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Make screen videos understandable without sound
Watch videos muted before scheduling them. This guide helps identify missing visual information and prepare suitable content.
1. Define the video’s purpose
Is it introducing a landscape, explaining a product or promoting an offer? Decide what must be understandable without sound. Images may be enough for an atmospheric clip. Prices, dates and booking instructions must not be spoken information only.
2. Review it muted
Ask someone to watch without sound or a prior explanation. Ask what is offered and what they could do next. Start from a point midway through too. Record details that depend entirely on the audio or a very brief closing frame.
3. Prepare text and subtitles
Add short, specific overlays for the main message. Use subtitles when the spoken content matters and check their accuracy. Avoid long subtitles competing with additional text blocks. Edit your own or approved material with a suitable tool before playback. For third-party videos, confirm permitted use and editing first.
Before and after: a fictional product video
| Information | Spoken only | Clear on screen |
|---|---|---|
| Product | The narrator names the model | A short model-name overlay |
| Benefit | The narrator explains the adjustable lamp | The adjustment is visible, with “Adjustable lamp arm” |
| Contact | Advice is mentioned at the end | Readable “Ask in store for advice”; contact also accessible elsewhere |
4. Check format and readability on the device
Compare the video format with the intended screen. During actual playback, check for clipped, obscured or cropped text. Test font size, contrast and overlay duration from the usual distance. A readable preview at your desk does not guarantee a readable display in the room.
5. Test the prepared video in the project
Schedule the suitable source in SUISSE-VIDEO and check playback on the intended device. Confirm that important details remain clear without sound. This example does not assume automatic video editing or subtitling. If visitors only see a brief section, provide essential details through a text display or permanently accessible information too.