Become a Freelance Transcriber: Tips and Tricks for YouTube Content

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:

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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:

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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:

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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:

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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

Streamline Your YouTube Thumbnail Process

How to Make a Thumbnail for Your YouTube Free Easily

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Youtube is one of the widely and most used video-sharing platforms all around the world. Being such a huge platform, billions of users upload different videos every second, making it a very competitive platform. Getting your videos noticed and clicked by others requires so many factors to be considered. One of the main factors that increase the chances of your videos being connected and seen by others is an attractive thumbnail. It is the first and the most important factor that helps the viewers decide what to watch and ignore. According to an estimate, among all the best-performing videos on Youtube, 90% have custom thumbnails. So, if you are looking forward to increasing the number of clicks on your videos, having a custom thumbnail is one of the most important things to consider. There are multiple ways to make a thumbnail for Youtube, but most are paid and difficult to use. In this article, we will discuss a hack to make a thumbnail for your Youtube free.

---

You might be interested in:

• How to Make Game Streaming Video with AI Portrait
• How to Make Reaction Video with AI Portrait

---

How to make a thumbnail for Youtube using AI Portrait

With time, Filmora brings new and advanced features for its users to equip them with all the necessary tools required for effective and efficient video editing. One of its latest features is AI Portrait. This feature has several uses and benefits. This feature is designed for Gamers, Vlogger, and other related genres to help them make their videos stand out from the crowd and gain more clicks and views. AI Portrait contains several effects that help you make the human element of the video separate from the background and make it more obvious. We can also use the AI Portrait effects to make beautiful and attractive thumbnails for your Youtube. Follow these steps to create a stunning thumbnail for your Youtube videos.

Step 01: Open Filmora X. If it is not already installed on your computer, download and install its latest version from here .

Step 02: Make sure that the aspect ratio of your project is 16:9. To do that, click on a screen-shaped icon below the preview screen and select “Change Project Aspect Ratio.”

Step 03: Change the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 if it is not set to it already. 16:9 aspect ratio is the standard size of Youtube thumbnails that represents the best possible results.

Step 04: Choose a background of your choice for your thumbnail. You can choose a background from the sample colors provided by Filmora.

Step 05: If you want to use your custom background, you can import it into the Filmora by clicking import or dragging and dropping it in the media section.

Step 06: Import your video the same way into the media folder of Filmora and drag it into the timeline and place it above your background.

Step 07: Select your footage, go to the Effects tab and click on AI Portraits. It will open up all the effects related to AI Portraits. These AI Portrait features help you separate the human from a background without using a green screen or anything else.

Step 08: Double click on any of these effects to see how they will look like on your footage.

Step 09: To make a thumbnail for your Youtube, we have to remove the background of your footage first. To do that we have to apply Human Segmentation to the footage first. It will separate the human from the footage. Drag and drop the Human Segmentation effect into the footage in the timeline. Once you drop it into the footage, it will ask you to purchase this feature to export the footage. Since we are not trying to export the footage, we are only creating a thumbnail, click on “Try It”. Once the background is removed, you can add other effects as well. Drag and drop the “Human Border” into the footage. It creates an outline around the human in your footage.

Step 10: The effect will be applied to the footage. Now the background has been removed from the footage and ready to be used on your custom background. You can adjust the human accordingly where it looks perfect.

Step 11: Now it is time to add a title into your thumbnail to highlight what the video is all about. Go to the Titles, and select lower thirds. You can also select any of the titles types which best suits your needs. Drop the title into the timeline above the footage and adjust it accordingly. Now double click on the header to edit and rename it.

Step 12: Once you are satisfied with the final results, click on the Camera icon below the preview screen or press “Ctrl+Alt+S” to take the screenshot.

Conclusion

This is how your Youtube thumbnail will look like after applying all the above-mentioned effects and settings.

