In today’s video,
we’ll learn how to make your video
more accessible to more people
by adding closed captioning
to it directly in Final Cut Pro.
Hey guys, hows it going.
Welcome back to my channel
for another Final Cut Pro tutorial.
In apple’s latest Final Cut Pro update,
they’ve added the ability
to add captions to your video.
Captions are used primarily
for closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
They can also be used for subtitles,
karaoke, scrolling news items, and so on.
Final Cut Pro now gives you the ability
to add captions to your project right
in the project timeline.
Lets take a look at how we can do it.
First thing you have to do
is choose your captions format.
This depends on your delivery requirements.
For broadcast, web streaming, DVD,
or Blu-ray choose the CEA-608 format.
If you’re building your project for delivery
to the iTunes store,
then select iTT format for your captions.
Next, you need to add
a captions role to your project.
From the menu bar select Modify,
Edit Roles and select the Captions Tab.
By default, Final Cut Pro suggests
an iTT captions role,
which is much more feature rich.
But, if you want to use the
more universally compatible CEA-608 format,
you first have to remove the iTT role
by clicking the minus button beside it.
Next, click the plus button
on the right hand side,
and select CEA-608.
Click apply to close the roles window.
Now you’re ready to add captions to your project.
Down in your timeline,
set the playhead where
you want to add your caption.
Now, from the menu bar select Edit,
Captions and Add Captions.
Final Cut Pro places a caption clip
in the caption lane,
and the caption editor opens in the timeline.
Type your text into the caption editor.
To view the caption in your viewer,
from the view dropdown menu,
select Show Captions.
The caption clip can be moved,
or modified just like any other clip in your timeline.
Ripple trim the start and end
of your clip to adjust the timing.
To add another caption clip move your playhead,
and select Edit, Captions and Add Caption,
or to save time,
use the keyboard shortcut Option C.
Type in your next caption,
and click anywhere outside
the caption box to close it.
To modify your captions,
double click on the caption clip in your timeline.
You can modify the text directly in the caption editor,
or modify other parameters in the inspector.
To change the placement of your caption,
use the arrows below the text box.
Under that, you can modify the display style,
formatting,
text color,
text background opacity,
and text background color.
As you add captions to your project,
Final Cut Pro automatically checks
your captions for errors.
Captions with errors appear red in the timeline.
For example, if you overlap your caption clips,
the effected clips will appear red in the timeline.
An explanation of what's causing the error
and possible solutions appear in the Captions inspector.
If you have caption errors in your timeline,
Final Cut Pro will not let you share your project
without first resolving the caption issues.
If you don’t resolve the caption issues,
Final Cut Pro will export your video without captions.
To export your video with embedded captions,
simply share your project
just like you would any other project.
Your viewer will have the ability
to turn the captions on and off
when viewing your project.
You can also export your captions
as a separate add on file
when exporting your project.
In the share window,
select the roles tab
select the Export Each Subrole as a separate file checkbox.
An additional captions file will be exported
alongside with your video file.
These files can be useful for sharing services
that require you to upload
an additional captions file when uploading your video.
Adding captions to your next project
will help you reach a much wider audience.
The ability to do this directly in Final Cut Pro
is in my opinion a very welcome update.
Do you ever turn on captions when watching videos?
Let me know in the comments below.
If you’re new here,
make sure to check out the rest of my channel
for more Final Cut Pro tutorials.
New videos release weekly,
so make sure you hit the subscribe button
and turn on notifications so you don’t miss them.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time