Automatic Transcription and Batch Transcription
Automatic transcription is the process of converting spoken audio into timed text using advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. This powerful feature allows you to generate accurate transcripts from your video or audio content in a matter of minutes, significantly reducing the time and effort required compared to manual transcription. Closed Caption Creator leverages leading speech recognition services to deliver high-quality results that can serve as a foundation for your captioning workflow.
Understanding AI Transcription​
When you submit media for automatic transcription, the audio is extracted from your source file and securely uploaded to your chosen service provider. The AI analyzes the audio, identifies speech patterns, recognizes words, and generates a time-stamped text transcript. The accuracy of automatic transcription depends on several factors, including audio quality, speaking clarity, background noise levels, number of speakers, and the presence of specialized terminology. While AI transcription has become highly sophisticated, it works best with clear audio featuring minimal background noise and distinct speech patterns.
Supported Service Providers​
Closed Caption Creator integrates with multiple industry-leading automatic transcription providers, giving you the flexibility to choose the service that best meets your project requirements and budget. The supported providers include AssemblyAI, Deepgram, Rev.ai, Google Speech-to-Text, Speechmatics, VoiceGain, and ElevenLabs Scribe. Each provider offers different strengths, language support, pricing models, and specialized features. ElevenLabs Scribe is set as the default provider, but you can select your preferred service when submitting a transcription job. Your choice of provider and language settings are remembered for future sessions to streamline your workflow.
Submitting a Transcription Job​
To begin the automatic transcription process, start by importing your media file into Closed Caption Creator. Your source file can be stored locally on your computer, in cloud storage, or accessed via streaming URLs from YouTube, Vimeo, or HLS sources. Once your media is loaded, navigate to the AI Tools menu and select Automatic Transcription. In the transcription dialog, choose your preferred service provider and select the source language of your audio. Some providers offer additional configuration options such as speaker identification, domain-specific models, or custom vocabulary support.
When you submit your transcription job, Closed Caption Creator securely uploads your audio to the selected provider's service. For desktop users working with local files, the application automatically extracts the audio track from your video file before uploading, optimizing file size and processing time. The job is registered in your account and you can monitor its progress in real-time through the AI Transcript Import dashboard. Processing time varies depending on the duration of your media and the current load on the provider's servers, but most jobs complete within minutes.
Batch Transcription​
For users working with multiple files, the Batch Transcription feature provides an efficient way to process several assets in a single session. This plan-gated feature is available through the AI Tools menu and allows you to queue multiple source files, configure transcription settings once, and submit all jobs together. Each file is processed independently, and you can track the status of individual jobs through the import dashboard. Batch transcription is particularly valuable for production environments where you need to process entire episodes, series, or multiple deliverables with consistent settings.
AI Transcript Import Dashboard​
The AI Transcript Import dashboard serves as your central hub for monitoring and managing all transcription jobs. Access the dashboard through AI Tools > Transcription Import to view a comprehensive list of submitted, in-progress, and completed transcription jobs. The dashboard displays essential information for each job, including project name, submission date, service provider, source language, current status, progress percentage, and estimated cost. You can filter jobs by date range and status to quickly locate specific transcriptions.
Once a transcription job completes successfully, select it from the dashboard to access import and management options. You can import the completed transcript directly into your current project as a new Event Group for further editing and timing adjustments, or import it as formatted subtitles if the AI provider has already applied timing. The dashboard also provides options to download the transcript in various formats, apply automatic sync to align timing with existing captions, generate speaker identification, or create audio description templates. For archival purposes, you can export job data as CSV files or delete completed jobs when they are no longer needed.
Improving Transcription Accuracy with KNP Guides​
For team users, Closed Caption Creator supports integration with Key Names and Phrases (KNP) guides during the automatic transcription process. KNP guides are curated lists of important terminology, proper nouns, brand names, and specialized vocabulary specific to your content or organization. When you apply a KNP guide to a transcription job, compatible service providers use this custom vocabulary to improve recognition accuracy for terms that might otherwise be misrecognized or misspelled. This feature is particularly valuable for content featuring industry-specific jargon, unique character names, or branded terminology. To learn more about creating and managing KNP guides, refer to the KNP Management section of this documentation.
Quality Control and Review​
While automatic transcription technology continues to improve, it is essential to remember that AI-generated transcripts should always be reviewed and refined before final delivery. Even high-quality transcripts may contain errors, particularly in sections with overlapping speech, accented dialogue, technical terminology, or poor audio quality. After importing your transcript, carefully review the text for accuracy, correct any misrecognized words, verify speaker labels if applicable, and refine timing as needed. The time saved through automatic transcription provides you with more resources to focus on editorial quality, ensuring your final captions meet professional standards and regulatory requirements.
Technical Requirements and Limitations​
AI transcription features require an active internet connection and a valid subscription or pay-as-you-go credits with your chosen service provider. Some media sources, particularly certain streaming URLs, may have restrictions that prevent them from being processed by specific providers. The application will notify you if there are any compatibility issues when you submit a job. Desktop users benefit from local audio extraction capabilities, while web users rely on cloud-based processing for all file types. Cost estimates are provided in the dashboard based on your media duration and the provider's pricing structure.
Troubleshooting Common Issues​
If a submitted job does not appear in your import dashboard, confirm that the submission completed successfully by checking for a confirmation message. Refresh the transcript import view to ensure you are seeing the most current job list. If you experience weak transcript quality with frequent errors, verify that you selected the correct source language and that your audio quality meets the provider's recommendations. Consider resubmitting the job with a different provider, as each service may perform differently depending on audio characteristics. For persistent issues, plan for additional manual cleanup and timing adjustments in your editorial workflow.