:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/refurb-mac-mini-2020_AV2-878ca9627b2448f7a4261e42d209236a.jpg)
"2024 Approved From Sound to Words A FREE Guide to YouTube Transcribing Mastery"
From Sound to Words: A FREE Guide to YouTube Transcribing Mastery
How to Transcribe a YouTube Video for FREE
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you want to transcribe your videos to make the dialogs and speeches available in text format, you can use YouTube Transcribe feature that the streaming site offers for free. In this article, I’ll share with you a couple of methods to transcribe a YouTube video for free.
- Part 1: Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
- Part 2: Transcribe YouTube Video to Text Online with Third-Party Service
- Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
- Part 4: YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
Part 1: How to Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
Besides the basic video editing features on the YouTube platform, you can now quickly transcribe YouTube videos to the text as well. The good thing is, you can either use the automatic transcription feature that YouTube offers, or upload it manually while adjusting the timing as you go further.
Below are the two methods to transcribe your YouTube videos for free:
Method 1: Use the Automated Transcription Service on YouTube
As the name suggests, YouTube automatic transcription service works automatically. This means you don’t even have to click the ‘Transcribe’ button anymore to transcribe a YouTube video, and the website takes care of it on its own. All you need to do is, choose English as the language of the video when setting up subtitles. You can follow the instructions given below to do so:
Step 1 Upload a Video
Sign in to your YouTube account, click your profile picture from the top-right corner, and click YouTube Studio from the menu. Next, click CREATE from the upper-right corner, click Upload videos from the menu, and drag and drop a video from your computer to the Upload videos box that appears next.
Step 2 Select Transcription Language
On the Details page of the next box that appears, scroll down and click MORE OPTIONS, and select English in the Video language drop-down list under the Language, subtitles, and closed captions (CC) section.
Step 3 Publish the Video
Follow the on-screen instructions from this point to publish the video, and wait while YouTube automatically transcribes and adds the close captions to it.
Note: Depending on the duration of the clip, the time YouTube would take to transcribe may vary.
After YouTube has transcribed the video, you can download the transcription file in your preferred format. The instructions are given below explain how you can do so:
- Get to the Subtitles Window
While on the YouTube Studio page, click Subtitles from the left pane to go to the Channel subtitles page. And then click the video you want to modify.
- Get to Classic Studio
In the video subtitle page of the target video, hover mouse on the Published Automatic status under the Subtitles column, click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) that appears, and click Edit on Classic Studio.
- Download Transcription File
Click and open the Actions drop-down list from the top-left corner of the left pane, click your preferred transcription format including .vtt, .srt and .sbv from the list, and save the file on your local hard disk.
Method 2: Get YouTube Transcription when Watching
In addition, if you are watching any other video, you can make YouTube transcribe that for you as well. You can follow the instructions given below to get the YouTube video to text transcription:
Step 1: Play the Video
Go to the video on YouTube and start playing it. Make sure NOT to get to full-screen mode as doing so would hide the option to transcribe the clip.
Step 2: Enable Transcription
Click the More icon (with three horizontal dots) from under the bottom-right corner of the video player, and click Open transcript to see the video transcription in the Transcript pane that appears in the right.
Step 3: Manage Timestamps
Click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) from the top-right corner of the Transcript pane, and click Toggle timestamp to enable or disable the timestamps in the video transcription.
Limitations of Using YouTube Transcribe
Although YouTube’s automatic transcription is a decent feature that saves you a lot of time, since Google uses machine learning algorithms to convert the speech to text, the level of accuracy may vary depending on the accent of the speaker, and the clarity of the audio the video has. Also, even sometime you may not be satisfied with the end-results.
Alternatively, you can use Kapwing to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file with the below step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
You can follow the step-by-step instructions to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file using Kapwing:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
You may need video transcriptions for several reasons, such as analyzing the summary of the entire speech in the video, extracting a single phrase or quote that was spoken in the clip, or making the video helpful even for those suffering from hearing impairment. When you transcribe a YouTube video, the transcript can be useful in many ways. Some of the most common benefits of transcribing a video include:
- Search Engine Optimization
When you add subtitles, the text can appear in Google search results when someone types a similar phrase in the search box. This helps get more views to your videos, thus giving your channel popularity, and you, monetary gains in the long run.
