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• Audio Description

Does Your Video Need Extended or Standard Description?

Aj Beltis

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March 19, 2025

If you’re trying to make your videos more accessible, you’re probably looking into perfecting their audio descriptions. 

However, creating audio descriptions is no easy feat. Audio describers often have to make difficult choices and judgment calls. They must decide what to describe, when to describe, and how to describe visual content to ensure a video is accessible. This task is especially difficult when you have a lot of content to describe, but only a second or two to voice that description. 

These considerations frequently create a dilemma for audio describers – how can I provide accurate and high-quality descriptions in an appropriate amount of time? 

Here’s where extended audio description comes in – and it’s a useful option for those who both create and consume video content with audio descriptions. 

But before we get to that, let’s dive into the necessity that is audio description.

Download the FREE Beginner’s Guide to Audio Description

What is Audio Description?

Audio description is the translation of visual images to audible language for the primary benefit of people who are blind or have low vision. It describes what’s being portrayed on-screen so people who have trouble seeing a screen can understand what actions are occurring, what facial expressions are being shown, and what the background scenery looks like – among other key visuals. 

Audio description’s main purpose is to make content accessible to a wider audience. In our Allied episode about the what, how, and why of audio description, Dr. Joel Snyder explains the considerations that go into writing successful descriptions:

“We have to limit what we describe out of necessity, and because it’s better description if we really try to understand we’re in service to the people listening and to the people who have created the art form we’re working with. So if we’re really listening, we’re really observing, we tell what’s most critical to an understanding of the image.

Sometimes a visual element that’s not even very prominent is important because it shows up later in the film, or a particular act or action is foreshadowed that way. We want to know what’s going on in the artist’s head and pick up on that.”

When Is Audio Description Necessary in a Video?

As a general guideline, audio description should be used when there is information portrayed through visual means that is required for understanding. 

For instance: on-screen text, changes in speaker, facial expressions, costumes, and scene changes all give context that helps us better understand and enjoy content. If these elements are not audio-described, a viewer who cannot see the screen will have trouble comprehending the content. 

While this guideline may sound simple, the specific needs for description vary case by case. For example, a movie trailer with little dialogue will have plenty of room for descriptions, while an advanced physics lecture with heavy dialogue may not have enough natural pauses to effectively describe what’s happening on-screen. 

Luckily, there are options when it comes to what type of audio description is best for your content. This is where standard vs. extended audio description comes into play.

Standard Audio Description

Standard audio description allows snippets of narration to be interspersed within the natural pauses in dialogue of the original content. This type of audio description works very well for videos that have lengthy pauses in dialogue, and a limited amount of visual detail that needs to be described or do not contain any speech. Standard audio description may be the only option for videos that absolutely cannot have their duration changed, including most broadcast content. 

When done well, audio descriptions enhance the original piece rather than distract from it. With standard audio description, the describer can add concise descriptions of the visual content where space allows, like the example below. You’ll notice that the original video source plays continuously, and information is described in the pauses throughout.  One thing to keep in mind for standard audio description is that the requirement to only add descriptions where there are spaces in the audible speech may lead to surprising results regarding which details are described, how concise the descriptions are, and exactly when in the video timeline they appear. For example, it is better to describe the most important details a little earlier or later than to skip those details entirely.

Extended Audio Description

Videos that lack natural pauses or contain an excess of important visual information can be tricky to describe without interrupting the original audio or exceeding the duration of the frame being described. In these cases, extended audio description is necessary. 

Unlike standard audio description, extended audio description is not constrained to the natural pauses of a video, but rather allows you to pause the original source content to make room for description as needed.

Some situations where extended audio description might be required include:

• Text-heavy videos, like recordings of slideshows or lectures.
• Dialogue-heavy videos, as audio description shouldn’t drown out what people are saying. 
• Noisy videos containing important music or sound, as audio description could detract from these elements. 
• Videos with short cuts and/or extremely detailed frames. Otherwise, by the time an audio description for that shot is complete, the video may already be on the next cut. 
• Videos adhering to WCAG 2.2 Level AAA, which requires extended audio description – when necessary – for accessibility compliance. 

The video below features extended description. When you press play, the video and description begin playing. Then, the source video pauses temporarily while the description continues. After that portion of the description is complete, the video resumes playing again. This happens several times throughout the video. 

Take a look!

If your video doesn’t have enough space to fit a standard audio description, extended is the way to go. 

3Play’s Process

Learn About 3Play Media’s Audio Description Services 

At 3Play Media, we offer white glove support at every step of the process to ensure all of your media accessibility needs are met – especially with our audio description services. These services come with plenty of flexibility in involvement from humans and AI to provide the ideal AD for your videos. 

When placing an order for audio description, you will first choose the speaker type if your account settings allow for it. You’ll be able to choose between AI-generated synthesized speech or a voice artist. 

Next, you’ll have the option to select standard or extended audio description. You’ll also notice a “choose for me” option. 

Your writing can be done either by human describers or entirely by AI – the same as with your voicework. The option for AI lets you balance the cost and timeline of your project while ensuring a quality recording every time.  

3Play’s recommendation is an automated process that evaluates the audio track of your video for natural pauses in speech. This process doesn’t take into consideration any visual aspects of your video; it’s merely a gauge of how much space is available in your audio track for description. 

If minimal audio is detected throughout the video, your file will process at the standard level. If a high volume of audio is detected, your file will be processed with extended audio description. If you’re ordering audio description from a file that has already been transcribed, the recommended audio description level will be visible directly on the file. However, if you’re ordering audio description at the same time that you order transcription, you won’t see the recommended level before the file is complete.

Regardless of the service level your video requires, adding audio description to your videos makes your content more accessible and provides many additional benefits for your audience

Learn More About Audio Description

About the author

Aj Beltis

The post Does Your Video Need Extended or Standard Description? appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

How To Create and Add Audio Description for Vimeo Videos

3Play Media

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February 9, 2024

Create Audio Description for Your Vimeo Videos

Vimeo now supports multiple audio tracks on videos, meaning it is possible to add audio description (AD) to your Vimeo videos!