This article on making a thumbnail for your Youtube is just an idea for you, and you can use your creativity to create amazing thumbnails using other features of Filmora. These cool thumbnails will help you attract more viewers and click, which will ultimately help you grow your Youtube Channel. Unlike all other articles and tutorials that show you how to make a thumbnail for Youtube, this method is free and doesn’t need any technical skills to be implemented.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Youtube is one of the widely and most used video-sharing platforms all around the world. Being such a huge platform, billions of users upload different videos every second, making it a very competitive platform. Getting your videos noticed and clicked by others requires so many factors to be considered. One of the main factors that increase the chances of your videos being connected and seen by others is an attractive thumbnail. It is the first and the most important factor that helps the viewers decide what to watch and ignore. According to an estimate, among all the best-performing videos on Youtube, 90% have custom thumbnails. So, if you are looking forward to increasing the number of clicks on your videos, having a custom thumbnail is one of the most important things to consider. There are multiple ways to make a thumbnail for Youtube, but most are paid and difficult to use. In this article, we will discuss a hack to make a thumbnail for your Youtube free.

---

You might be interested in:

• How to Make Game Streaming Video with AI Portrait
• How to Make Reaction Video with AI Portrait

---

How to make a thumbnail for Youtube using AI Portrait

With time, Filmora brings new and advanced features for its users to equip them with all the necessary tools required for effective and efficient video editing. One of its latest features is AI Portrait. This feature has several uses and benefits. This feature is designed for Gamers, Vlogger, and other related genres to help them make their videos stand out from the crowd and gain more clicks and views. AI Portrait contains several effects that help you make the human element of the video separate from the background and make it more obvious. We can also use the AI Portrait effects to make beautiful and attractive thumbnails for your Youtube. Follow these steps to create a stunning thumbnail for your Youtube videos.

Step 01: Open Filmora X. If it is not already installed on your computer, download and install its latest version from here .

Step 02: Make sure that the aspect ratio of your project is 16:9. To do that, click on a screen-shaped icon below the preview screen and select “Change Project Aspect Ratio.”

Step 03: Change the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 if it is not set to it already. 16:9 aspect ratio is the standard size of Youtube thumbnails that represents the best possible results.

Step 04: Choose a background of your choice for your thumbnail. You can choose a background from the sample colors provided by Filmora.

Step 05: If you want to use your custom background, you can import it into the Filmora by clicking import or dragging and dropping it in the media section.

Step 06: Import your video the same way into the media folder of Filmora and drag it into the timeline and place it above your background.

Step 07: Select your footage, go to the Effects tab and click on AI Portraits. It will open up all the effects related to AI Portraits. These AI Portrait features help you separate the human from a background without using a green screen or anything else.

Step 08: Double click on any of these effects to see how they will look like on your footage.

Step 09: To make a thumbnail for your Youtube, we have to remove the background of your footage first. To do that we have to apply Human Segmentation to the footage first. It will separate the human from the footage. Drag and drop the Human Segmentation effect into the footage in the timeline. Once you drop it into the footage, it will ask you to purchase this feature to export the footage. Since we are not trying to export the footage, we are only creating a thumbnail, click on “Try It”. Once the background is removed, you can add other effects as well. Drag and drop the “Human Border” into the footage. It creates an outline around the human in your footage.

Step 10: The effect will be applied to the footage. Now the background has been removed from the footage and ready to be used on your custom background. You can adjust the human accordingly where it looks perfect.

Step 11: Now it is time to add a title into your thumbnail to highlight what the video is all about. Go to the Titles, and select lower thirds. You can also select any of the titles types which best suits your needs. Drop the title into the timeline above the footage and adjust it accordingly. Now double click on the header to edit and rename it.

Step 12: Once you are satisfied with the final results, click on the Camera icon below the preview screen or press “Ctrl+Alt+S” to take the screenshot.

Conclusion

This is how your Youtube thumbnail will look like after applying all the above-mentioned effects and settings.

