One of my favorite types of videos to watch on social media platforms is recipe videos that show someone preparing a food or drink item from start to finish, showing how the ingredients are combined and change over the course of the recipe to create something delicious. However, these types of videos can be challenging to follow along with if there are a lot of fast paced sections, poor contrast text that’s hard to read, or if it’s difficult to see how ingredients are prepared or arranged. In these situations, having access to audio description for recipe videos can be tremendously helpful for following along with a recipe, especially when it comes to making it in my own kitchen!
Here are my tips for creating audio description for recipe videos, including options for adding description to existing videos and sharing helpful resources for visually impaired audiences (inclusive of blind, low vision, and other forms of visual impairment).
Background: what is audio description?
Audio description, sometimes referred to as descriptive audio or described video, is an additional narration track designed with nonvisual access in mind, providing details for all key visual elements of a video so that audiences with visual impairments (inclusive of blind/low vision) can fully participate and engage with content. Audio description is delivered during natural pauses in dialogue or music and can help viewers better understand what is going on. Most audio description content posted online is “open”, meaning that it does not require any special equipment or headphones to listen to the additional description track.
Types of audio description for recipe videos: inline and extended
In the context of audio description for recipe videos, there are two types of audio description, including inline description and extended description. Videos can utilize one or both of these styles at different points.
Inline description plays concurrently with the video, providing description during natural pauses in dialogue or music so that the video is not interrupted. This style is ideal for describing movement (e.g. whisking) or for providing descriptions for videos that have little to no spoken content otherwise.
Extended audio description pauses the video to read the description, and resumes video playback once the description for a scene is finished. This works well for videos that require detailed description at the beginning of a video of what the work area or recipe looks like, reading detailed instructions, during quick scene changes, or if there is a lot of talking during a video.
Related links
- Fast Facts About Audio Description
- 8 Myths About Audio Description
- YouDescribe: Audio Description For YouTube
Audio description vs video description
In this context, video descriptions provide a text-based description of visual elements in a video, acting as a transcript or summary that the viewer can read either with large print, a screen reader, or a braille display. The viewer may use the text-based description to provide additional context for what they are watching or to help fill in blanks after watching a video, ultimately answering the question “what did I just watch?” Video descriptions can also be a helpful tool for making videos easier to discover on social media or with search engine optimization.
The primary difference between audio description and video descriptions in this context is that audio descriptions describe everything going on except for what is communicated by sound or verbal description; the focus is on what isn’t being said or heard. For video descriptions, the audio may be mentioned when it comes to describing song choice or writing a transcript of spoken content, but the primary focus is still on describing visual elements of the video.
Which is better: audio description or video descriptions?
When it comes to watching videos and understanding what is happening in real time, audio description provides viewers with the most “immersive” experience, as they do not have to look away from the video or otherwise change how they are watching it to hear the description. Text-based video descriptions on the other hand are located in a caption or separate file, so they require the viewer to look away from the video they are watching to focus on reading. That said, video descriptions can be helpful for providing a summary of what is happening in a video, or provide a copy of the recipe for viewers that prefer to have a copy to read while cooking/baking.
Related links
Options for creating audio description for recipe videos
When it comes to creating audio description for recipe videos or making cooking videos accessible for blind and low vision audiences, there are several free options for recording audio description or adding text-based descriptions to videos, including:
- For creators recording their own videos, narration can be incorporated into the recording process by providing detailed verbal descriptions of movements, steps, or ways that ingredients change appearance throughout a recipe. This is a common technique employed in cooking shows, where the host narrates what they are doing so the home cook can follow along in their own kitchen, but this narration may not be included in short form video content.
- One option for adding audio description to YouTube videos is the free YouDescribe web application, which offers options for recording inline descriptions that play alongside the video, as well as extended descriptions that allow creators to pause videos and go into more detail about what is happening.
- For videos recorded on an iOS device, the Clips application can be used to add additional narration to videos and record audio description.
- When posting videos on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, a video description can be shared or linked in the video caption or description, so that users can read the description on their own. Alternatively, a comment containing description can be pinned to the top of a feed.
