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Audio describing videos - Accessibility Toolkit - Version 3 - 2009

There will be people who require audio descriptions because:

• They are visually impaired or blind;
• They have English as a Second language; and/or
• They have a physical disability which prevents them from pausing the media player to read the text on the screen.

Videos cannot be made fully accessible, but they can be made accessible to some people with disabilities; for example people using screen readers. A video is made accessible by:

• Providing a transcript of the video in text or HTML;
• Providing audio descriptions of all the visual content in the video; and
• Providing captions of all the audio content in the video.

Relationship to WCAG1 checkpoints:

Checkpoint 1.3 requires that until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.

Checkpoint 6.2 requires that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.

Tools you will need

In order to create audio descriptions, your video file must be in MP4 format. There are numerous methods to create a MP4 – this document deals with only one of them.

You will need the following applications installed:

• MAGpie 2.0 (see MAGpie installation instructions)
• Notepad
• Quicktime

Using MAGpie to create audio descriptions

MAGpie is very well-known accessible captioning software.

Create a project:

• Under the File menu, select "New project"
• In the dialog box, select the "Browse" button and select your video file
• Click OK
• When the "Create new project track" dialog box opens, select "Audio Descriptions" in the "Track Type" section
• Click OK

Create an audio description:

• Press F6 to begin the video. When important information is provided in the visual part of the video, stop the video and click the "Record description" button
• Select the "Use generated file name" option.
• When you are ready to record the description click "Record" (you will need a microphone for this)
• When you have finished recording, click "Stop" and then OK to close the dialog box
• The audio description must fit between existing dialog or important sounds.
• If there are time limits, describe only important visual information, such as people’s actions, or diagrams. If there is enough time, then describe other visual information
• Describe information consistently, ie using the same names and terminology
• Describe emotional states, but do not attribute reasoning or motivation (eg. do not say "Her prayers answered, Joan looks up with tearful eyes", instead say "Joan looks up with tearful eyes")
• Ensure the voice is sufficiently distinguishable from other voices in the production
• Read titles and credits
• When you have completed one recording, press Enter twice to create a new row for a new audio description.

Setting the timestamp:

• Press F7 to rewind the video to the beginning
• Press F6 to begin playing the video.
• When the audio description should be spoken press F9 – this will set a timestamp for the audio description
• Continue until all audio descriptions have timestamps
• MAGpie will automatically insert a new row at the end. Delete this row (right click on the row and select "Delete selected rows")

Testing the audio descriptions

Checking your work:

• Under the "Export" menu select "Quicktime – SMIL 1.0 format". Save the file.
• Open Quicktime and select the SMIL file that MAGpie created in step 1
• Play and watch the video. Check that:
• Audio descriptions adequately describe the visual information
• The audio descriptions do not impinge on other speech or important sounds
• Play the video but do not watch it. Check that:
• Audio descriptions are sufficiently explanatory
• Audio descriptions are sufficiently distinguishable from other speech

Putting the audio described video on a web site

Uploading the audio description and the video

• Copy the following files to the appropriate directory on your website:
• original_movie.mp4
• audiofile1.wav, audiofile2.wav etc.
• Open filename_audio.qt.smil file in Notepad
• Replace

  <video dur="0:02:19.75" region="videoregion"
  src="original_movie.mp4"/>
  with
  <video dur="0:02:19.75" region="videoregion" src="http://www.yoururl.com.au/ original_movie.mp4"/>

• Replace

  <audio src="audiofile1.wav" begin="0:00:00.00"/>
  with
  <audio src="http://www.yoururl.com.au/audiofile1.wav" begin="0:00:00.00"/>

• Replace

  <audio src="audiofile2.wav" begin="0:00:43.52"/>
  with
  <audio src="http://www.yoururl.com.au/audiofile2.wav" begin="0:00:43.52"/>

• Replace

  <audio src="audiofile3.wav" begin="0:01:18.50"/>
  with
  <audio src="http://www.yoururl.com.au/audiofile3.wav" begin="0:01:18.50"/>

• Repeat for all audiofiles
• Copy filename_audio.qt.smil to your web site directory:
• In the HTML of your web page insert the following HTML:

  <a href=" http://www.yoururl.com.au/ filename_audio.qt.smil">My film with audio descriptions (2.2MB)</a>

Example 1: Koorie education with Learning Objects, Part 1

In the Learning Objects movie, the file has important information presented in both the audio and video tracks and therefore also requires captions. The file also needs an HTML equivalent.

Page containing transcript and audio described video

Further information

• MAGpie: Audio descriptions
• Joe Clark: Standard techniques in audio description
• Skills for Access: Provide audio descriptions for video or animated content – in MAGpie

Source: Accessibility Toolkit Version 3, September 2009. Section 5 - Audio describing videos.

Last updated: 30 June 2010 Tweet

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