Instagram’s currently testing out a new ‘Closed Captions’ sticker for IG Stories, which generates automated captions for your Stories clips in a range of text formats.
NEW! @Instagram has added a ‘Captions’ sticker for Stories
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) March 9, 2021
You can now auto-caption videos in stories with a range of different styles… pic.twitter.com/cijk7nWGC3
As you can see in this example clip, in its current form, once you add the Captions sticker to your video clip, you would then see a ‘Transcribing audio…’ prompt on your screen. You’d then be able to view the text from your video, which displays in time with your speech.
Instagram appears to be testing four text style options, including typewriter-esque block text, larger words for added emphasis and basic block letters.
As noted, the tool could provide a range of new options for brands and creators, making it easier to reach a wider audience, and ensure that your Stories are able to be understood in sound on and sound off scenarios. As you can see in the example, however, the automated captions are not perfect, so you will need to review the text. It’s not clear yet whether Instagram will provide the capacity to edit the text within the interface.
