Closed Captions

Closed captions are synchronized text representations of speech and important non-speech audio in video that viewers can turn on or off when the player supports them. They help people who are deaf or hard of hearing and can also assist anyone watching without sound. A handyman tutorial may need captions for instructions as well as a sound that changes the meaning of a scene. Closed captions are not the same as a social media post caption, which is accompanying written copy, or open captions, which are permanently visible in the video image. Automatic caption tools can provide a starting point, but names, technical terms, timing, and meaningful sounds should be reviewed.