Video Producers: 5 Step Workflow for Audio Description Video
Audio description is a narrated track that supplies the key visual information missing from a video’s primary audio. You can add it three ways: integrate it into the main narration, provide a selectable alternate audio track, or publish a separate described video. The right choice depends on your budget, your platform, and how much visual detail your story needs to make sense to someone who can’t see the screen.
What Audio Description Video Means and Who Benefits
Audio description, sometimes called descriptive video or DVS, narrates the visual details a video doesn’t already explain through dialogue: who’s speaking, what text appears on screen, what a chart shows, or what action just happened. Broadcasters often deliver this as a secondary audio program, or SAP, a separate audio channel viewers can toggle on.
Blind and low-vision viewers are the primary audience, but they’re not the only ones who benefit. AD also helps:
People with certain cognitive disabilities who process spoken narration more easily than visual sequencing
Language learners who reinforce comprehension through redundant audio and visual cues
Multitaskers listening to a video while doing something else entirely
Anyone watching a device with the screen off or out of view
Good description does more than check a compliance box. It’s a storytelling discipline. Writing tight, present-tense descriptions of your best visual moments often makes the whole script sharper, even for viewers who never turn AD on.
When Does Your Video Need Audio Description?
Not every video needs a dedicated described track, but every video with synchronized audio and visuals needs an accessibility plan. A simple test works well: will the piece use sound, and will it use video? If both are yes, you need captions and some form of audio description or an equivalent transcript alternative, per Section 508 synchronized media guidance.
To prioritize your production queue, run through this checklist:
Does the video rely on visual-only storytelling, like a product demo with no narration explaining what’s on screen?
Does on-screen text, a title card, or a lower-third graphic convey information nowhere else in the audio?
Are speakers identified visually rather than by name in the dialogue?
Is there a critical action, gesture, or reveal that the audio track alone can’t convey?
Is the video going to a government agency, federal contractor, or a distribution channel with a contractual accessibility requirement?
Any “yes” answer moves that video up the priority list.
Methods to Implement Audio Description
Three approaches cover almost every use case, and W3C’s guidance treats them as the standard menu producers choose from:
Integrated description. Descriptions get written into the main narration script from the start. This works best for training videos, e-learning modules, and marketing pieces where you control the script early and can weave in visual context without a second audio layer.
Alternate audio track (SAP). Viewers select a separate audio channel carrying the described version. It’s common in broadcast and some streaming environments, but it only works if the platform and player actually support track switching, which not all do.
Separate described video file. A fully distinct export with description baked into the main mix. This is often the fallback when your extended descriptions run longer than the natural pauses in dialogue, or when your delivery platform has no alternate-track support at all.
Integrated description tends to cost less and sync more reliably since it’s part of one file. Alternate tracks and separate files cost more in production time but preserve the original mix for viewers who don’t need description.
How to Create Audio Descriptions: Script, Record, Sync
Producing described audio is a five-step workflow, not a single recording session tacked on at the end.
Write the description script. Prioritize what’s essential to understanding the story: actions, settings, on-screen text, and who’s speaking when it isn’t obvious from dialogue. Keep it objective and present tense. Describe what happens, not what you interpret it to mean.
Time it against the video. For integrated description, fit your lines into existing pauses in dialogue, a technique W3C’s G226 documents as an accepted approach for many video types. If your descriptions won’t fit natural gaps, you’re likely looking at extended description with adjusted scene timing instead.
Record the describer’s voice. Choose a voice distinct from any existing narrator so listeners can tell instantly when description begins. Record in a quiet, treated space at broadcast-quality sample rates matching your source video, which avoids dithering artifacts during the final mix.
Mix and duck. Lower, or “duck,” the original soundtrack only as much as needed to keep description intelligible, and track loudness within recommended ranges. Post-production best practices call for sync accuracy within a single frame wherever possible.
Package your deliverables. Label described files clearly, generate VTT or timed text where your platform supports it, and document exactly how viewers turn description on or off.
Pro Tip: Record your describer at the same bit depth and sample rate as your original production audio. Mismatched formats create a subtle hiss or artifact during ducking that’s nearly impossible to fix after the mix is locked.
Player and Platform Support for Described Audio
Getting the description written and recorded is only half the job. Viewers still need a way to turn it on, and that depends entirely on where you publish.
SAP has deep roots in broadcast television, where a dedicated audio channel carries the described track alongside the main program.
Streaming platforms increasingly offer selectable audio tracks, but support is inconsistent. Some players expose the toggle clearly; others bury it or drop it entirely on mobile apps.
