Microsoft is making PowerPoint better for those of us who always have subtitles on
Your online presentations could soon be significantly more engaging after a new update to Microsoft PowerPoint.
The company has unveiled a new phase in its accessibility campaign by bringing closed-captioned videos to PowerPoint for the web, meaning your presentations are now accessible to more viewers than ever before.
In addition to the benefits for users who may be deaf or hard of hearing, Microsoft also notes that the update should benefit all viewers, helping participants become more involved in your presentation.
Microsoft PowerPoint Captions
βMore people than ever are watching TV, movies, and streaming services with subtitles or subtitles all the time,β wrote Peter Wu, a Principal Software Engineer on the PowerPoint team in a Microsoft 365 Insider blog post announce the news.
βIt's one of many inventions, originally designed for people with disabilities, that will benefit so many more people… Everyone has their reasons to enjoy and understand more videos with closed captions or subtitles on. Add videos Captioning and/or subtitling your presentation allows you to connect with your audience in the format they are familiar with and enjoy, while also allowing you to engage those who are deaf or hard of hearing.β
Users who want to add a video with captions simply need to create a new PowerPoint presentation through the online platform. Then select Insert > Video > Insert video from: this deviceand select the video file you want to upload. Then select Video > Insert captionsand choose the WebVTT format subtitle file you want to insert.
Once a video starts playing, just select the Captions button in the lower right corner of the video player and select the desired subtitle track. The words should then appear on the screen as the video plays.
Subtitle files must be in WebVTT format, which can be created with a subtitle creation tool or a text editor such as Notepad. Users can record more than one subtitle file for the same video, ideal for adding additional languages ββfor general videos. audience.
Users can also access the caption menu for a video by pressing Alt+J on Windows or Option+J on Mac when the focus is on the video.
The tool is now available for all PowerPoint for web users.