How to Extract Text from a Video

How to Extract Text from a Video

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Do you ever watch certain videos and wish they had subtitles? Or do you wish you could just search through a video to find that one important piece of information? Or do you just want a text version to read when watching videos is not possible?

If any of these scenarios fit you, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll show you how to extract text from a video. 

These are the methods we use to help millions of bloggers, journalists, and students transform videos into text in the most efficient ways. We’re confident you’ll be a master at extracting subtitles, captions, and transcripts from videos before you’re done reading.

a woman using her laptop

How to manually get text from a video

Manually getting a text from a video involves watching a video and typing the words that you hear. It can be a very time-consuming process. By following these steps, you’ll be able to achieve it much faster.

Step 1: Open a blank word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Add the title of the video at the top.

A blank Google Doc with the title of a video

Step 2: This process will be much easier with two screens. If you only have one screen, make two windows, one with the word processor and one with the video. Minimize them so that each window is half the size of your screen, and put them side by side.

Two Google Chrome windows side by side. Google Docs on the left, and YouTube on the right

Step 3: Before you start the video, type “0:00” at the start of the document. This is your first timestamp. It’s a good idea to timestamp every 15 seconds or so. This helps remind you where certain information is said in the text.

A timestamp is added to the document

Step 4: Press play on the video and start typing what you hear.

A screenshot of the manual typing process with a few words captured at the 0:00 mark

Step 5: Naturally, most people won’t be able to type out the entire video in one playthrough. Don’t let this stress you out, though. When the video gets too far ahead, just pause the video and rewind back to where you left off.

Rewinding the text to type out the rest of the sentence

Step 6: Don’t worry about being perfect. Don’t feel the need to even punctuation if you don’t want to. You can always go back later and edit your text.

Extracting text manually with errors and punctuation

Step 7: Go through and proofread the transcript you just created. Add punctuation, capitalization, and correct spelling errors. You can also format the text to your liking and add any additional timestamps if needed.

The transcript is edited for formatting and correcting errors

Step 8: Once you have a version of the transcript that suits you, you can export it. PDF, Word, and TXT are the most common file types to use.

Exporting the text in Google Docs

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How to automatically extract text from a video

If the steps above seem like too much work, that’s because they are. There is a much easier way to achieve this that we’ll expand on here.

We’ll use Notta to extract text from either a YouTube video or one on your dashboard.

Step 1: Create an account or log in to your Notta dashboard. Click ‘Import files.’

A red arrow pointing to the Import Files

Step 2: Select your language. Then drag and drop your video or click ‘select documents’ and locate the file. 

If you want to extract text from a YouTube video, copy and paste the link into the “Import from link” field. Then click ‘Upload.’

A red arrow pointing to the Import files window

Step 3: The transcript will appear on your Notta dashboard. You can click on it to review it.

A red arrow pointing to the transcript

You will then see a copy of your transcript that you can edit or format to your liking if needed.

A screenshot of a transcript generated by Notta

Benefits of Notta’s automatic video transcription tool

Notta has the ultimate transcription tool for extracting text from video. Not only is able to transcribe videos from 58 languages, but you can also translate your transcript. Notta can translate into over 42 languages.

With 98.86% accuracy, you’ll be able to generate transcripts with very minimal editing. This allows you to save an incredible amount of time by giving you exactly what you need when you need it.

The user-friendly interface puts all of the features right within reach. You won’t spend hours looking through a manual to figure out how to use this powerful software. And if you ever have any questions, the support team is ready to assist you 24/7.

Notta’s video text extractor also provides collaborative workspaces that make it easy for teams to share, edit, and export transcripts together. You can send a Notta robot to attend virtual meetings for you and transcribe them in real-time.

Final thoughts

We hope this gave you a better idea of how to extract text from a video. Though manual transcription can be a rewarding challenge, you may simply just not have time for that.

When you need to extract text quickly and accurately, use Notta. Create a free account today.

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