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How to Generate AD for Your Video

Add a video and get an AD script, AD audio, or a finished AD video.

ViddyScribe
6:55
A hand-painted blue video player with a cream play arrow, a dashed navy arrow, and a lilac card reading AD with dark sound waves, on cream paper

Add a video and pick what you want back: the written descriptions, the narration as audio files, or a finished video with the narration already in it. ViddyScribe does the rest.

1. Add your videos

In your Library, click New Generation.

The Library with three example videos and the New Generation button at the top right

Add videos in one of three ways:

  • Upload: a video file from your computer
  • Add from Library: a video you already added
  • Add from URL: paste a link to a video file or a YouTube video, depending on your plan.
The Add videos step with Upload, Add from Library and Add from URL tabs above a Drop videos here area, which notes most video formats accepted, up to 4 GB per file and up to 8h per video

Then click Continue.

2. Choose your final output

Pick the last thing you need. Each one includes the ones before it, so AD Video also gives you the script and the audio.

  • AD Script: the written descriptions and their timing
  • AD Audio: your audio descriptions as audio files
  • AD Video: your video with audio description baked in

Every output also comes with closed captions and a transcript.

AD Video selected, with Review script before rendering checked below the output cards

To review before creating the final output, check Review script before rendering below the output cards, above Settings. For AD Audio, the checkbox says Review script before creating audio. You can keep AD Video or AD Audio selected and still review the script.

Leave the box unchecked to create the output automatically. It starts unchecked unless your saved preset includes review. Checking it does not change the total price. AD Script does not need this checkbox because it already stops at the script.

3. Pick your settings

  • AD type: Standard AD fits the descriptions into the gaps in the speech, so your video stays the same length. Extended AD pauses the video to make room, which suits videos where people talk the whole way through.
  • Language and voice: the language the descriptions are written and spoken in, and who reads them. Play a sample before you decide. Samples are free.
  • Custom instructions(optional): anything ViddyScribe should know before it writes. How to refer to a person, words from your field, or the tone you want. For example, "describe outfits and colors in detail when characters first appear".
The Settings step with Standard AD chosen over Extended AD, Language set to English (US) and Voice set to Achernar

You can skip Advanced. Those settings are already set for most videos. The FAQ below says what each one does.

An empty Custom instructions box above the collapsed Advanced row, which reads Advanced, Defaults

4. Generate

Click Generate. With review checked, ViddyScribe prepares the script and waits for you to review it before creating the audio or video. With review unchecked, it creates your selected output automatically. There is no second workflow dialog.

To review and edit, follow How to Edit Your Audio Descriptions.

You can leave the page. The result shows up in your Library.

Most videos are done in minutes. While it runs, hover the info icon next to the status to see the estimate for your video.

5. Download

Open the video in your Library and download the files you need. Not sure which file to use? See the FAQ below.

FAQ

Can I review and edit the descriptions before generating the final audio or video?
Yes. In the new app, choose AD Video or AD Audio, then check Review script before rendering or Review script before creating audio below the output cards. Click Generate to prepare the script, review and edit it, then create the final output when you are ready. Leave the box unchecked for automatic creation. Review does not change the total generation price. In classic Studio, generate the descriptions first, edit them, and check the credit estimate before creating the output.
Do I need to change the generation settings?
The defaults are a good starting point. You can choose the language, video category, and voice, add instructions, or supply your own captions. Review the descriptions before publishing.
Why did my video get only a few descriptions?
Standard AD fits descriptions into pauses between speech. If people talk most of the time, there is less room for narration. Try Extended AD to add pauses, or add and adjust descriptions in the editor.
What files can I download, and which output should I use?

The available downloads depend on your AD type and the output you chose:

  • AD Video (MP4): Your video with audio description baked in. Use this when publishing a complete described version, including Extended AD.
  • AD Audio, Mixed (Standard AD): The original soundtrack combined with audio description. Use this as an additional audio track on a compatible video platform.
  • AD Audio, AD only (Standard AD): Only the description narration. Use this when mixing the narration yourself in an editing application.
  • AD Script: The written descriptions and their timing, in VTT, SRT, JSON, or EDL.
  • Captions: Caption files supplied separately from the video; they are not burned into the picture.
  • Transcript: A text version combining spoken content with the descriptions, useful for readers who prefer to review the content at their own pace.

Dashboard generations include captions and a transcript. Download available files from the video's panel in the Library.

Can I add audio description to an existing YouTube video without losing its URL, views, or comments?

Yes, if your YouTube channel has access to the additional audio-track feature.

Generate Standard AD, then download AD Audio (Mixed), which contains both the original soundtrack and the audio description. Add that file as an additional audio track to the existing video in YouTube Studio. Because you’re updating the existing video, its URL, views, and comments remain attached to it.

The audio track must match the existing video’s runtime, so use the same source edit. Extended AD adds pauses and changes the runtime, which means it needs to be published as a separate video. You can link that version from the original video’s description.

Will ViddyScribe work with my current CMS, LMS, or video player?
Yes. ViddyScribe is platform-agnostic. Download the AD Script as a VTT file or AD Audio tracks for platforms that support them, or download the AD Video, an open-format MP4 with the audio description baked in, and add it anywhere a regular video goes.
See all FAQs

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79 languages · Standard & Extended AD · VTT, audio, and video