Edit Video Content with the Media Editor

Instructors can edit video timelines, create chapters, and add closed captions. We recommend using the desktop experience when editing video files.

Features:

  • Edit timelines will allow users to skip unwanted sections of a video recording.
  • Create a Table of Contents for videos by creating chapter titles to allow quick navigation to specific sections.
  • Captions can be uploaded from a .vtt or .srt file or automatically generated to make videos accessible to all users.  

Note: In Content, the editor features are only available for newly uploaded audio-video files and do not apply to files that were uploaded prior to January 2022.

  1. On the nav bar, click Content.
    Content on Nav Bar
  2. Select the module containing your video, then select the video title.
  3. Click Edit Video.
    Edit Video in Content
  4. Click Advanced Editing.
    Advanced Editing Link on Video Preview
  5. Do any of the following (click the accordions below for detailed steps):

    Use Timeline Editor to Cut Out Parts of the Video

    Edit your video using the Seek (arrow), Mark (line), and Cut (scissor) tools.

    1. To snip out parts of your media file, First, select the Mark (line) tool, and click your mouse on the timeline to mark places on the timeline at the starting point and ending point of the part you wish to remove.
      Mark Video sections to snip
    2. Select the Cut (scissors) tool and click between the two marks to cut it out. The selected section turns red and is not shown playback.
      Use scissors to cut timeline


    Note: Mousing over the timeline displays a small tab at the bottom of the timeline that can be grabbed and dragged up and down to enlarge the timeline for accessibility. 

    • To restore the cut section: Select the Cut tool (scissors icon) then click the section on the timeline you want to restore.
    • To remove a mark on the timeline, click it again with the Mark tool.

    Create Chapters & a Table of Contents

    Create meaningful segments in larger videos with chapters. Chapters appear above the time code when a user mouses over the timeline.

    Example Chapters on Timeline

    Example Chapters on Timeline

    1. Select the Table of Contents tab on the top right side of the video.
      Table of Contents in Advanced Video Editor
    2. Use the Seek (arrow) tool to select a space on the timeline where you want your chapter to start.
      Seek Tool in Advanced Editing
    3. Enter your chapter title and click the + button.
      Chapter Title in Video Advanced Editor
    4. For the next chapter, select the next spot on the timeline, enter the chapter title and click +.
      Add Second Chapter Title in Video Advanced Editor
    5. Optional: If you add an incorrect time, you can update it by selecting a spot on the timeline and clicking the clock icon beside that Chapter in Table of Contents.
      Move Chapter in Video Advanced Editor
    6. Optional: Click X to remove the entry.
      Delete Chapter in Video Advanced Editor

    Closed Captions

    Adding Closed Captions is important, not only for accessibility, but also to allow viewers to search by keywords. Users have the ability to search for a keyword in the video caption track and see those spots reflected on the timeline. A caption track must be present for the video and the user must have captions turned on to use the search option.

    Create Closed Captions

    1. Select the language from the dropdown menu on the top left side of the video. This selection will be used for closed captions.
      Select Language for Closed Captions
    2. Click the Closed Captions tab on the top right side of the video.
      Select Closed Caption tab in Advanced Video Editor
    3. Do either:
      • Recommended:  Click Auto-generate.
        auto generate closed captions in video advanced editor
        A pop-up box will appear with the following message “When auto-generation begins, your current changes will be saved. When auto-generation finishes, your changes will be published along with the generated captions. If the current language has captions, they will be overwritten. You will be able to continue editing this media file after auto-generation is complete. If you proceed, all references to this media file throughout the LMS will receive your changes.”  Click Auto-Generate.
        Confirm Auto generate captions in video advanced editor
      • Or Upload a .vtt or .srt file.
        Upload Caption File in Video Advanced Editor
    4. Once the captions are generated, you must review and edit them for accuracy.

    Edit Closed Captions

      1. Select the Closed Captions tab.
        Closed Captions tab
      2. The captions will display on the right side of the video.
        Auto-generated captions
      3. Review the text for accuracy. If you find issues, click your mouse into the caption field and edit the text as needed.
        Caption example
      4. If you find that captions are not flowing naturally with the sentences or speech pattern, you can modify the caption text (typically by cut/paste excess text into the previous or next caption). Then, click the arrow to open the expanded controls for this caption cue.Next, click play on the video in the video preview, up until the point the next caption needs to begin & pause the video. To set the new caption end time, click the clock to the right of the “End” time for that caption.
        Set new Caption End time

    Optimize for Streaming

    Depending on the file format of audio and video files, they might not play in a web browser by default. All MP3 and MP4 video files are saved in their original form because they can play in a browser without transcoding. Other files, such as WMV and AVI, which would not play by default, continue to be automatically transcoded.

    Note: This feature applies to uploaded audio and video files in Content and uploaded Video Notes. Original versions of videos are used for editing and playback. This feature does not apply to Video Note web cam recordings, which continue to be transcoded automatically.

    Click the Optimize for Streaming button to manually transcode original versions of the files. This will reduce the file size or enable multi-bitrate streaming.

    Optimize for Streaming


  6. When you are done editing, you can:
    Advanced Editing Save Draft Finish or Select Version

    • Save Draft – keeps the changes, but doesn’t update the published file(s)
    • Finish – saves the changes and publishes a new version of the file
    • Use the version timeline dropdown (this is a date + time) to return to a previous version of the file. The latest Saved version appears wherever the file is used within TCU Online.
  7. Click the X in the top right corner to close the Advanced Editor.
  8. Optional: If you are editing a video within the Content tool, check the box to notify students that the content has changed. Then click Update.
    Notify Students Video Content has Changed