter options within the Canvas Studio interface. The menu lists three options: "Studio Capture," "Screencast-o-Matic," and "Add Media," with the final "Add Media" option highlighted in blue.

The user can add their video in one of two ways:

  1. Drag and drop the video file from your local computer into the part of the pop-up that says “Drag & Drop or Upload Media.“
  2. Click Browse Files and search your local computer for the video file.

Once your file is uploaded, it will appear in the My Library section of Studio.

Add, Review and Edit Captions

After a video has been recorded or uploaded using Canvas Studio, the user will receive an email indicating that automatic captions have been generated for the video. Once you receive this email notification, log into Canvas. Then, using the main navigation, click on Studio.

In the Canvas Studio Library, find and click on the video.

Beneath the video find and click on the Captions tab.

A screenshot from the Canvas LMS shows the navigation tabs for a Canvas Studio video. The available tabs are "Details," "Comments," "Insights," and "Captions." The "Captions" tab is currently selected, as indicated by a blue underline.

There should be a link indicating English captions have been generated for the video, and to the right of that link, the user should see “Not published.”

A screenshot of the Canvas Studio interface displays the "Captions" tab, which is currently active. The page is titled "Manage captions" and lists one caption entry for "English" with the status "Not published". A large, dark purple arrow points to the vertical three-dot options menu to the right of the "English" entry, indicating where a user would click to access more actions, such as editing the caption.

Click the 3 vertical dots icon to the right of “Not published” and select Review and Publish.

Note: It is essential for all users to review and publish their captions for accuracy.

On the screen that appears, the user will see caption text and timing on the left side and a video preview on the right. Press play on the video preview to see the captions along with the video.

A screenshot of the Canvas Studio caption editing interface shows two main panels. The left panel displays a searchable transcript with individual, editable caption lines next to their corresponding timestamps, such as "0:32 Let's do that again. Today we're going to explore" and "0:41 We're going to start by opening your browser.". The right panel contains a video player with standard playback controls, a settings gear, and a progress bar showing the current time "0:00 / 12:27". Below the video player, the instruction "Select a caption line to edit." is displayed, guiding the user on how to modify the captions.

While watching the video look for any misspellings, grammar errors or other caption content that needs to be edited.

If a caption needs to be edited, click into the caption text along the left of the screen. A text box will then appear under the video preview along the right.

A modal window titled "Edit caption" lets the user modify a specific caption line. A multi-line text box labeled "Caption Text" contains the editable text "Let's do that again. Today we're going to explore". Below the text box, two timestamp fields show the start and end times for the caption: "Appears At" is set to "00:00:31.89", and "Until" is set to "00:00:34.32". An "Edit..." link is located next to the timestamps, and a trash can icon for deleting the caption is in the top right corner of the window.

Click into the text box to make any desired text changes.

Click Edit next to the timings to adjust how long the caption appears on the screen.

Once the changes are made, verify the content along the left of the screen has been updated to match. Continue editing captions as needed.

If you notice a word that is misspelled and used frequently throughout the video, use the Search for feature along the top left of the screen.

Enter the misspelled word and press enter to find every instance of it in your captions. You can also enter the misspelled word, then click Replace… This allows you to replace all instances of the misspelled word with the correct word with the click of a button. Enter the correct spelling in the Replace with field. Then press Replace all.

A screenshot of the search and replace tool within the Canvas Studio caption editing interface features two text input fields labeled "Search for" and "Replace with," both showing placeholder text "Enter text." To the right of the replace field is a "Replace all" button, and below the search field is a checkbox labeled "Case-sensitive."

Once all captions have been updated, find and click Publish on the top right of the page.

The user can verify captions are now added to the video, by finding a CC icon along the bottom right of the video preview.

Note: Just because captions have been added to the video in Studio does not mean it is available to your students. You must also add the captioned video to your course.

If you previously added the video to a course, then added captions later, the captions will automatically appear on the video in your course.

Add the Captioned Video to a Canvas Course

To add a captioned Canvas Studio video to your Canvas course, start by visiting the desired course.

Click into the module, page, assignment or location where you would like to add the video and select Edit on the top right.

A screenshot of the "Assignment 2" page in the Canvas LMS displays details such as "No additional details were added," "Points None," and "Submitting Nothing." A large dark purple arrow points to the "Edit" button in the top right corner, which is situated between the "Assign To" button and a vertical three-dot options menu. Below these details, a table displays columns for "Due," "For," "Available from," and "Until," showing that the assignment is for "Everyone" but currently has no dates set.

In the text editor, click your cursor where you would like the video to be added. Then find and click the Plug icon along the top of the editor and select Canvas Studio.

A screenshot of the Rich Content Editor (RCE) within the Canvas LMS displays a dropdown menu opened from the toolbar. The menu is accessed via a button with an icon resembling a power plug and a downward arrow. Within the menu, the option "Canvas Studio" is highlighted in a dark purple color. Other options listed in the menu are "Commons Favorites" and "Interactive Content - H5P". The RCE toolbar above the dropdown shows additional icons for text formatting, such as alignment and lists.

If Canvas Studio does not appear as an option, click View All. Then, find and select Canvas Studio.

Select the desired video.

The user then has the option of whether or not to display Basic Media Tabs. If left toggled on, students will see a tab that will allow them to leave comments on the video. If this is not desired, toggle this feature off.

Once the desired settings are in place, click Embed Media.

Make any other needed updates to the content editor. Then, press Save or Save and publish at the bottom of the page.

  • Save– saves the content. If the content is already published, it will publish all new content. If the content is not published, it will save the content without publishing it.
  • Save and publish – saves the content and publishes it so it is visible to students.

Additional Resources