Publishing Audio-Described Videos to Third-Party Platforms
Overview
Audio description is embedded directly in the video's audio track, which means a described version is a separate file, not an attachment added to an existing upload. Publishing it requires a distinct upload with its own caption file, title, and cross-references.
MediaScribe Narrate provides two exports for publishing:
Video (Mixed Audio) — an MP4 with the description narration mixed into a single audio track alongside the original dialogue and sound. This is the file you upload as your described version.
Captions with AD — a VTT or SRT caption file timed to the described version's audio. This is the caption file you attach to that upload. An SCC format is also available, but is not supported by YouTube or Vimeo.
For more info on using MediaScribe Narrate, be sure to check out this article.
Delivery approaches
Separate described version (recommended)
Upload the Video (Mixed Audio) file as a new, standalone video on your platform of choice. This approach works on every major platform without special account permissions, and the described version is directly accessible without additional viewer interaction.
The trade-off is maintaining two video files. If the original video is updated, the described version must be updated as well.
Adding a descriptive audio track (YouTube only)
YouTube accounts with intermediate or advanced feature eligibility can attach a descriptive audio track directly to an existing video without uploading a new file. This uses YouTube's Languages workflow rather than the standard upload flow. The Mixed Audio export from MediaScribe Narrate (available as WAV or MP3 under the Audio section of your project downloads) provides the audio-only file YouTube requires for this method.
In practice, platform support for this feature is inconsistent across accounts, devices, and browsers, and assistive technology compatibility is not guaranteed. The separate described version approach is more reliable for most organizations.
YouTube
In YouTube Studio, select Upload videos and upload the Video (Mixed Audio) file as a new video.
Title the video clearly. A consistent format works well: original title followed by
— Audio Description Version(for example, City Council Meeting, March 2026 — Audio Description Version).Upload the Captions with AD file to the described version in YouTube Studio. Each upload requires its own caption file — captions do not carry over from the original video. Do not rely on YouTube's auto-generated captions; they require human review before meeting accuracy standards.
In the original video's description, add a link to the described version. In the described version's description, link back to the original.
Adding a descriptive audio track to an existing YouTube video
As an alternative to uploading a separate described version, eligible YouTube accounts can attach a descriptive audio track directly to an existing video. This requires an account with intermediate or advanced feature eligibility — see YouTube's feature eligibility guide for verification steps.
In YouTube Studio, navigate to the video's Languages page. You can do this two ways: select Languages from the main sidebar to see all channel videos and click the one you want, or open a specific video's details page and select Languages from that video's sidebar.
On the Languages page, click the pencil icon next to Video language to open the language detail panel. Use Add language only if you are adding descriptive audio in a different language — for most workflows, editing the existing video language is the correct path.
In the language detail panel, locate the Descriptive audio row and click its Add button.
In the Add audio track dialog, click Select File and upload your audio description file. Use the Mixed Audio MP3 export from MediaScribe Narrate — available under the Audio section of your project downloads. YouTube accepts audio-only files (MP3) — a full video file is not required. The file must exactly match the length of the original video — YouTube will not accept a secondary audio track that differs in duration.
Click Publish.
Back in the language detail panel, click Add next to Manual subtitles and upload the Captions with AD file (SRT, VTT, or SCC). When prompted to select a subtitles file type, choose With timing — this uses the timestamps already embedded in the file. Do not select Without timing, which discards the timing and requires YouTube to re-sync the captions automatically.
Once published, viewers can switch to the descriptive audio track from the Audio track option in the YouTube player settings menu. The track will appear as English descriptive (or the equivalent for your selected language).
Note that this approach is inconsistent across accounts, devices, and browsers, and assistive technology compatibility is not guaranteed. The separate, described version workflow above is more reliable for most organizations. Test playback with assistive technology before relying on this approach.
Vimeo
The workflow mirrors YouTube's. Upload the Video (Mixed Audio) file as a new video, apply the same title convention, and upload the Captions with AD file in Vimeo's caption settings.
Vimeo supports multiple audio tracks as a paid feature. As with YouTube, broad assistive technology support for this feature is not guaranteed. The separate described version remains the more dependable approach.
Direct website embedding
If you host video on your own site or embed a platform player in a video library, present the original and described versions with clear labels. Both versions should be equally accessible — the described version should not require additional navigation steps to reach.
Confirm that your video player's controls are keyboard-navigable and that the described version can be selected without a mouse.
Pre-publish checklist
Video (Mixed Audio) file downloaded from MediaScribe Narrate
Described version uploaded as a separate, clearly labeled video
Captions with AD file uploaded to the described version (not the original captions file)
Caption accuracy reviewed by a human before publishing
Original video description includes a link to the described version
Described version description includes a link back to the original
Described version is accessible from any agency video library or website page
Support scope
MediaScribe support can help with questions or issues within the MediaScribe platform. For upload or configuration issues on YouTube or Vimeo, refer to each platform's help center directly.