- Accent
If the speaker in the video is from a different region and is using an accent that you are not much comfortable with, you can turn on the subtitles and read the dialogs along with the video.
- Repurposing on Blogs
If you own a blog that you have embedded your video to, the transcription could be used to add text to it so the target audience can get a fair idea of what the video is all about. This is useful because many people prefer reading over watching.
YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
1. How to Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
Usually the transcription files have *.srt extension that are globally accepted and supported by almost all media players. However, there might be instances when you want to have the subtitles in plain text.
That said, to convert an SRT file to TXT, you can:
- Right-click the SRT file
- Go to Rename
- Replace srt with txt and press Enter
- Click OK on the confirmation box that appears next to convert SRT to TXT
After this, you can simply double-click the file, and read and modify the transcribed content as needed.
2. How to Edit and Upload Edited Transcript to YouTube
If you made any modifications to the transcript that was automatically generated by YouTube or any other third-party transcription tool, you can follow the steps given below to upload the new file to the YouTube video:
- Go to YouTube Studio and then to the Channel subtitles page as explained earlier
- Expand the Languages column of the target video
- Click the Options icon that appears under the Subtitles column when you hover mouse on to it
- Click Edit on Classic Studio
- On the next page, click Edit from the top-right corner
- Click to open the Actions drop-down list from the upper-left corner
- Click Upload a file
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to upload the modified transcription file
- Click Save Changes from the top-right corner of the page when done
Conclusion
If you are looking for a quick and easy way of adding subtitles to your videos, letting YouTube transcribe for you could be a good approach. However, because these auto-generated transcriptions are created by machine learning algorithms, their accuracy cannot be counted on. Therefore, the best way to get the job done accurately is, let YouTube auto-transcribe your video, download the transcription file, make the necessary changes to it, and then upload the file back to the video.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you want to transcribe your videos to make the dialogs and speeches available in text format, you can use YouTube Transcribe feature that the streaming site offers for free. In this article, I’ll share with you a couple of methods to transcribe a YouTube video for free.
- Part 1: Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
- Part 2: Transcribe YouTube Video to Text Online with Third-Party Service
- Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
- Part 4: YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
Part 1: How to Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
Besides the basic video editing features on the YouTube platform, you can now quickly transcribe YouTube videos to the text as well. The good thing is, you can either use the automatic transcription feature that YouTube offers, or upload it manually while adjusting the timing as you go further.
Below are the two methods to transcribe your YouTube videos for free:
Method 1: Use the Automated Transcription Service on YouTube
As the name suggests, YouTube automatic transcription service works automatically. This means you don’t even have to click the ‘Transcribe’ button anymore to transcribe a YouTube video, and the website takes care of it on its own. All you need to do is, choose English as the language of the video when setting up subtitles. You can follow the instructions given below to do so:
Step 1 Upload a Video
Sign in to your YouTube account, click your profile picture from the top-right corner, and click YouTube Studio from the menu. Next, click CREATE from the upper-right corner, click Upload videos from the menu, and drag and drop a video from your computer to the Upload videos box that appears next.
Step 2 Select Transcription Language
On the Details page of the next box that appears, scroll down and click MORE OPTIONS, and select English in the Video language drop-down list under the Language, subtitles, and closed captions (CC) section.
Step 3 Publish the Video
Follow the on-screen instructions from this point to publish the video, and wait while YouTube automatically transcribes and adds the close captions to it.
Note: Depending on the duration of the clip, the time YouTube would take to transcribe may vary.
After YouTube has transcribed the video, you can download the transcription file in your preferred format. The instructions are given below explain how you can do so:
- Get to the Subtitles Window
While on the YouTube Studio page, click Subtitles from the left pane to go to the Channel subtitles page. And then click the video you want to modify.
- Get to Classic Studio
In the video subtitle page of the target video, hover mouse on the Published Automatic status under the Subtitles column, click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) that appears, and click Edit on Classic Studio.
- Download Transcription File
Click and open the Actions drop-down list from the top-left corner of the left pane, click your preferred transcription format including .vtt, .srt and .sbv from the list, and save the file on your local hard disk.
