Shared player controls
This page describes the player a viewer sees on a shared link or an embed. Viewer changes are stored in that browser, apply across every share link opened there, and change nothing about the project. Where a setting has a project-level counterpart, the owner’s value is the starting point until the viewer changes it; after that, the saved browser value applies.
For the shortcuts available to you in the editor, see Editor keyboard shortcuts instead.
Descriptions
Section titled “Descriptions”How descriptions are delivered. The player offers only the options available at the current description filter, and preselects Narrated audio, then Read by this device, then Read by my screen reader.
| Option | What it does | Available when |
|---|---|---|
| Narrated audio | Recorded narration plays, mixed under the video | Every description visible at the current filter level has rendered audio. Never offered for YouTube-sourced videos. |
| Read by this device | The device’s own speech synthesis reads each description | Always |
| Read by my screen reader | Descriptions are placed in a live region for the viewer’s own assistive technology to read | Always |
Recorded audio exists per line, not per project. Moving the description filter toward All can expose an unrendered line and withdraw Narrated audio. If a recorded clip cannot be reached during playback, the player switches to the device’s voice and announces the change.
Playback settings
Section titled “Playback settings”When a description runs long
Section titled “When a description runs long”| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cut it short | Descriptions stay in step with the picture. A long one loses its ending. |
| Let it finish | Nothing is cut. Descriptions can run into the scene that follows. |
| Pause the video | The video waits while each description is read, then continues. Nothing is missed and nothing overlaps. |
Default: Cut it short.
The speech voices installed on the viewer’s device, plus Device default. Applies to Read by this device only.
0.5× to 2×, in steps of 0.1. Applies to Read by this device only.
Description volume
Section titled “Description volume”0% to 100%, in steps of 5. Applies to Read by this device only.
Lower the video by
Section titled “Lower the video by”0% to 100%, in steps of 5. How far the video’s own sound drops while a description is read. 0% leaves the video unchanged; 100% silences it for the duration of the description. On a browser with no saved preference, this starts at the project owner’s setting.
Captions
Section titled “Captions”| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Off | No captions. |
| Show on screen | Captions appear over the video. A screen reader doesn’t read them, because they transcribe speech the viewer can already hear. |
| Show and read aloud | A screen reader reads each caption as well. Intended for braille displays. |
Default: Show on screen. The control appears only when the project has captions.
Description filter
Section titled “Description filter”Selects how many of the project’s saved descriptions play: Concise, Detailed, or All. Filtering happens in the browser, so nothing is regenerated and nothing is downloaded again. On a browser with no saved preference, it starts at the project owner’s setting.
Keyboard shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard shortcuts”Available while the player has focus.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space or K | Play or pause |
| J | Seek back 10 seconds |
| L | Seek forward 10 seconds |
| ← | Seek back 5 seconds |
| → | Seek forward 5 seconds |
| Home | Jump to the start |
| P | Previous description |
| N | Next description |
| R | Say the current description again |
| C | Captions on or off |
| Shift + ? | Show the keyboard shortcuts help dialog |
C is bound only when the project has captions. Turning captions back on with C restores the last mode used — Show on screen or Show and read aloud — rather than defaulting to one.