How do I upload a caption file in Canvas Studio?

In Canvas Studio, you can upload caption files for your media.

You can upload the following file types:

  • SRT files, the most common transcript file type
  • VTT files, a more mobile-device-friendly transcript file type

Notes: 

  • YouTube and Vimeo media require a caption file upload, or they can be captioned manually.  For other media file types, you can also request auto-captioning.
  • Starting March 25, 2024, media uploaded to Canvas Studio includes auto-generated captions by default. However, YouTube and Vimeo media cannot be automatically captioned by Studio, and require either a caption file upload or manually created captions.
  • For help creating a caption file outside of Studio, you can use a captioning site such as Amara.

Locate  Media

In Studio, the My Library page opens by default. The library displays media preview tiles with the most recently added media displayed first.

To search for a media file, click the Search icon [1]. To sort media by title, click the Sort By drop-down menu [2]. To filter media by collection, or caption status, click the Filter by drop-down menu [3].

Note: Media that includes captions displays the Caption icon [4].

Open Media

Open Media

Hover your cursor over the media thumbnail and click the View button.

Open Captions

Open Captions

Click the Captions tab [1]. Then, to upload a caption file, click the Upload button [2].

Select Caption File Language

Select Caption File Language

In the Upload Captions section, click the Language drop-down menu [1], and select the language used in your caption file. Then, click the Upload button [2].

Enter Custom Caption Language

Enter Custom Caption Language

If Studio does not display the caption language in the list, click the Custom link [1].

Enter the custom language name in the Language field [2], then click the Upload button [3].

Open File

Open File

Locate and select the file on your computer [1]. Click the Choose or Open button [2].

Edit Captions

The caption editor displays. To make any changes to the uploaded caption file, use the caption editor.

To edit a caption line, click the caption [1].

To add a caption line, click the Insert line button [2].

When you are finished using the caption editor, click the Close button [3].

View Captions

View Captions

Once uploaded, the caption file displays in the Manage captions section.

Note: A media file can have multiple caption files in different languages. However, a media file can only have one caption file per language.

View Caption Options

To view options for a caption file, click the Options icon [1]. You can edit [2], download [3], replace [4], or delete [5] any caption file.

Note: Caption files download in the same file format that they were uploaded in (SRT or VTT). After downloading, you can convert caption files into word processing files on most computers.

Enable Captions

Enable Captions

To view captions on the media, captions must be turned on. To turn on captions, click the Toggle Captions On icon.

Note: The Toggle Captions On icon only displays if the media has captions.