Method 2: Get YouTube Transcription when Watching
In addition, if you are watching any other video, you can make YouTube transcribe that for you as well. You can follow the instructions given below to get the YouTube video to text transcription:
Step 1: Play the Video
Go to the video on YouTube and start playing it. Make sure NOT to get to full-screen mode as doing so would hide the option to transcribe the clip.
Step 2: Enable Transcription
Click the More icon (with three horizontal dots) from under the bottom-right corner of the video player, and click Open transcript to see the video transcription in the Transcript pane that appears in the right.
Step 3: Manage Timestamps
Click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) from the top-right corner of the Transcript pane, and click Toggle timestamp to enable or disable the timestamps in the video transcription.
Limitations of Using YouTube Transcribe
Although YouTube’s automatic transcription is a decent feature that saves you a lot of time, since Google uses machine learning algorithms to convert the speech to text, the level of accuracy may vary depending on the accent of the speaker, and the clarity of the audio the video has. Also, even sometime you may not be satisfied with the end-results.
Alternatively, you can use Kapwing to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file with the below step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
You can follow the step-by-step instructions to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file using Kapwing:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
You may need video transcriptions for several reasons, such as analyzing the summary of the entire speech in the video, extracting a single phrase or quote that was spoken in the clip, or making the video helpful even for those suffering from hearing impairment. When you transcribe a YouTube video, the transcript can be useful in many ways. Some of the most common benefits of transcribing a video include:
- Search Engine Optimization
When you add subtitles, the text can appear in Google search results when someone types a similar phrase in the search box. This helps get more views to your videos, thus giving your channel popularity, and you, monetary gains in the long run.
- Accent
If the speaker in the video is from a different region and is using an accent that you are not much comfortable with, you can turn on the subtitles and read the dialogs along with the video.
- Repurposing on Blogs
If you own a blog that you have embedded your video to, the transcription could be used to add text to it so the target audience can get a fair idea of what the video is all about. This is useful because many people prefer reading over watching.
YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
1. How to Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
Usually the transcription files have *.srt extension that are globally accepted and supported by almost all media players. However, there might be instances when you want to have the subtitles in plain text.
That said, to convert an SRT file to TXT, you can:
- Right-click the SRT file
- Go to Rename
- Replace srt with txt and press Enter
- Click OK on the confirmation box that appears next to convert SRT to TXT
After this, you can simply double-click the file, and read and modify the transcribed content as needed.
2. How to Edit and Upload Edited Transcript to YouTube
If you made any modifications to the transcript that was automatically generated by YouTube or any other third-party transcription tool, you can follow the steps given below to upload the new file to the YouTube video:
- Go to YouTube Studio and then to the Channel subtitles page as explained earlier
- Expand the Languages column of the target video
- Click the Options icon that appears under the Subtitles column when you hover mouse on to it
- Click Edit on Classic Studio
- On the next page, click Edit from the top-right corner
- Click to open the Actions drop-down list from the upper-left corner
- Click Upload a file
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to upload the modified transcription file
- Click Save Changes from the top-right corner of the page when done
Conclusion
If you are looking for a quick and easy way of adding subtitles to your videos, letting YouTube transcribe for you could be a good approach. However, because these auto-generated transcriptions are created by machine learning algorithms, their accuracy cannot be counted on. Therefore, the best way to get the job done accurately is, let YouTube auto-transcribe your video, download the transcription file, make the necessary changes to it, and then upload the file back to the video.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you want to transcribe your videos to make the dialogs and speeches available in text format, you can use YouTube Transcribe feature that the streaming site offers for free. In this article, I’ll share with you a couple of methods to transcribe a YouTube video for free.
- Part 1: Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
- Part 2: Transcribe YouTube Video to Text Online with Third-Party Service
- Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
- Part 4: YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
Part 1: How to Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
Besides the basic video editing features on the YouTube platform, you can now quickly transcribe YouTube videos to the text as well. The good thing is, you can either use the automatic transcription feature that YouTube offers, or upload it manually while adjusting the timing as you go further.