Audio description, also known as descriptive audio or video description, provides narration of relevant visual information in a video and is an accommodation for blind and low vision viewers. Audio description is required by law for some content in the U.S. and Canada. Learn more about audio description standards and compliance.

Want to ensure your Vimeo content reaches the millions of people with blindness or low vision? Read on to learn how to create and add audio descriptions for your Vimeo videos.

Step 1: Order Audio Description

Begin by logging into your 3Play Media account. Don’t have an account? Learn how to get started with 3Play.

To order audio description, you must first order transcription.

Select Order Services at the top of the screen, and select Transcription & Captioning as your main service. Choose your preferred turnaround time, and click next to continue.

Select Audio Description as an additional service. Choose your preferred service level and turnaround time, then click next.

Select the method you are going to use to upload your video. You can upload directly from your computer or utilize another upload method.

From Links can be a great option for Vimeo videos, especially those you don’t own. Copy and paste the video URL, click Add Files, then hit next.

You can also select a file from a connected Vimeo account by choosing your video file under Vimeo.

Once you have uploaded your video through your preferred method, it’s time to review and submit.

• If you already have a transcribed file from a Vimeo video in your account, navigate to the file for which you want audio description, click on the file name, choose Order More when the menu appears on the right of the screen, and choose Audio Description. Follow the prompts to place your order.
• If you already have an audio description file from a Vimeo video in your account, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Add Your Audio Description File to Your Vimeo Video

Once your 3Play Media audio description file is finished and downloaded, you can either upload your Vimeo video with the audio description track embedded (recommended for videos with extended AD) or you can add the audio description to your Vimeo video as a separate track.

Note that Vimeo allows one additional audio track per uploaded video for Free subscription plans. Paid Vimeo subscribers can add up to 20 audio tracks per uploaded video.

Here are the steps:

1. Sign in to your Vimeo account
2. Select your video in your Vimeo library to open the video settings page
3. Select Captions on the left side of the page
4. Select Audio tracks
5. Choose the language the original audio is in from the dropdown menu
6. Click the plus sign button (+) to upload your audio description file or use the drag and drop option. Vimeo supports WAV, M4A, AAC, and MP3 audio file formats for audio tracks.
7. Choose your file’s Language and choose “Audio description” for the Type
8. The file will upload and become available for viewers to choose from the player

DIY Method

Choosing to create descriptions yourself can take ample time and effort. However, depending on your workflow, this may be a suitable option for your organization.

First, you’ll want to create an audio description transcript. The transcript is a text document that includes both the descriptions of the visual elements and the captions of the original audio. 

The audio description transcript will allow blind and low vision viewers to use their screen readers. Not only will they understand the original spoken audio, but they’ll also be able to get a picture of what’s being visually depicted in the video.

While DIY audio descriptions are better than having none at all, it’s best to have the descriptions in the actual video because it improves the viewer experience. Blindness isn’t all or nothing. In fact, many blind people still have some vision, even if it may be a small percentage. A transcript does not allow viewers to watch the video and read it simultaneously.

However, you could use this transcript to record the descriptions for your video! When you have the timecodes of the captions, you’ll know precisely where the natural pauses between the dialogue are located. This will make recording the descriptions simpler, since you know exactly where they should go.

If you decide to go with an audio description transcript instead of recording the audio description and adding it in the video, we recommend putting it in the description box below the video or linking it to a separate URL. 

Using the 3Play Plugin with Vimeo

If you are seeking robust audio description and video accessibility capabilities, 3Play Media’s Plugin is another great option for publishing audio description.

The 3Play Plugin remains available as we continue to build out the functionality of our new Access Player. If you’re looking for extended audio description support, the 3Play Plugin integrates with Vimeo and intelligently pauses the source video content until the description is complete before resuming play.

Using the 3Play Plugin

Once you have a completed Audio Description file from a Vimeo video, click on the file you want to publish. Select Publish from the top right window, then Publish Plugin. The plugin menu will open. Select Audio Description and any other features you want included in your plugin, and choose Vimeo as your video player. You will see a preview on the left side of the menu window.

Next, copy the single line embed code provided, and paste it into the bodyof your HTML.

Your video will now appear with the audio description plugin underneath. You can toggle the audio description on or off and change the volume of the description separately from the volume of your original audio track. Try it out:

Make your Vimeo videos accessible! Get started today with audio description:

About the author

3Play Media

The post How To Create and Add Audio Description for Vimeo Videos appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

How to Create Audio Description for YouTube Videos

3Play Media

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October 13, 2023

Create Audio Description for YouTube Videos

More than 1 billion hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day.

71% of people with disabilities leave a website immediately if it’s not accessible.

You don’t have to be a mathematician to understand these stats and their implications. If you want your YouTube videos to reach their full potential, you need to make them accessible with captions and audio description.

But how?

Until 2023, YouTube didn’t support audio description in the same way it supported captions. For captions, users could upload an SRT file with their video, but there was no similar solution for audio description. This meant that if a user was going to add audio description, it had to be embedded into the video and uploaded as one version.

However, YouTube recently launched the ability to add audio description tracks to videos—a win for media accessibility! While the audio description capabilities are not available to all users yet, YouTube indicates that they will continue to roll this feature out to more creators.

If you want your content to reach the millions of people who are blind or have low vision, keep reading to learn how to create and add audio description to YouTube videos.

Step 1: Order Audio Description

Begin by logging into your 3Play Media account.

To order audio description, you must first order transcription.

Select Order Services at the top of the screen, and select Transcription & Captioning as your main service. Choose your preferred turnaround time, and click next to continue.

Select Audio Description as an additional service. Choose your preferred service level and turnaround time, then click next.

Select the method you are going to use to upload your video. From Links is a great option for YouTube videos, especially those you don’t own. Copy and paste the video URL, click Add Files, then hit next.

Review and submit.

