Pre-Recorded Video Accessibility FAQs

What video content needs to be captioned?

All videos that are hosted on Georgetown University channels that allow video captioning files to be uploaded must include video captions. This currently includes YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo. Captions should be uploaded within 5 business days of posting a video.

Promoting or posting someone else’s videos on your channels that are not captioned should be avoided, as it is against the accessibility requirements. If you absolutely must post a video that is not captioned please email creativeservices@georgetown.edu to find out about available solutions.

How do I get captions and upload them?

There are many vendors that will provide caption files for your videos, with prices ranging from $1-$3/minute. We suggest Rev.com. *Make sure that you are ordering CAPTIONS, rather than subtitles or transcripts.

Once you have set up an account with Rev, you will be able to provide them with a link where your video is posted or upload the file. They will return a caption file to you within a few days, which will come as a .SRT file.

To upload this file to YouTube, follow the YouTube instructions.

To upload this file to Facebook, follow the Facebook instructions. 

To upload this file to Vimeo, follow the Vimeo instructions. 

We suggest skimming through your video once it is finished to make sure that the captions are accurate and are synced correctly.
It is possible to create your own captions for free on Youtube, but be aware this is a relatively time-consuming process.

What about auto-generated captions?

Auto-generated captions provided by platforms like Youtube are not sufficient as they are often inaccurate or incorrect. However, it is possible for you to manually edit the captions to correct typos and content.

What do I need to do for live streamed events?

Please read more about live streaming requirements.

What are audio descriptions? Do I need them?

Sometimes a video will contain important visual details that cannot be understood from the main audio track alone. Audio descriptions are an additional narration track added to your video to describe what’s happening on-screen to a visually impaired audience.

Audio descriptions are required for videos that are critical to a student’s on-campus experience or the application process (for example, online education videos or recruitment marketing videos). If you are unsure if your video requires audio descriptions you can reach out to creativeservices@georgetown.edu. Audio descriptions can be purchased from 3Play Media or other vendors.