Below are the two methods to transcribe your YouTube videos for free:
Method 1: Use the Automated Transcription Service on YouTube
As the name suggests, YouTube automatic transcription service works automatically. This means you don’t even have to click the ‘Transcribe’ button anymore to transcribe a YouTube video, and the website takes care of it on its own. All you need to do is, choose English as the language of the video when setting up subtitles. You can follow the instructions given below to do so:
Step 1 Upload a Video
Sign in to your YouTube account, click your profile picture from the top-right corner, and click YouTube Studio from the menu. Next, click CREATE from the upper-right corner, click Upload videos from the menu, and drag and drop a video from your computer to the Upload videos box that appears next.
Step 2 Select Transcription Language
On the Details page of the next box that appears, scroll down and click MORE OPTIONS, and select English in the Video language drop-down list under the Language, subtitles, and closed captions (CC) section.
Step 3 Publish the Video
Follow the on-screen instructions from this point to publish the video, and wait while YouTube automatically transcribes and adds the close captions to it.
Note: Depending on the duration of the clip, the time YouTube would take to transcribe may vary.
After YouTube has transcribed the video, you can download the transcription file in your preferred format. The instructions are given below explain how you can do so:
- Get to the Subtitles Window
While on the YouTube Studio page, click Subtitles from the left pane to go to the Channel subtitles page. And then click the video you want to modify.
- Get to Classic Studio
In the video subtitle page of the target video, hover mouse on the Published Automatic status under the Subtitles column, click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) that appears, and click Edit on Classic Studio.
- Download Transcription File
Click and open the Actions drop-down list from the top-left corner of the left pane, click your preferred transcription format including .vtt, .srt and .sbv from the list, and save the file on your local hard disk.
Method 2: Get YouTube Transcription when Watching
In addition, if you are watching any other video, you can make YouTube transcribe that for you as well. You can follow the instructions given below to get the YouTube video to text transcription:
Step 1: Play the Video
Go to the video on YouTube and start playing it. Make sure NOT to get to full-screen mode as doing so would hide the option to transcribe the clip.
Step 2: Enable Transcription
Click the More icon (with three horizontal dots) from under the bottom-right corner of the video player, and click Open transcript to see the video transcription in the Transcript pane that appears in the right.
Step 3: Manage Timestamps
Click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) from the top-right corner of the Transcript pane, and click Toggle timestamp to enable or disable the timestamps in the video transcription.
Limitations of Using YouTube Transcribe
Although YouTube’s automatic transcription is a decent feature that saves you a lot of time, since Google uses machine learning algorithms to convert the speech to text, the level of accuracy may vary depending on the accent of the speaker, and the clarity of the audio the video has. Also, even sometime you may not be satisfied with the end-results.
Alternatively, you can use Kapwing to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file with the below step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
You can follow the step-by-step instructions to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file using Kapwing:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
You may need video transcriptions for several reasons, such as analyzing the summary of the entire speech in the video, extracting a single phrase or quote that was spoken in the clip, or making the video helpful even for those suffering from hearing impairment. When you transcribe a YouTube video, the transcript can be useful in many ways. Some of the most common benefits of transcribing a video include:
- Search Engine Optimization
When you add subtitles, the text can appear in Google search results when someone types a similar phrase in the search box. This helps get more views to your videos, thus giving your channel popularity, and you, monetary gains in the long run.
- Accent
If the speaker in the video is from a different region and is using an accent that you are not much comfortable with, you can turn on the subtitles and read the dialogs along with the video.
- Repurposing on Blogs
If you own a blog that you have embedded your video to, the transcription could be used to add text to it so the target audience can get a fair idea of what the video is all about. This is useful because many people prefer reading over watching.
YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
1. How to Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
Usually the transcription files have *.srt extension that are globally accepted and supported by almost all media players. However, there might be instances when you want to have the subtitles in plain text.
That said, to convert an SRT file to TXT, you can:
- Right-click the SRT file
- Go to Rename
- Replace srt with txt and press Enter
- Click OK on the confirmation box that appears next to convert SRT to TXT
After this, you can simply double-click the file, and read and modify the transcribed content as needed.