• If you already have a transcribed file from a YouTube video in your account, navigate to the file for which you want audio description, click on the file name, choose Order More when the menu appears on the right of the screen, and choose Audio Description. Follow the prompts to place your order.
• If you already have an audio description file from a YouTube video in your account, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Add Your Audio Description File to Your YouTube Video

Once you have your 3Play Media audio description file, you can either upload your YouTube video with the audio description track embedded or, if you have the ability, add the audio description to your YouTube video as a separate track. Here are the steps:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio on your computer.
2. From the left menu, select Subtitles.
3. Click the video that you’d like to edit.
4. Click ADD LANGUAGE and select your language.
5. Under “Audio,” click ADD.
6. Click SELECT FILE.
7. Choose which file to upload. Files must be in a supported audio-only file format and roughly the same length as your video.
8. Click PUBLISH when you’re ready to upload your audio track.

DIY Method

Choosing to create descriptions yourself will take ample time and effort. However, depending on your workflow, this may be a suitable option for your organization.

First, you’ll want to create an audio description transcript. The transcript is a text document that includes both the descriptions of the visual elements and the captions of the original audio. 

The audio description transcript will allow blind and low-vision viewers to use their screen readers. Not only will they understand the original spoken audio, but they’ll also be able to get a picture of what’s being visually depicted in the video.

Although this option is better than not having audio description at all, it’s best to have the descriptions in the actual video because it improves the viewer experience. Blindness isn’t all or nothing. In fact, many blind people still have some vision, even if it may be a small percentage. The transcript wouldn’t allow viewers to watch the video and read it simultaneously.

However, you could use the transcript to record the descriptions for your video! When you have the timecodes of the captions, you’ll know precisely where the natural pauses between the dialogue are located. This will make recording the descriptions a breeze since you know exactly where they should go.

If you decide to go with just the transcript instead of recording the audio description, we recommend putting it in the description box below the video or linking it to a separate URL. 

The Access Player and the 3Play Plugin

Since not all YouTube have access to YouTube’s new audio description feature, 3Play Media’s Access Player and Plugin remain great options for publishing audio description.

The Access Player is 3Play Media’s new, fully accessible media player that integrates with your existing media player of choice to add enhanced accessibility capabilities. 

The Access Player allows the user to search and interact with a time-synced transcript and listen to an Audio Description track. In addition, it provides SEO benefits, making your content more discoverable –so you can reach and connect with your audience to the fullest extent possible.

The 3Play Plugin is still available as we continue to build out the functionality of the Access Player. If you’re looking for extended audio descriptionx support, the 3Play Plugin integrates with your player and intelligently pauses the source video content until the description is complete before resuming play.

Using the 3Play Plugin

Once you have a completed Audio Description file from a YouTube video, click on the file you want to publish. Select Publish from the top right window, then Publish Plugin. The plugin menu will open. Select Audio Description and any other features you want included in your plugin, and choose YouTube as your video player. You will see a preview on the left side of the menu window.

Next, copy the single line embed code provided, and paste it into the bodyof your HTML.

Your video will now appear with the YouTube audio description plugin underneath. You can toggle the audio description on or off and change the volume of the description separately from the volume of your original audio track. Try it out:

Make your YouTube videos accessible! Get started today with audio description:

This post was originally published on July 23, 2018, by Elisa Lewis and has since been updated for clarity, accuracy, and freshness.

About the author

3Play Media

The post How to Create Audio Description for YouTube Videos appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

Human Voice Audio Description

3Play Media

•

September 6, 2022

Beginner’s Guide to Audio Description [Free eBook]

Enriching your content with audio description is incredibly beneficial, as it allows the full meaning of your content to be understood by low-vision consumers. There are two approaches to the vocal aspects of audio description—synthesized voice and human voice– each of which may better suit certain types of projects and user needs. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the positives of human voice audio description.

Why would someone prefer to have human voice audio description over a synthesized voice? Here are three important reasons:

Emotion

One of the biggest advantages of the human voice is its ability to convey emotion. Having trained voice actors describing content can help the audience remain immersed in the moods and emotions of the content, and it can even enrich your media. In our Allied podcast interview discussing audio description, expert Dr. Joel Snyder highlights the richness of the human voice: “I still believe strongly that the human voice is far more capable, and will remain far more capable for the foreseeable future, of making the nuances and capturing the subtleties that are involved in making meaning with your voice.”

Context

With human voice audio description, a voice artist understands the context of the media and can modulate not just their tone, but can also adjust pacing, emphasis, and pronunciation to clarify certain key words and phrases. Comparatively, a synthesized voice will read a sentence the same way every time. In the interview mentioned above, Dr. Snyder also highlights how vocal skills are important in audio description, explaining that it is important for a voice actor to know “how to use [their] voice not to be in the movie, but to be of the movie.”

Creativity

Another benefit of human voice audio description is the amount of creativity it grants. Describing a piece of media is an artistic process, from writing the script to sourcing voice talent and mixing the files. Creativity and expression are at the heart of each piece of content. Our description writers work very hard to create descriptions that accurately portray what is happening on-screen while maintaining a consistent tone with the rest of the content. 

Showing emotion, incorporating context, and utilizing creativity are important benefits of human voice audio description, while also expanding your audience and making your media accessible. 

This blog was originally published by Brigid Ling and has since been updated for comprehensiveness, clarity, and accuracy.

About the author

3Play Media

The post Human Voice Audio Description appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

Audio Description as a Form of Audiovisual Translation with Dr. Joel Snyder

3Play Media

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July 6, 2022

Every month, we welcome a new guest to 3Play Media’s Allied Podcast. In June 2022, we met with Joel Snyder, Ph.D., known internationally as one of the world’s first audio describers.

Dr. Snyder is a pioneer in the field of audio description, a translation of visual images to vivid language for the primary benefit of people who are blind or have low vision. Since 1981, he has introduced audio description techniques in over 40 states and 64 countries and has made thousands of live events, media projects, and museums accessible. 

In 2014, the American Council of the Blind published Dr. Snyder’s book, The Visual Made Verbal – A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description. His Ph.D. is from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona with a focus on audiovisual translation/audio description. Dr. Snyder is the President of Audio Description Associates, LLC and serves as the Founder/Senior Consultant of the Audio Description Project of the American Council of the Blind.