Unlike captions, audio description and video description cannot be automatically generated, and will need to be written by someone watching the video. While some videos have used synthesized voices to deliver descriptive audio (especially on TikTok), human narrators are generally preferred by visually impaired audiences.
Related links
- How To Create Audio Description For YouTube With YouDescribe
- How To Create Accessible Videos and Narrated Images With Clips
What to include when creating audio description for recipe videos
As a viewer with low vision who loves to cook and bake, here are the most useful details to include when creating audio description for recipe videos to ensure that audiences with visual impairment can follow along with what’s happening:
Introduction
Many recipe videos start with a title screen or short introduction. At the beginning of the video, the name of the recipe and the channel name/account name/creator featured in the video should be acknowledged.
Once that information is shared, mention any kitchen equipment that appears on screen and that will be used in the recipe. For example, is there a 6-quart pot on a burner? A medium sized mixing bowl? A chef knife with a cutting board? The appearance of the equipment itself does not need to be described (no one cares if a pink bowl is being used, for example), but if the materials used are relevant to the recipe (e.g. using a metal bowl or silicone cookie sheet), the material of the item should be mentioned.
Ingredients and how they are used
Ingredients should be listed in the order in which they appear on screen, along with their quantities and how they should be prepared. For example, a video for a banana bread recipe may include four mashed overripe bananas, one cup of sugar, and four ounces of finely chopped pecans. Some videos will show the ingredients being measured or prepared, while others dump the prepared ingredients into the pot or otherwise add them to the recipe.
If fruits or vegetables are chopped on-screen, it may be helpful to use extended image descriptions to mention if items are peeled or if a specific knife technique or kitchen gadget is used, such as an avocado pitter.
Cooking techniques and appliances being used
As ingredients are added and combined, information about how they are incorporated or steps of the recipe should be included as part of audio description. This can include describing the use of appliances (such as using a blender), specifically using kitchen tools (such as slowly whisking or flipping something with a spatula), or transferring items to a plate or bowl. Unless the video is being used to teach a specific cooking technique or show a way of doing something, there is no need to describe how to do said technique or what a particular appliance or utensil looks like.
Another common technique for recipe videos is to speed up footage or use time lapse footage to show changes in ingredients over time. If known, the amount of time passing should be shared, along with how the ingredient has changed. For example, cook the onions for ten minutes until they become soft and translucent in color.
Temperature and cooking times
What temperature should the oven be? How long should something bake? What should be the temperature for the burner or for the final product to be considered ready to eat? Timers or stopwatches should be acknowledged so viewers know how long something should take.
Any text that appears on-screen
Recipe videos that incorporate on-screen text that is not otherwise read out loud should include this information when recording audio description, reading the text out loud verbatim. This can be names of ingredients, steps for a recipe, or brand names for products that are used in the video.
Garnishing or serving instructions
Ready to eat? At the end of the video, mention any garnishes or serving instructions, such as how many servings the recipe makes, if items need to be cut with a specific tool (e.g. pizza cutter), or if it is topped with sea salt. If mentioned in the video, it can also be helpful to describe how leftovers should be stored, but if this information is not included otherwise, the person creating the audio description should not make guesses or give their own ideas.
End of video
Indicate the end of the video and read any credits or other closing tags that appear on screen, such as the creator/account name if visible and any call to action that appears on screen.
Related links
- Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
- How To Write Alt Text And Image Descriptions For Food
- High Contrast and Low Vision
More ideas for creating audio description for recipe videos
- In the caption of the video, share a link to a text-based version of the recipe online (if available) so that viewers can read the recipe in addition to watching the video. This can streamline the cooking process as well.
- When it comes to interacting with accessible recipe videos, I recommend having auto-play off to make it easier to navigate between videos. Learn more about how to turn off auto-play in Avoiding Flashing Lights On Social Media
- Want to create a collection of accessible recipes for personal use? Read How To Create A Cookbook In Microsoft Office Sway
Published April 8, 2020. Updated November 2024