Video

1. Go into the “Details” of your video in the back end of YouTube.  
2. Click the “Subtitles” editor on the list of options on the right side.  
   • Look here first. If it’s empty, do the following:  
3. Click the “Languages” button on the left side.  
4. Click the “Edit subtitles” above the list of translations.  
5. The window that opens shows editable text. You can make your changes here, or... 
   • Click the three vertical dots to the left of the “Edit timings” button and choose the “Download subtitles” option. 
   • This will download a file that can be opened and edited with any simple text editor. (useful if the person who needs to check the file does not have access to your YouTube channel)  
6. If you edit right in the YouTube window, hit the “Publish” button when you are finished.  
7. If you downloaded a copy and now have a corrected version on your computer, you can upload your corrected version by clicking the “Upload file” option under the three vertical dots. You can also upload the same file from the “Subtitles” editor from the Details window. (see 1 and 2 above)  
8. You will be asked if your file includes “timing” - check the appropriate option.  
   • If your file includes timestamps for each line of text, check the “With timing” option, if not check the “Without timing” option. YouTube will figure out the captions to video timing if you don’t have the timing timestamps.  

If you send your videos to the Web and Social Media staff, we will upload them to YouTube and send you the auto generated caption file to edit. 

Once edited, send it back to us and we'll update the captions with the corrected file. 

Tips

• Check the spelling of proper names and acronyms. 
• Add the full name of an acronym the first time it is used. 
• Remove the "ums" 
• Credit speakers
• Check punctuation. 
• If you are sending a downloaded a zoom video make sure you download the transcript as well. The corrected transcript can be used to create the captions in YouTube.

Note: SMC will not display a video on the website that does not have properly formatted captions. 

Embedding or "buring" the captions directly into the video is not recommended unless it is for social media.

YouTube allows accessible captions to be toggled on and off when they are needed. Embedded captions are: 

• Not accessible for people with vision or hearing impairments.
• Not flexible for visual learners who will not be able to adjust font styles.
• Not adjustable for English Language Learners who may try to translate the English captioning.

Does your video need an audio description?

Here's a test:

1. Cover your eyes and listen to the video without looking at it.
2. If you can follow the narrative without seeing it, you should be okay.

Resources

• Audio Descriptions
• How to Create Audio Description for YouTube with YouDescribe
• How do I add audio descriptions to YouTube or Vimeo videos?

The Web and Social Media office help you create your YouTube Channel. and in some circumstances, can also grant access to the main SMC YouTube channel. 

• Use SMC's district’s official YouTube account. Contact websocialmedia@smc.edu to get started and move onto the next step:  Create a Google Account with Your SMC Email.
• If you have an existing separate YouTube channel, use your SMC email address as the official contact email and connect it with the SMC's district’s official YouTube account. Contact websocialmedia@smc.edu to get started.

Please reference the SMC Social Media Guide and check the information under the "Are You In Control?" heading. 

1. Go to youtube.com and click SIGN IN.
2. On the bottom right, click Create account.
3. A dropdown menu will appear. Select For myself.
4. Add your First name and Last name.
5. For username, use your full SMC email.
   • Format: lastname_firstname@smc.edu.
   • Instructions: Create a Google Account
   • Note: Do not use your personal email. If your account is hacked, hackers will be able to access the SMC YouTube channel and other apps. Our SMC assets will be compromised. And IT cannot help you secure the account.
6. Add a Password and re-enter it to Confirm
7. Enter code sent to your SMC email. The email is called “Verify your email address” from Google.
   • If you didn’t get a verification email in your inbox, it may be in the spam or junk folder. 
8. Add an SMC Cell Phone number or an SMC email address for security.
9. Secure your account with 2-step verification.

Please reference the SMC Social Media Guide and check the information under the "Are You In Control?" heading.