In his episode “The What, How, and Why of Audio Description,” Dr. Snyder shared what audio description is, how it works, and why it matters for accessibility. Dr. Snyder focused on audio description as a form of audiovisual translation, which we’ll discuss below in more detail.

How does Audio Description Work?

In his episode, Dr. Snyder discussed how audio description can be delivered to audiences. Describers can perform audio description live (scripted), pre-recorded, or extemporaneously, meaning the describer doesn’t have a written-out description from which to read. For example, Dr. Snyder described President Barack Obama’s inaugurations extemporaneously. He shared with Elisa his experience of preparing for the extemporaneous description:

“Doing extemporaneous description does not mean doing it without preparation. Preparation is key,” Dr. Snyder said. “I worked closely with the White House. I wasn’t able to attend a rehearsal, if you will, or preview the inauguration. But I knew the order of events. I knew the names and the pronunciations of people that would be featured, and that gave me a good solid background.”

Additionally, Dr. Snyder discussed using synthesized speech or human describers for audio description, a controversial topic. Each has pros and cons, including cost, audience preference, media format, and ability to capture nuance and subtlety.

Audio Description as a Form of Audiovisual Translation

A central theme in Dr. Snyder’s episode was the concept of audio description as a form of audiovisual translation and the difference between how audio description is studied and viewed in the United States versus in other countries.

“Audio description… has become studied as an academic discipline as a form of audiovisual translation. It is a translation of visual images to words,” Dr. Snyder said. “So it’s been embraced by that academic community, the community of scholars and practitioners throughout the world who do subtitling, they do dubbing. And now, audio description is all a part of that field as well.”

While audio description is not about translating one language to another, it is a kind of localization similar to subtitling and dubbing. Media created in one language can be appreciated worldwide through localization, just like how people who are blind can enjoy media through audio description.

Dr. Snyder even shared that the American Translators Association recently created a new division for audiovisual translation. He has spoken at their conferences and will give a keynote presentation in the fall of 2022 on audiovisual translation as audio description.

Listen to the Allied episode below or read the transcript to learn more about audio description, audiovisual translation, and Dr. Snyder’s career as a professional describer.

About the author

3Play Media

The post Audio Description as a Form of Audiovisual Translation with Dr. Joel Snyder appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Accessibility

TikTok Accessibility: How to Add Captions and Other Best Practices

3Play Media

•

October 21, 2021

With over two billion lifetime downloads and 50 million daily active users in the U.S. alone, TikTok is one of the most popular apps of our time, particularly among Gen Z. However, the platform’s accessibility features leave something to be desired. While TikTok is actively working to improve accessibility (like the recent addition of auto-captions), the current features available to users offer a great starting point as something anyone can do with just a little added effort.

Creating accessible content can help you reach a new audience and provide a more interactive & engaging experience for viewers. With that being said, let’s go over some of the app’s top accessibility features – including how to add captions to your TikToks, inserting audio descriptions, and best practices for formatting and design.

What is TikTok?

TikTok describes itself as “the leading destination for short-form mobile videos.” The social media network offers a place where users can create, edit, and share short-form video content that is between 15 seconds to 3 minutes in length. Content with the app ranges substantially, and users often create lip-sync, dance, comedy, and talent videos.

TikTok’s mission is to “inspire creativity and bring joy,” but it has also proven to be a useful tool for building brand awareness. Brands like Chipotle, The Washington Post, and the NBA utilize TikTok to engage with their audience and to showcase their brand’s personality. In addition to posting, the app includes advertising and hyperlinking capabilities to help generate website traffic and potential leads.

TikTok accessibility

As far as accessibility is concerned, TikTok has a ways to go to reduce barriers for people with disabilities. According to one article, in fact, TikTok doesn’t even follow many basic rules or best practices of app design – notably, the platform’s navigation, information hierarchy, layout, and overall design are not conducive for an accessible user experience. Additionally, unfamiliar patterns & pathways within the app pose as a significant barrier to many users.

The lack of accessibility and usability is particularly stark when compared to interfaces from Google, Apple, and Microsoft – which strictly follow the recommended practices laid out by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Your Quick Guide to TikTok Accessibility

In the meantime as TikTok continues to make improvements, users can advocate for accessibility on their own terms by following basic web accessibility standards with the features currently available. By making content accessible to users with disabilities, the overall viewing experience is improved for any user (like the below example, where TikTok user @_sorry_dad_ explains how they manually added captions).

How to add captions to your TikTok

Closed captions are time-synchronized text that visually depicts the audio content, and make videos accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Captions also have the potential to improve user engagement, video viewing time, and viewing flexibility.

In 2021, TikTok rolled out its auto-captioning feature in select countries. This feature automatically transcribes speech from a video to generate closed captions, and initially will only support American English and Japanese. While this brings an unprecedented level of accessibility to the platform, the accuracy rates of automatically generated captions are notoriously low and manual user editing is still often needed. Below, we’ll go over how to use TikTok’s auto captioning feature (and workarounds to use in the case that auto captions aren’t available).

Adding automatic captions:

1. Record a video in-app or upload a saved file from your device
2. Once your video is recorded or uploaded, proceed to the editing page
3. Click on the “Captions” button to the right of the screen
4. TikTok will automatically analyze speech & create captions
5. To edit auto-captions, click the pencil icon to the right of the screen
6. Once you’re done, press play to watch a preview & double check your work
7. Ready to post? Touch Done in the upper right corner of the screen

Adding DIY captions with the internal text tool:

1. Record a video in-app or upload a saved file from your device
2. Once your video is recorded or uploaded, check the box in the lower right corner
3. Click on the “Text” button at the bottom of the screen
4. Drag text to position it on the screen (preferably towards the top, to avoid confusion with the video’s description)
5. To determine when the text will appear (timestamps), select the text box and click on the clock icon in the upper right corner
6. Press the play button to see a preview and double check your work
7. Touch Done in the upper right corner of the screen

Adding captions with an external tool or service:

This option is typically the most viable for those who create TikTok content on a regular basis, and entails employing a dedicated captioning service or app.

