To transcribe a YouTube video with AI, follow these steps:
Use YouTube’s Auto-Generated Captions (Basic Option):
- Step 1: Go to the video you want to transcribe on YouTube.
- Step 2: Click on the “CC” (Closed Captions) button if available.
- Step 3: Click the three dots below the video and select “Open transcript.”
- Step 4: Copy the auto-generated transcript. You can manually edit it for accuracy since YouTube’s auto-captions might contain errors.
Use AI Transcription Tools (Advanced Option):
For higher accuracy and better customization, you can use AI-powered transcription services. Here are some popular options:
- Otter.ai:
- Upload the YouTube video link or an audio file extracted from the video.
- Otter will automatically transcribe the content with timestamps, and you can edit the text if needed.
- Descript:
- Download the video from YouTube (using YouTube Premium or a video downloader tool).
- Upload the video to Descript, and it will transcribe it automatically. You can edit the transcription, use text-based video editing features, or export the transcript.
- Sonix.ai:
- Upload the video or audio file, and Sonix will generate a transcription with a high level of accuracy. You can also edit the transcript and export it to different formats like Word or PDF.
- Print:
- Upload the YouTube video or audio file. Trint will generate a transcript that you can edit, annotate, and export.
Use Google Docs Voice Typing (Manual Process):
This is a manual but free method:
- Step 1: Open Google Docs in Chrome and go to “Tools” > “Voice typing.”
- Step 2: Play the YouTube video in the background, and Google Docs will automatically type what it hears.
- Step 3: Manually adjust for errors and punctuation.
Use YouTube-DLP for Audio Extraction (Advanced Users):
- Step 1: Use a tool like YouTube-DLP to extract the audio file from the video.
- Step 2: Upload the extracted audio file to an AI transcription service like Otter.ai, Sonix, or Trint for automated transcription.
Tips:
- Accuracy: AI-generated transcripts usually require a bit of manual editing for accuracy.
- Export Formats: Most transcription tools allow you to export the transcript in different formats like TXT, DOCX, or SRT for closed captions.
Using AI-based tools for transcription is an efficient way to quickly generate transcripts from YouTube videos with good accuracy and customization options.