Timed-text and separate-file approaches run into browser and screen-reader compatibility gaps, so test before you assume a format works everywhere.
Before you ship, verify that user controls are visible, that files are labeled correctly, and that you’ve tested on the actual devices your audience uses, not just your edit bay.
Social platforms are often the weakest link here. When a platform offers no AD toggle at all, publishing a version with description embedded directly into the main audio, paired with captions for the same video, is the most reliable workaround.
Pre-Production Planning That Saves Time and Money
Accessibility is far cheaper when it’s planned, not patched on afterward.
Build description notes into the script during pre-production: have speakers identify themselves verbally, and flag any shot where the visual carries information the dialogue doesn’t.
If you’re retrofitting an existing video, assign one person to own quality assurance and remediation so the work doesn’t fall through the cracks between departments.
Set timeline checkpoints. Script review, description recording, and final mix each need their own sign-off before you move to the next stage.
Pro Tip: A single line in your shot list, “does this need a verbal description,” catches most accessibility gaps before they ever reach the edit bay. Planning this way during scripting, rather than after your rough cut is locked, is often the single biggest cost lever on the entire project, since retrofitting a finished video means re-timing everything after the fact.
What Do WCAG, Section 508, and the FCC Require?
Three sets of rules govern most audio description obligations in the United States, and they overlap more than they conflict.
WCAG success criteria 1.2.3 and 1.2.5 address audio description for prerecorded video, with 1.2.5 setting the stricter “Level AA” bar most federal and enterprise contracts require.
Section 508 requires that synchronized media provide captioning and audio description alternatives, and its updated standards require that caption and AD controls sit at the same menu level as volume or playback controls, not buried in a settings submenu.
FCC guidance on audio description covers how broadcasters and certain video providers deliver described content over SAP channels.
If your organization bids on federal or state contracts, Section 508 video compliance isn’t optional paperwork. It’s frequently a scoring criterion, and reviewers check whether AD and caption controls are actually reachable, not just technically present somewhere in the file.
Where to Learn More and Who to Hire
You don’t need to build this expertise from scratch. Start with W3C’s WAI description guidance, Section508.gov’s synchronized media page, and the Library of Congress Audio Description Resource Guide, which lists platforms currently offering AD and how to enable it.
When hiring a describer or vendor, ask for sample scripts, a demo reel with described narration, and a clear breakdown of what deliverables you’ll receive, described track, VTT files, and documentation. A vendor who can’t explain how they handle timing in dense dialogue scenes is a red flag worth taking seriously.
Puritano Media Group: Producing Accessible Described Video
There are practical alternatives to guessing your way through described video. With extensive experience producing corporate, nonprofit, and government video, some providers build accessibility into projects from the script stage rather than bolting it on after delivery, which is exactly where the cost savings live.
For organizations with federal or contract-driven Section 508 vs. WCAG obligations, described audio tracks, correctly labeled files, playback testing across common platforms, and compliance documentation are available to assist accessibility leads in procurement processes. Some providers also support virtual and hybrid event production where accessible playback matters along with live delivery.
If you’re planning a video project and want to build description in from day one instead of retrofitting it later, consider consulting a full-service video production company for an accessibility audit or a project quote.
Sources
For deeper reference, start with the W3C WAI description guidance on implementation methods, Section508.gov’s synchronized media page for legal requirements, the FCC’s audio description overview for broadcast rules, and the Library of Congress resource guide for platform availability. Organizations weighing the broader payoff of accessible content can also review this piece on web accessibility’s inclusion and SEO impact.
FAQ
How Do I Create Audio Descriptions for a Video?
Write a script that describes essential visual details in present tense, fit it into pauses in dialogue or plan extended scene timing, record it with a describer voice distinct from your narrator, then mix it into the final audio with proper ducking and sync.
Can I Generate Audio Descriptions From a Video Automatically?
Automated tools can produce rough draft descriptions from visual analysis, but they typically miss nuance, context, and storytelling priorities that a trained describer catches, so most professional workflows still rely on human scripting and review.
Where Can I Watch Movies and Shows With Audio Description?
Most major streaming platforms, many broadcast networks, and select theaters offer audio description. The Library of Congress Audio Description Resource Guide maintains an updated list along with instructions for enabling it on specific devices.
Can I Turn Off Audio Description?
Yes. Under Section 508 requirements, players offering audio description must place that control at the same menu level as volume or program selection, so viewers can enable or disable it as easily as they’d adjust the sound.
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