To begin, record videos directly to your device or record the video in TikTok and download the video to your phone. Then, upload your videos to a captioning service provider (which may require the video be sent to a computer first) or a captioning application on your phone.

• If using a captioning vendor, you will be provided with a caption file that you must add to your videos using a video editing software. Once you’ve done that, your captioned videos can be uploaded to TikTok.
• If using a captioning application, you can download the captioned video back onto your phone & upload it directly to TikTok. Clipomatic and MixCaptions are two examples of mobile captioning apps that are easy to download and use.

Accessible format and design

One of the easiest aspects of social media accessibility that can be applied on TikTok is thought formatting and design. Creators often utilize text in their videos to emphasize points within their content or, as mentioned above, to create captions.

When choosing to use text in your TikTok videos, it’s essential to ensure there is appropriate color contrast, font size, font style, and text placement. In order for text to be visible to those who have low vision or color deficiencies (like color blindness), there must be sufficient contrast between the text and background colors. Using a light-colored font on a black background is typically the most accessible option, but deeper colors like blue can be incorporated (such as in the examples below, which are screenshots from TikTok user @elianaghen).

As for font size and style, users should pay close attention to the sizing of the text and the style. If the font is too small, it will be especially difficult, if not impossible, for people with low vision to read the text. Choosing a sans serif font style, such as the classic or typewriter font, can improve readability.

Once you are ready to place the text on your video, be sure to position it at the top of the screen. The video’s description will cover text frames placed at the bottom of the screen, and overlapping text is not easily readable.

Include video descriptions

TikTok is a visual app – 100% of the app’s content is videos. This can create a barrier for many people who are blind or have low vision, as they may have challenges seeing the content.

Audio description is an accessible video feature that narrates important visual information within video content and aids users with visual disabilities in watching videos. With some planning, users can incorporate audio description with their TikTok videos.

If the video requires a short and sweet visual description, it can live right in the video description box or even in the comments section. If the description is long, users may record audio description within the app to describe what is happening in the video.

Want to learn more about social media accessibility?

This post has been updated for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.

About the author

3Play Media

The post TikTok Accessibility: How to Add Captions and Other Best Practices appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

How to Add Audio Description (W3C-Approved Techniques)

Jaclyn Lazzari

•

March 3, 2021

Do you want your video to comply with accessibility laws, be more accessible to those with disabilities, and engage a larger audience? Adding audio description (in addition to other accessible elements such as closed captions and transcripts) will create a more accessible viewing experience.

However, the big question we often hear is, how do you publish audio description?

Beginner’s Guide to Audio Description 

How to Add Audio Description (AD)

Audio description, also known as AD, may seem like a daunting task for those who are new to it. Often, the most efficient way to create audio description tracks is to outsource the process to a vendor who provides audio description services. However, this is not an option for everyone due to common barriers such as cost or lack of budget. You can create audio description tracks yourself. If you need help creating audio description yourself, W3C offers some great tips.

Whether you outsource your audio description to a vendor or create your own, finding a workable solution to publish audio descriptions and make them available to all viewers can be a challenge in itself.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community that develops Web standards, lists several sufficient techniques for publishing description to audio-visual material. All of these methods are reliable ways to meet the WCAG 2.1 audio description success criteria.

1. Secondary AD Track (with Compatible Video Players)

Adding a secondary, user-selectable soundtrack is a user-friendly option. It allows viewers to toggle between the original soundtrack (without AD) and a secondary version of the soundtrack (with AD).

The option to publish a secondary audio description track is highly dependent on media player capabilities since most devices or video players can’t merge multiple soundtracks.

 The Best Online Video Players for Audio Description   

For example, a viewer comes across a video file with two audio tracks, one with audio description. They can choose one of the two audio tracks in the media player, either without audio description. The secondary soundtrack may merge the original soundtrack with the audio description track. However, when using a platform that can simultaneously play two audio tracks, a secondary audio track containing just the description is sufficient. The latter option is the optimal user experience because it gives the user a choice to toggle audio description, just like closed captions.

2. Seperate Video with Audio Description

This approach adds the audio description to synchronized media by utilizing a second version of the movie where the original soundtrack and additional audio description merge into a single track.

In this case, the description is added to the original soundtrack during already-occurring pauses in dialogue and sound effects, ensuring that the description doesn’t obscure original content. This method would require creating and publishing two versions of the same content, one with audio description and one without it.

For example, if you needed to publish a described recording of a music concert: The first version would include the music solely. In contrast, the second version would consist of both the music and narration describing the actions of the performers on stage.

3. Extended Audio Description

This approach is similar to the one above in that you would publish two versions of the same video. The difference, however, is that the second version would provide extended audio descriptions.

One of the main obstacles in creating audio description is trying to fit a vast amount of narrative information into a brief window of time (such as during natural pauses in dialogue). However, with extended description, the video momentarily pauses to allow more time for descriptions when needed. For extended AD, provide a version of the movie with extended audio descriptions and a version without description. Depending on your video player capabilities, publish the content so that audio descriptions can be turned on and off (refer to option one above).

4. Text-Based Audio Description

This method is considered an alternative to audio description and is better-suited for media that doesn’t have important time-based information in the media’s original video portion. For example, this technique would be sufficient for “talking head” videos such as a press conference or lecture where an individual speaks in front of a static background without critical visual elements to describe. This technique is not suitable for a situation where there are several speakers and where the identity of the speakers is not made clear in the audio track.

5. Integrated Descriptions at the Time of Recording

Integrating descriptions is a more proactive approach to publishing audio description and doesn’t work for all scenarios. If you’re in the process of creating or recording a new video, this method involves writing or including descriptions in the script that describe all relevant visual information.

This method works well if a speaker is recording a presentation with a slide deck. For instance, if the slide deck contains critical visual information, such as a statistical graph, the speaker can describe the graph in detail during the recording.

