Making Canva slideshows into YouTube videos

Why might you want to make a video instead of just presenting a slide show?

• Personalizing the experience
• Explaining complex points further
• Adding more modes for auditory learners
• Giving participants access to closed captioning and other accessibility features

What are benefits of a slide show?

• Participants can go at their own pace
• You can embed links for participants to interact with

How to make a Canva presentation into an MP4 video

1. Once you are done with your slides, go to the three dots in the top right corner and click on “present and record.” Please note: this is not under the “present” tab.
2. Click on “recording studio.”
3. Set up your camera and microphone.
4. Walk through your presentation. Remember that you can use the notes feature when you are making and editing your slides.
5. End recording
6. Important! Click “download,” not “copy link” at this point. This will give you an MP4 of your video. You will need this to upload to YouTube and get subtitles (which you need for accessibility!)

How to upload an MP4 to YouTube—with Closed Captioning

1. Once you have an MP4, go to studio.youtube.com
2. You may need to sign up for youtube studio, if you haven’t already. It’s simple and free.
3. Click on “create” in the upper right
4. Click on “upload videos”
5. Upload your video.
6. Click “this is not made for kids”
7. MAKE SURE YOU ADD SUBTITLES. This is your closed captioning. It may also ask you to choose your language.
8. This will take you to a new screen—the subtitle screen—click “auto sync.” This will auto-generate subtitles for you.
9. Click “Done” in the upper right.
10. Click “Next” twice
11. Click “Unlisted.” This allows people to access the video if you give them the address, but not to find it if they’re searching on Google.
12. Click “Save.”
13. Wait. Generating subtitles does take time. You also may need to close and reopen YouTube studio.
14. Reenter YouTube studio and click on “subtitles.” This is on the left hand side. You may need to scroll down to find it.
15. Find your video and click on it.  Click on “duplicate and edit.” This will show you the transcription of your video. While YouTube’s transcription work is pretty good, you will need to do some editing. If your transcription does not appear, check out this troubleshooting guide.
16. Hooray! You now have a YouTube video that can easily be embedded into Blackboard or OpenLab or… wherever! Please keep in mind that your subtitles are only visible if you press the “cc” button on the video itself. 

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