2. How to Edit and Upload Edited Transcript to YouTube
If you made any modifications to the transcript that was automatically generated by YouTube or any other third-party transcription tool, you can follow the steps given below to upload the new file to the YouTube video:
- Go to YouTube Studio and then to the Channel subtitles page as explained earlier
- Expand the Languages column of the target video
- Click the Options icon that appears under the Subtitles column when you hover mouse on to it
- Click Edit on Classic Studio
- On the next page, click Edit from the top-right corner
- Click to open the Actions drop-down list from the upper-left corner
- Click Upload a file
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to upload the modified transcription file
- Click Save Changes from the top-right corner of the page when done
Conclusion
If you are looking for a quick and easy way of adding subtitles to your videos, letting YouTube transcribe for you could be a good approach. However, because these auto-generated transcriptions are created by machine learning algorithms, their accuracy cannot be counted on. Therefore, the best way to get the job done accurately is, let YouTube auto-transcribe your video, download the transcription file, make the necessary changes to it, and then upload the file back to the video.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you want to transcribe your videos to make the dialogs and speeches available in text format, you can use YouTube Transcribe feature that the streaming site offers for free. In this article, I’ll share with you a couple of methods to transcribe a YouTube video for free.
- Part 1: Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
- Part 2: Transcribe YouTube Video to Text Online with Third-Party Service
- Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
- Part 4: YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
Part 1: How to Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
Besides the basic video editing features on the YouTube platform, you can now quickly transcribe YouTube videos to the text as well. The good thing is, you can either use the automatic transcription feature that YouTube offers, or upload it manually while adjusting the timing as you go further.
Below are the two methods to transcribe your YouTube videos for free:
Method 1: Use the Automated Transcription Service on YouTube
As the name suggests, YouTube automatic transcription service works automatically. This means you don’t even have to click the ‘Transcribe’ button anymore to transcribe a YouTube video, and the website takes care of it on its own. All you need to do is, choose English as the language of the video when setting up subtitles. You can follow the instructions given below to do so:
Step 1 Upload a Video
Sign in to your YouTube account, click your profile picture from the top-right corner, and click YouTube Studio from the menu. Next, click CREATE from the upper-right corner, click Upload videos from the menu, and drag and drop a video from your computer to the Upload videos box that appears next.
Step 2 Select Transcription Language
On the Details page of the next box that appears, scroll down and click MORE OPTIONS, and select English in the Video language drop-down list under the Language, subtitles, and closed captions (CC) section.
Step 3 Publish the Video
Follow the on-screen instructions from this point to publish the video, and wait while YouTube automatically transcribes and adds the close captions to it.
Note: Depending on the duration of the clip, the time YouTube would take to transcribe may vary.
After YouTube has transcribed the video, you can download the transcription file in your preferred format. The instructions are given below explain how you can do so:
- Get to the Subtitles Window
While on the YouTube Studio page, click Subtitles from the left pane to go to the Channel subtitles page. And then click the video you want to modify.
- Get to Classic Studio
In the video subtitle page of the target video, hover mouse on the Published Automatic status under the Subtitles column, click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) that appears, and click Edit on Classic Studio.
- Download Transcription File
Click and open the Actions drop-down list from the top-left corner of the left pane, click your preferred transcription format including .vtt, .srt and .sbv from the list, and save the file on your local hard disk.
Method 2: Get YouTube Transcription when Watching
In addition, if you are watching any other video, you can make YouTube transcribe that for you as well. You can follow the instructions given below to get the YouTube video to text transcription:
Step 1: Play the Video
Go to the video on YouTube and start playing it. Make sure NOT to get to full-screen mode as doing so would hide the option to transcribe the clip.
Step 2: Enable Transcription
Click the More icon (with three horizontal dots) from under the bottom-right corner of the video player, and click Open transcript to see the video transcription in the Transcript pane that appears in the right.
Step 3: Manage Timestamps
Click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) from the top-right corner of the Transcript pane, and click Toggle timestamp to enable or disable the timestamps in the video transcription.
Limitations of Using YouTube Transcribe
Although YouTube’s automatic transcription is a decent feature that saves you a lot of time, since Google uses machine learning algorithms to convert the speech to text, the level of accuracy may vary depending on the accent of the speaker, and the clarity of the audio the video has. Also, even sometime you may not be satisfied with the end-results.
Alternatively, you can use Kapwing to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file with the below step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
You can follow the step-by-step instructions to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file using Kapwing:
Step 1: Add YouTube Video
Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.
Step 3: Download the Transcription File
Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.