6. WebVTT Description Track

This method is an advisory technique, as currently there isn’t enough user agent support. This method may not be the ideal way to provide audio description. However, it may be appropriate when other methods are not possible or available to the publisher.

HTML5 video allows for the use of a WebVTT description file. This file would be included as a element with the “description.” Screen readers should be able to read this file to provide descriptions to users. However, this functionality has minimal support across video players and is an imperfect method. Therefore, WebVTT description tracks may not be the best primary method for publishing audio descriptions.

 How to Create a WebVTT Description Track   

Audio Description Output Formats

If you utilize an audio description service, they may provide different audio description output formats.

Using the 3Play Media account system, you can instantly download your audio description files once they have been processed. Although accessibility laws may require audio description, many video players and online video platforms do not support description. Our service will provide multiple different output formats to alleviate any technical difficulties associated with audio description.

Your description files will stay in your account, allowing you to access any formats anytime.

The formats provided will include:

• A time-coded WebVTT audio description track that can be read by screen readers.
• A secondary MP3 or WAV audio file with synthesized speech of your description.
• A secondary MP3 or WAV audio file with synthesized speech of your description and the original audio.
• An MP4 video file with your streamed video, the original audio, and synthesized speech of your description./li>
• An audio description plugin that will allow your audio description file to play with video players that don’t support multiple audio tracks or WebVTT description tracks

 Audio Description Formats Explained   

Simple Audio Description Publishing with the 3Play Plugin

Most popular video players and platforms do not support WebVTT description tracks or secondary audio tracks – although there are exceptions. We provide the 3Play Plugin to make publishing audio description simple.

Our plugin is a simple embed that references your video. It plays the secondary audio description track along with your video, making it an excellent option for video players that don’t support audio description in a usable way. It’s also a great alternative to having to create a second version of the video with description.

The example below shows how the 3Play Plugin lets users toggle the audio description track on and off alongside the main audio track. Try it out!

Want to learn more about audio description? Check out our free guide for audio description beginners.

This post was originally published in April 2017 by Elisa Edelberg Lewis and has since been updated for clarity, freshness, and comprehensiveness.

This blog post is written for educational and general information purposes only, and does not constitute specific legal advice. This blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

About the author

Jaclyn Lazzari

Jaclyn is a marketing professional at 3Play Media with 7+ years in the video accessibility space. When she’s not at work, she’s exploring coastal New England, baking with seasonal ingredients, or enjoying football Sundays with her family.

The post How to Add Audio Description (W3C-Approved Techniques) appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Accessibility

Beginner’s Guide to Pinterest Video Accessibility

Jaclyn Lazzari

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September 16, 2020

Pinterest video content allows businesses to capture their audience’s attention better and engage in a fresh way. Whether you’re a fitness brand wanting to share workout clips or an eCommerce brand hoping to showcase product tutorials, Pinterest is a great place to do so.

Over the past few years, Pinterest video has increased, likely due to its proven value for brands. With video, businesses see a lift in content performance, with increases in brand metrics and video-ad memorability.

But, are businesses reaching as many people as they could?

Providing accessible Pinterest video is crucial to ensuring people with disabilities have access to the content. Not only that, but videos optimized for accessibility are also more engaging and enhance user experience.

The Value of Pinterest Video

Pinterest is primarily known as an image-sharing social media platform – a place for people to pin photos, ideas, recipes, and art. However, in 2016, Pinterest rolled out Promoted Video, allowing businesses to ramp up their Pinterest marketing game.

Many brands prioritize content on other social platforms. However, with Pinterest video, businesses can uniquely showcase branded content and product offerings.

Data shows that 55% of people on Pinterest want to find or shop for products on the platform. Pinterest users report that 75% of the content they enjoy comes from business accounts, while 67% say that promoted videos inspire them to take action.

This information shows that Pinterest users are enticed by branded video content and are willing to engage with businesses and shop directly on the platform. You can also track analytics to gain key insights and metrics and track your Pinterest video content’s performance.

Why Accessibility Matters for Pinterest Video Content

There are many reasons to prioritize accessibility for Pinterest video, including expanding your reach, boosting viewership and engagement, and improving user experience.

Expand Your Reach

Accessible video practices are a crucial component of expanding your Pinterest video reach. First and foremost, accessible elements such as captions and audio descriptions are the best way to make online videos accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and to people who are blind or low vision. Accessible videos ensure that brands are reaching those who require tools for equal access.

Beyond providing accessibility for those with hearing and vision loss, captioned videos are beneficial for non-native English speakers and those with learning disabilities, like dyslexia and auditory processing disorder.

Boost UX, Engagement, and Performance Metrics

It’s worth mentioning that 80% of people who use captions are not deaf or hard of hearing, due to various personal preferences.

A study by Verizon Media and Publicis Media found that viewers expect and want captioning options for online video. Viewing preferences are evolving, and video consumers prefer a soundless and unobtrusive viewing experience.

Engagement goes up when captions are present; 80% of people in the same study said they were more likely to view the whole video if it has captions, and 37% reported that captioning enticed them to turn the sound on and become more engaged with the content.

Captions also help with marketing and yield greater ROI for video content overall. With captions, brands can see increased ad & brand recall, enhanced memory quality, and a lift across video ad and brand perceptions.

 This Free Ebook Will Help You Create Accessible Videos for Social Media  

How to Create Accessible Pinterest Video

Add Captions

Adding captions to video content is a crucial component of accessibility. Captions, also commonly referred to as subtitles, are time-synchronized text that visually depicts the audio content. They make videos more accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing and also improve user engagement, video viewing time, and viewing flexibility.

Captions are incredibly valuable for Pinterest video since browser settings often cause video content to autoplay on silent. Captions ensure that people can follow along with video content, even without sound.

At this time, there’s no option to add a caption sidecar file to video Pins. Therefore, businesses must embed captions into their Pinterest video content, a process that consists of burning captions into the video and presenting it as one element.

Write Video Descriptions

Because Pinterest is a highly visual app, how do you provide a better experience for people who cannot see or have low vision?

