How to Add Captions and Audio Description to Wistia Videos

March 4, 2020 BY ELISA LEWIS
Updated: April 20, 2021

blue video player iconWistia is a video software company that believes when businesses create an immersive viewing experience for viewers, it can build brand affinity. What better way to create an immersive viewing experience than with accessibility? 

Captioning and audio description are two great accessibility features to include with your video content. Not only does it help make your content more accessible, but it helps to make your video more engaging, digestible, and easier to listen to in sound-sensitive environments – just to name a few. 

At 3Play Media, we have a roundtrip integration with Wistia to make achieving video accessibility super easy. Our integration provides a seamless and automated workflow for captioning and describing your video content. However, whether or not you have an integration set up with Wistia, in this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you just how easy it is to add captions and audio description to your Wistia videos. 

 10 Tips for Making Web Video Accessible💡 

How to Add Captions to Wistia Videos

Manual Upload

The first way to add captions to your videos is by manually uploading an SRT file to your Wistia account. 

➡️ Step 1: Log into your 3Play Media account

3Play Media log in page

➡️ Step 2: Select the desired file you wish to download

Account System file pageNote: For this step, your video must already be transcribed. You can use our Quick Start Guide to learn how to caption your videos with 3Play. 

➡️ Step 3: Click the downward-facing arrow next to the download icon. 

download form on the 3Play account system
➡️ Step 4: Select the SRT file

download file format options in the 3Play account system

The SRT file will download to your computer drive.

➡️ Step 5: Log into your Wistia account

Wistia log in page

➡️ Step 6: Select the desired Wistia project

Wistia project

Click on the project containing the video you want to add captions to. 

➡️ Step 7: Select the video you’d like to add captions to

video page on Wistia

➡️ Step 8: Click Customize on the left-hand side

customize button on the left side of the video player

➡️ Step 9: Turn Captions on

customize tool bar. The captions options is the 10th option down

➡️ Step 10: Click Upload and then select the SRT file that was downloaded in Step 4

Wistia upload captions option with a red arrow pointing toward it

Order Captions Through Wistia

Now If you want to order captions directly from your Wistia account, you have the option to do that as well. With this option, you’ll be billed directly from Wistia.  

➡️ Step 1: Follow steps 5-9 of the “Manual Upload” instructions 

➡️ Step 2: Select Order SRT FIle

Wistia order captions option with a red arrow pointing toward it

 

This will bring up ordering options for captions. Keep in mind, you can only order captions if you have a paid Wistia plan.

➡️ Step 3: Select Professional Captions

professional captions order option from Wistia

You can check the Complete in One Business Day box if you’d like your captions to be completed in one business day for an additional cost. Otherwise, human-generated, 99% accurate captions will be completed in 4 business days. 

Once your captions are complete, Wistia will send you an email from [email protected] to notify you about your captions. 

Learn How to Make Your Web Video Accessible ✨

 

How to Add Audio Description to Wistia Videos

If you want to add audio description to your Wistia videos, you’ll have to manually upload an audio description file to your video in your Wistia account. 

➡️ Step 1: Log into your 3Play Media account

3Play Media log in page

➡️ Step 2: Order Captions and Audio Description

audio description order form in the 3Play account system

To order audio description, you’ll need to order captions as well. We do this to determine the spaces within the source audio to insert the descriptions. When ordering services, you can select both options of captioning and audio description on the order form. For full instructions on how to order captions and audio description through 3Play Media follow the step-by-step guide in the 3Play support doc.

If you’re file has already been captioned and described by 3Play, you can skip this step. 

➡️ Step 3: Select the desired file you wish to download

Account System file page

It’s important to note that Wistia only supports standard audio description and not extended audio description since the files have to be the same length as the video itself. For more information on standard and extended audio description, use this 3Play support doc

➡️ Step 4: Under the Audio Description section, click the Download icon 

download icon

 

➡️ Step 5: Choose a Mixed AD + Source Media Asset

download audio description assets page

Note: Wistia currently accepts MP3, OGG, and WAV for audio description files, so be sure to choose one of these options. These options will include both the source audio and the audio description. 

➡️ Step 6: Once you’ve downloaded your audio description file, log into your Wistia account and select the video you want to add description to. 

➡️ Step 7: Click Customize on the left-hand side

customize button on the left side of the video player

➡️ Step 8: Select Audio Description 

customize tool bar. The audio description option is the 11th option down

➡️ Step 9: Click Upload

audio description upload page

You can upload as many files as you’d like to accommodate descriptions in different languages. 

That’s it! For any questions or concerns please contact [email protected]


This white paper is designed to equip you with knowledge and current best practices necessary to make your web videos accessible to all users 🔽

Download the white paper: 10 Tips for Making Web Video Accessible.

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