Pros
- Kapwing is free to use
- The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
- Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file
Cons
- The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background
Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
You may need video transcriptions for several reasons, such as analyzing the summary of the entire speech in the video, extracting a single phrase or quote that was spoken in the clip, or making the video helpful even for those suffering from hearing impairment. When you transcribe a YouTube video, the transcript can be useful in many ways. Some of the most common benefits of transcribing a video include:
- Search Engine Optimization
When you add subtitles, the text can appear in Google search results when someone types a similar phrase in the search box. This helps get more views to your videos, thus giving your channel popularity, and you, monetary gains in the long run.
- Accent
If the speaker in the video is from a different region and is using an accent that you are not much comfortable with, you can turn on the subtitles and read the dialogs along with the video.
- Repurposing on Blogs
If you own a blog that you have embedded your video to, the transcription could be used to add text to it so the target audience can get a fair idea of what the video is all about. This is useful because many people prefer reading over watching.
YouTube Video Transcription FAQs
1. How to Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
Usually the transcription files have *.srt extension that are globally accepted and supported by almost all media players. However, there might be instances when you want to have the subtitles in plain text.
That said, to convert an SRT file to TXT, you can:
- Right-click the SRT file
- Go to Rename
- Replace srt with txt and press Enter
- Click OK on the confirmation box that appears next to convert SRT to TXT
After this, you can simply double-click the file, and read and modify the transcribed content as needed.
2. How to Edit and Upload Edited Transcript to YouTube
If you made any modifications to the transcript that was automatically generated by YouTube or any other third-party transcription tool, you can follow the steps given below to upload the new file to the YouTube video:
- Go to YouTube Studio and then to the Channel subtitles page as explained earlier
- Expand the Languages column of the target video
- Click the Options icon that appears under the Subtitles column when you hover mouse on to it
- Click Edit on Classic Studio
- On the next page, click Edit from the top-right corner
- Click to open the Actions drop-down list from the upper-left corner
- Click Upload a file
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to upload the modified transcription file
- Click Save Changes from the top-right corner of the page when done
Conclusion
If you are looking for a quick and easy way of adding subtitles to your videos, letting YouTube transcribe for you could be a good approach. However, because these auto-generated transcriptions are created by machine learning algorithms, their accuracy cannot be counted on. Therefore, the best way to get the job done accurately is, let YouTube auto-transcribe your video, download the transcription file, make the necessary changes to it, and then upload the file back to the video.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Yule’s Magic Unfolds: Access Nine Premium, Whole-Film Holiday Movies for Free
Watch 9 Free Full Length Christmas Movies On Youtube
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.
1. The nutcracker 1990
The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :
2. A smoky mountain Christmas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:
3. Ernest saves Christmas
This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:
4. A Christmas story
A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:
5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish
In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:
6. On the second day of Christmas
This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:
7. Santa Who?
Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:
8. A Christmas Carol
In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:
9. Miracle on 34th street
In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.
1. The nutcracker 1990
The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :
2. A smoky mountain Christmas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:
3. Ernest saves Christmas
This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:
4. A Christmas story
A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:
5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish
In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:
6. On the second day of Christmas
This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:
7. Santa Who?
Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:
8. A Christmas Carol
In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:
9. Miracle on 34th street
In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.
1. The nutcracker 1990
The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :
2. A smoky mountain Christmas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:
3. Ernest saves Christmas
This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:
4. A Christmas story
A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:
5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish
In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:
6. On the second day of Christmas
This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:
7. Santa Who?
Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:
8. A Christmas Carol
In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:
9. Miracle on 34th street
In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.
1. The nutcracker 1990
The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :
2. A smoky mountain Christmas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:
3. Ernest saves Christmas
This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:
4. A Christmas story
A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:
5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish
In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:
6. On the second day of Christmas
This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:
7. Santa Who?
Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:
8. A Christmas Carol
In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:
9. Miracle on 34th street
In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
- Title: "2024 Approved From Sound to Words A FREE Guide to YouTube Transcribing Mastery"
- Author: Joseph
- Created at : 2024-05-31 13:45:37
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 13:45:37
- Link: https://youtube-stream.techidaily.com/2024-approved-from-sound-to-words-a-free-guide-to-youtube-transcribing-mastery/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