Audio description (also referred to as “description,” “video description,” or “AD”) is defined as “the verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions.” AD is meant to provide information on visual content that is considered essential to comprehending the program and ensures that people who are blind or low vision have access to your videos. Providing audio descriptions to Pinterest video is a must, though currently, there’s no option to add audio description tracks to Pinterest video files. However, there is an alternative workaround that will increase the accessibility of your videos.

The video’s description box allows up to 500 words and gives ample space to describe relevant visual imagery, such as on-screen text, people, and actions within the video. This method is similar to writing alt text for images and gives people with visual disabilities the opportunity to better understand the message.

Provide Accessible Formatting

Businesses should be thoughtful of video formatting and design elements within the content. Creators often utilize text in their videos to emphasize points and to create visual interest. Captions must also provide accessible formatting. When it comes to using design elements and formatting in your Pinterest video content, it’s essential to provide accessible color contrast, font size, font style, and text placement.

For guidelines on accessible design, refer to WCAG Guideline 1.4: Distinguishable, which offers best practices for making digital content as easy to perceive as possible for people with disabilities.

The Who, What, and How for Video Pins

If you have a business account, you can utilize Promoted Video capabilities and upload video Pins directly to Pinterest. However, anyone with a Pinterest account can add a video when you try a Pin (currently only available for iOS). If you become an advertiser on Pinterest, you can also create video ads.

Video Pins have a cover image to capture your audience’s attention and play directly in users’ feeds. It’s important to keep in mind that your audience may or may not have their volume on when they see your video.

Pinterest accepts MP4, MOV, and M4V video files with a maximum length of 15 seconds and utilizes a native video player for promoted video content, so videos play right on site.

How to Upload Video Pins

1. Log into your Pinterest business account(opens in a new window)
2. Click Create at the top-left of the page and then click Create Pin
3. Click the up arrow to upload a video or drag and drop a video into the uploader
4. Move the selector left or right to select an image in your video for the cover photo
5. Give the Pin a title, description, a destination link
6. Choose a board from the dropdown menu, or select Create board to create a new one
7. Click Publish

By prioritizing video accessibility for Pinterest, brands will see video performance skyrocket. You can even go beyond making your Pinterest video content accessible by prioritizing accessible practices for all social media content. Follow our Beginner’s Guide to Accessible Social Media Video to get started.

About the author

Jaclyn Lazzari

Jaclyn is a marketing professional at 3Play Media with 7+ years in the video accessibility space. When she’s not at work, she’s exploring coastal New England, baking with seasonal ingredients, or enjoying football Sundays with her family.

The post Beginner’s Guide to Pinterest Video Accessibility appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Audio Description

Closed Captions and Audio Description: Why It’s Not One or the Other

Elisa Lewis

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May 29, 2020

Are you currently captioning with 3Play Media and looking to make your videos even more accessible? 

Or maybe you understand the importance of captioning, but you’re still a bit unsure about other accessibility tools. 

Don’t fret because this post is just you! 

Captions are a great accommodation for viewers who are deaf and hard of hearing, but what about viewers with vision loss? That’s where audio description comes in. 

 Video Player Accessibility Checklist  

What is Audio Description?

Audio description is an accommodation for blind and low vision viewers. The same way that closed captioning is essential to understanding the auditory information in a video program, audio description is essential to understanding the visual information. 

Audio description narrates the crucial visual elements that would be necessary for comprehension without the ability to see the screen. It describes non-verbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, or eye contact, as well as objects or scenery that’s important to understanding the plot. In an educational lecture, audio description can be used to describe charts, graphs, and diagrams.

Do I Need Audio Description If I Already Have Captions?

When publishing video content, it’s imperative to accommodate all viewers. There are an estimated 285 million people with vision loss globally. Although captions are great for the viewers with hearing loss, without audio description, video becomes completely inaccessible to the blind and low vision.  

Most experts agree that 70-93% of communication happens non-verbally. Therefore, if a person can’t see these nonverbal cues, they miss out on vital information that can’t always be conveyed through words alone, including captions.

When it comes to video accessibility, it’s not one or the other because captions and audio description don’t serve the same function. Instead, they work in tandem to provide an equal viewing experience for all audiences.  

In addition, there are a number of major accessibility laws in place that require audio description.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA is a broad anti-discrimination act that requires auxiliary aids in communications to ensure that people with disabilities can have access. 

It is comprised of five sections, however, Titles II and III specifically tie into video accessibility. Title II applies to state and local governments. while Title III applies to places of public accommodation. Places of public accommodation include, but are not limited to, hotels, restaurants, universities, museums, and more. In both Title II and Title III, auxiliary aids are required. 

Although the ADA does not specifically mention audio description in the law, it does mention that governments and places of public accommodation provide an equal experience for people with disabilities. 

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

According to the Rehabilitation Act, people cannot be denied participation in a program because of a disability. 

The law has two sections, Section 504 and Section 508. 

Section 504 applies to federal agencies and federally funded programs. Under this section, no person with a disability can be excluded from participating in or benefiting from any activity or program that receives federal funding. 

On the other hand, Section 508 specifically applies to federal programs and requires that communications and information technology be made accessible to people with disabilities. In fact, Section 508 references WCAG AA standards, which requires audio description for all pre-recorded video content. 

Another important fact to include on Section 508 is that similar legal standards may also apply to state schools or other state-funded programs through state accessibility policies, also known as “little 508s”. 

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)

Finally, the CVAA is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and addresses video programming in the U.S. 

Title II of the CVAA specifically references audio description as a requirement for major broadcast and subscription television networks. 

As of 2020, 100% of programs that have appeared on television must be described. 

Audio Description Lawsuits

There are several lawsuits tied to audio description. One major one being the American Council of the Blind (ACB) vs. Netflix. The ACB sued Netflix for failing to describe its video content and failing to comply with accessibility laws. 

As of today, Netflix now offers audio description for nearly all of its original titles and select movies and television programs which it licenses. 

When to Use Audio Description

There is an art to audio description. Sometimes knowing when to describe and when not to describe can feel tricky. 