This article on making a thumbnail for your Youtube is just an idea for you, and you can use your creativity to create amazing thumbnails using other features of Filmora. These cool thumbnails will help you attract more viewers and click, which will ultimately help you grow your Youtube Channel. Unlike all other articles and tutorials that show you how to make a thumbnail for Youtube, this method is free and doesn’t need any technical skills to be implemented.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Youtube is one of the widely and most used video-sharing platforms all around the world. Being such a huge platform, billions of users upload different videos every second, making it a very competitive platform. Getting your videos noticed and clicked by others requires so many factors to be considered. One of the main factors that increase the chances of your videos being connected and seen by others is an attractive thumbnail. It is the first and the most important factor that helps the viewers decide what to watch and ignore. According to an estimate, among all the best-performing videos on Youtube, 90% have custom thumbnails. So, if you are looking forward to increasing the number of clicks on your videos, having a custom thumbnail is one of the most important things to consider. There are multiple ways to make a thumbnail for Youtube, but most are paid and difficult to use. In this article, we will discuss a hack to make a thumbnail for your Youtube free.

---

You might be interested in:

• How to Make Game Streaming Video with AI Portrait
• How to Make Reaction Video with AI Portrait

---

How to make a thumbnail for Youtube using AI Portrait

With time, Filmora brings new and advanced features for its users to equip them with all the necessary tools required for effective and efficient video editing. One of its latest features is AI Portrait. This feature has several uses and benefits. This feature is designed for Gamers, Vlogger, and other related genres to help them make their videos stand out from the crowd and gain more clicks and views. AI Portrait contains several effects that help you make the human element of the video separate from the background and make it more obvious. We can also use the AI Portrait effects to make beautiful and attractive thumbnails for your Youtube. Follow these steps to create a stunning thumbnail for your Youtube videos.

Step 01: Open Filmora X. If it is not already installed on your computer, download and install its latest version from here .

Step 02: Make sure that the aspect ratio of your project is 16:9. To do that, click on a screen-shaped icon below the preview screen and select “Change Project Aspect Ratio.”

Step 03: Change the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 if it is not set to it already. 16:9 aspect ratio is the standard size of Youtube thumbnails that represents the best possible results.

Step 04: Choose a background of your choice for your thumbnail. You can choose a background from the sample colors provided by Filmora.

Step 05: If you want to use your custom background, you can import it into the Filmora by clicking import or dragging and dropping it in the media section.

Step 06: Import your video the same way into the media folder of Filmora and drag it into the timeline and place it above your background.

Step 07: Select your footage, go to the Effects tab and click on AI Portraits. It will open up all the effects related to AI Portraits. These AI Portrait features help you separate the human from a background without using a green screen or anything else.

Step 08: Double click on any of these effects to see how they will look like on your footage.

Step 09: To make a thumbnail for your Youtube, we have to remove the background of your footage first. To do that we have to apply Human Segmentation to the footage first. It will separate the human from the footage. Drag and drop the Human Segmentation effect into the footage in the timeline. Once you drop it into the footage, it will ask you to purchase this feature to export the footage. Since we are not trying to export the footage, we are only creating a thumbnail, click on “Try It”. Once the background is removed, you can add other effects as well. Drag and drop the “Human Border” into the footage. It creates an outline around the human in your footage.

Step 10: The effect will be applied to the footage. Now the background has been removed from the footage and ready to be used on your custom background. You can adjust the human accordingly where it looks perfect.

Step 11: Now it is time to add a title into your thumbnail to highlight what the video is all about. Go to the Titles, and select lower thirds. You can also select any of the titles types which best suits your needs. Drop the title into the timeline above the footage and adjust it accordingly. Now double click on the header to edit and rename it.

Step 12: Once you are satisfied with the final results, click on the Camera icon below the preview screen or press “Ctrl+Alt+S” to take the screenshot.

Conclusion

This is how your Youtube thumbnail will look like after applying all the above-mentioned effects and settings.

