Using Live Captions in Google Chrome

Crossposted from my blog, Mr. Hammerlund.

One question I heard the other day was about captions for a video. My idea was to upload it to YouTube and get the captions from there. But not all videos have them.

Another option is to use Live Captions in the Chrome browser [Chrome]. The advantage of using them in Chrome is that they can be used for any audio that is run through the browser. 

To start using them open Chrome

1. Go to Settings
2. Accessibility
3. Turn on Live Caption at the top of the list.

After they are enabled, the captions appear at the bottom of the screen in the middle. This can be a little busy and hard to read.

Fortunately, it is possible to move the textbox by simply dragging it to another position on the screen.

There are some tools here: a pin, something that looks like it makes the text box bigger, and an "x". The pin keeps the box from moving and the "x" closes the box, but for some reason (probably an extension) the middle button, that one that should be to make the box bigger, didn't work for me.

Chrome translations on an audio file in Google Drive is also very solid.

Live captions even work with audio files played through Google Drive

For more information, see the Google Support page: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/10538231?hl=en

How to Share a Google Site

Google Sites is great, but the way Google set up "sharing" is tricky. 

The sharing button looks the same as in Google Docs, et. al, so it is natural that users would assume this button is where you share the website. 

However, in Google Sites, this button is to collaborate. 

When sharing, be sure to select "Published Viewer".

Another way to share is to click the Preview button. You can copy the URL and share that as well.

Three Sites for Attribution-Free Images

Photo by Thomas Hammerlund on Unsplash

Below are three sites I use to search for images for my projects.

When searching for an image, many people go to Google, find an image they like, and download or screenshot it for use in their own project. This causes a problem because many images found in a Google Search are not free to use. There are sites you can use to find images though.

Three Sites for Attribution-Free Images

Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/)

Unsplash is a site where you can use their wide library of images. Simply search for what you are looking for. Download the image. 

At this point Unsplash makes it very easy to cite the image. All you need to do is copy the image citation.

Finally, drag your image into your work.

Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)

Pixabay is very similar, but has more image options. Instead of simply photos, it includes drawings and icons. 

When you find an image that suits your project, click on it. This brings up the download page. Here you can see the license and the download button.

Open Clip Art (https://openclipart.org/)

This site is close to my heart. I have been using this site since 2007. 

Search for your image.

Find one that fits.

Download the type of image.

You will probably want a Large PNG image.

Give these sites a try next time you want to find an image for your project.

How to Deal with HEIC Files on a Mac

This video shows you how to convert HEIC files on a Mac.

Note: You need Monterey in order to use this feature.