It’s important to only describe what’s seen and what can provide visual information that is required for understanding. This can include things like on-screen text, change in speaker, facial expressions, customers, and scene changes. 

The best way to add audio description is within the natural pauses of the content, otherwise known as standard description. This is so that the original audio content is not sacrificed by including the description, but rather, enhanced. When in doubt, if there is no space for the description, you can pause the video to allow more time for descriptions when needed. This is called extended description. You can learn more about the difference between standard and extended description here. 

On the other hand, if the visual information, speaker(s), speaker changes, and audience participation are verbally conveyed, then audio description may not be needed.

Download the Video Accessibility Checklist

The 3Play Process

When you caption with 3Play Media, we make it super easy for you to add additional services such as audio description. Since captioning is the first step in 3Play Media’s audio description process, you’re already halfway there!

The timecodes created when your file goes through captioning are used in our audio description to determine where there are pauses within the transcript so that our describers know exactly where to insert the descriptions. 

Traditional audio description can range anywhere from $15-$75 per minute. This is because you’ll have to hire human voice actors, pay for a recording session, and invest in expensive software and equipment. The costs can add up very quickly. 

At 3Play, we combine both humans and technology to achieve high-quality descriptions – just like our captioning process! 

Human describers create text descriptions. From there, we utilize synthesized speech for voice descriptions. Ultimately, this brings the cost down significantly. 

One difficult element of traditional audio description is the ability to customize and edit descriptions once they’ve been created. We allow customers the flexibility to go back and make edits when needed at no additional cost. 

Many video players and platforms don’t support audio description. If they do, the only ways to publish audio description are to add a second video asset with descriptions burned into the audio track or to use a secondary audio track that contains both the description and the original audio. We offer a variety of output formats, but in the event that a video player doesn’t support the descriptions, we’ve created another solution. 

The 3Play Audio Description Plugin is a simple embed that references your video and plays the secondary audio description track with your video, making it a great option for video players that don’t support audio description in a usable way. It also allows users to obtain control of the description track. They can either turn the description track on or off or adjust the volume of the description. 

Additionally, if you are familiar with our captioning process, then you know much we value quality and accuracy. For audio description, we follow the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) to ensure high-quality descriptions. 

The Benefits of Audio Description 

There are many benefits to providing audio description. First and foremost, it makes your video content accessible to the blind and low vision community. It also ensures you’re complying with accessibility laws. But you may be wondering what are some other benefits?

Although it’s original intention was to serve as an accommodation, audio description has helped more than just viewers with vision disabilities. They also promote a new way of learning through auditory means and aid in language development, learning outcomes, and strengthens writing skills. 

Audio description also helps individuals on the autism spectrum by providing more information on emotional and social cues. For someone who cannot interpret these cues, they may have difficulty understanding emotions such as a character feeling sad or angry. 

Audio description can even be extremely helpful in eyes-free situations where you might be multitasking, like cooking while watching a program or even driving. When multitasking, it’s easy to miss the important visual cues since you’re not directing your full attention to the screen. However, with audio description, you won’t miss a beat. Think of it as an audiobook! 

About the author

Elisa Lewis

Elisa Lewis is a Senior Marketing Manager at 3Play Media, where she leads content and brand strategy. She is passionate about accessibility, storytelling, and building connections through communication.

The post Closed Captions and Audio Description: Why It’s Not One or the Other appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Legislation & Compliance

Takeaways From the FedEx and Target ADA Accessibility Lawsuits

3Play Media

•

September 14, 2017

How the ADA Impacts Online Video Accessibility [Free White Paper]

Accessibility lawsuits can tell us a lot about what makes an organization accessible to both employees and customers.

Two ADA-based lawsuits against international shipper FedEx and retail giant Target highlight the importance of prioritizing accessibility in both physical and digital spaces. In this blog, we will provide a high-level overview of each case and the takeaways that organizations should consider.

EEOC & NAD vs. FedEx

In October of 2014, FedEx was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The suit was filed in response to 19 separate charges filed throughout the country, all citing discrimination against d/Deaf and hard of hearing workers by FedEx Ground. The bases of these charges were that FedEx Ground violated the ADA by failing to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters or closed captioning for training videos, and refused to provide necessary modifications to sound-sensitive equipment.

In mid-2015, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) stepped in to support EEOC. In 2016, FedEx’s motion to dismiss that case was denied by a federal judge who stated, “FedEx Ground’s alleged failure to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing employees and applicants is the heart of the case.”

In 2020, the EEOC announced FedEx would settle as part of a two-year Consent Decree, in which FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. will pay $3.3 million. The settlement additionally requires FedEx Ground to:

Takeaways from the FedEx Accessibility Case

• The larger your organization’s revenue, the more likely you are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations that are in direct proportion to the size and needs of your workforce.
• It’s a good idea to keep accessibility in mind as your organization grows, and to “bake in” accessible features to things like new products, programs, and policies.

NFB vs. Target

In 2006, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) sued Target Corporation in a precedent-setting case over its public retail website. The NFB claimed that blind people were unable to access much of the information on Target’s site and could not purchase anything independently.

Both sides reached a settlement in 2008. Target Corporation paid a large settlement fee, covered both sides’ legal costs, and agreed to make its website accessible to blind users.

Over the years, Target has worked closely with the NFB to ensure its website is accessible to blind consumers and is now considered a leader in web accessibility by the NFB.

Main Takeaways from the Target Accessibility Case

• The main lesson from this case is best summed up in a blog post by Jared Smith of WebAIM. He writes, “[T]he settlement amount is significantly more than what it would have cost Target to implement a high level of accessibility in the first place.”
• The outcome of this lawsuit demonstrates that it is wiser to consider accessibility in the early stages of design and planning than to ignore it or take a more reactive approach.
• This was a historical ruling because it was one of the first major cases that helped define the relationship between the internet and the ADA.

Learn more about how the ADA applies to online video accessibility:

About the author

3Play Media

The post Takeaways From the FedEx and Target ADA Accessibility Lawsuits appeared first on 3Play Media.