Is It a Video or Video Format: Are Captions Required?

Is It a Video or Video Format: Are Captions Required?

Overview

Deciding if a visual presentation requires captions is a common area of confusion. It starts with determining whether the presentation is a video or a presentation in video format. Correctly identifying the asset type determines if the presentation needs captions. 

Video

Video is defined as a visual presentation with moving images. These can be live action or animation. If a digital asset includes a moving image accompanied by an audio track that conveys content, it must be captioned. These may include a “talking head” presentation by an instructor or an embedded YouTube video.

Video Format

A presentation or digital asset saved in a video format may or may not be an actual video. Presentations, such as narrated PowerPoint slides, are often converted to a video format. Presentations in a video format without moving images are not “videos” for the purpose of providing captions. The audio track in this type of digital asset most likely requires a transcript and not captions. For more information on transcripts, see Presentations With Audio.

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