This article on making a thumbnail for your Youtube is just an idea for you, and you can use your creativity to create amazing thumbnails using other features of Filmora. These cool thumbnails will help you attract more viewers and click, which will ultimately help you grow your Youtube Channel. Unlike all other articles and tutorials that show you how to make a thumbnail for Youtube, this method is free and doesn’t need any technical skills to be implemented.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Youtube is one of the widely and most used video-sharing platforms all around the world. Being such a huge platform, billions of users upload different videos every second, making it a very competitive platform. Getting your videos noticed and clicked by others requires so many factors to be considered. One of the main factors that increase the chances of your videos being connected and seen by others is an attractive thumbnail. It is the first and the most important factor that helps the viewers decide what to watch and ignore. According to an estimate, among all the best-performing videos on Youtube, 90% have custom thumbnails. So, if you are looking forward to increasing the number of clicks on your videos, having a custom thumbnail is one of the most important things to consider. There are multiple ways to make a thumbnail for Youtube, but most are paid and difficult to use. In this article, we will discuss a hack to make a thumbnail for your Youtube free.

---

You might be interested in:

• How to Make Game Streaming Video with AI Portrait
• How to Make Reaction Video with AI Portrait

---

How to make a thumbnail for Youtube using AI Portrait

With time, Filmora brings new and advanced features for its users to equip them with all the necessary tools required for effective and efficient video editing. One of its latest features is AI Portrait. This feature has several uses and benefits. This feature is designed for Gamers, Vlogger, and other related genres to help them make their videos stand out from the crowd and gain more clicks and views. AI Portrait contains several effects that help you make the human element of the video separate from the background and make it more obvious. We can also use the AI Portrait effects to make beautiful and attractive thumbnails for your Youtube. Follow these steps to create a stunning thumbnail for your Youtube videos.

Step 01: Open Filmora X. If it is not already installed on your computer, download and install its latest version from here .

Step 02: Make sure that the aspect ratio of your project is 16:9. To do that, click on a screen-shaped icon below the preview screen and select “Change Project Aspect Ratio.”

Step 03: Change the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 if it is not set to it already. 16:9 aspect ratio is the standard size of Youtube thumbnails that represents the best possible results.

Step 04: Choose a background of your choice for your thumbnail. You can choose a background from the sample colors provided by Filmora.

Step 05: If you want to use your custom background, you can import it into the Filmora by clicking import or dragging and dropping it in the media section.

Step 06: Import your video the same way into the media folder of Filmora and drag it into the timeline and place it above your background.

Step 07: Select your footage, go to the Effects tab and click on AI Portraits. It will open up all the effects related to AI Portraits. These AI Portrait features help you separate the human from a background without using a green screen or anything else.

Step 08: Double click on any of these effects to see how they will look like on your footage.

Step 09: To make a thumbnail for your Youtube, we have to remove the background of your footage first. To do that we have to apply Human Segmentation to the footage first. It will separate the human from the footage. Drag and drop the Human Segmentation effect into the footage in the timeline. Once you drop it into the footage, it will ask you to purchase this feature to export the footage. Since we are not trying to export the footage, we are only creating a thumbnail, click on “Try It”. Once the background is removed, you can add other effects as well. Drag and drop the “Human Border” into the footage. It creates an outline around the human in your footage.

Step 10: The effect will be applied to the footage. Now the background has been removed from the footage and ready to be used on your custom background. You can adjust the human accordingly where it looks perfect.

Step 11: Now it is time to add a title into your thumbnail to highlight what the video is all about. Go to the Titles, and select lower thirds. You can also select any of the titles types which best suits your needs. Drop the title into the timeline above the footage and adjust it accordingly. Now double click on the header to edit and rename it.

Step 12: Once you are satisfied with the final results, click on the Camera icon below the preview screen or press “Ctrl+Alt+S” to take the screenshot.

Conclusion

This is how your Youtube thumbnail will look like after applying all the above-mentioned effects and settings.

This article on making a thumbnail for your Youtube is just an idea for you, and you can use your creativity to create amazing thumbnails using other features of Filmora. These cool thumbnails will help you attract more viewers and click, which will ultimately help you grow your Youtube Channel. Unlike all other articles and tutorials that show you how to make a thumbnail for Youtube, this method is free and doesn’t need any technical skills to be implemented.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

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