Creating Videos: Kaltura Media

Kaltura can be accessed in two ways:

  • UAA Kaltura in Blackboard: Most people access Kaltura from inside Blackboard. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you’re associated with KPC, you’ll select KPC Kaltura - My Media). You can also access Kaltura inside a Blackboard course; see the Sharing Videos tab below for instructions.
  • UAA MediaSpace: You can use Kaltura outside of Blackboard via UAA Kaltura MediaSpace to edit captions and videos, curate playlists and channels, get a publicly shareable link, and access other Kaltura features.

Note: Zoom cloud recordings done with your UA login are automatically uploaded and backed up to your Kaltura account!

For help with Kaltura and other video tools, reach out to the Instructional Media Studio at uaa_instructionalmedia@alaska.edu or call 907-786-4850. For best practices and information on UAA's other core tools for video, visit the Creating Videos main page.

Using Kaltura

Recording Videos

Kaltura has two recording tools: Kaltura Capture and Express Capture. Kaltura Capture is an application that will install on your computer and can be used to record your screen, microphone, and/or webcam. Express Capture is a tool that records within your browser. These are both accessible inside of Blackboard or in Mediaspace. Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed Recording Videos with Kaltura document.

Kaltura Capture

Kaltura Capture is a desktop application that works with either Mac or PC. You can use Kaltura Capture to record any combination of your webcam, screen(s), and audio. There are a limited number of settings to customize when recording, but an advantage is that you can upload your recording directly to Kaltura and access basic editing tools in Mediaspace.

  1. Wherever you access Kaltura (Mediaspace or Blackboard), you should see an Add New button near the top of the window. Click that and from the dropdown select Kaltura Capture.
  2. If you have never downloaded the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder, you will be prompted to do so. When it’s finished installing, you may need to refresh the page, or select the Add New button again and choose Kaltura Capture. The application should open. Once you have downloaded and installed the application, you can open Kaltura Capture directly from your applications as you would any other program.
  3. When the application opens, you’ll see a menu bar with the following buttons: Start Recording (red circle), Screen, Camera, and Audio. Click the down arrow next to each icon to select different options, or click on the icon itself to turn it off or on.
  4. When you’re ready to record, click the Start Recording button (red circle), then begin presenting after the countdown.
  5. When you’re finished, click the stop icon.
  6. In the pop-up window that appears, you can customize the title, description, and tags. Choose Save and Upload to upload the video directly to your media in Kaltura.

Express Capture

Express Capture is an in-browser recorder, and it can record your webcam, screen, and/or audio. There are a limited number of settings to customize, but it is a quick way to record directly within Blackboard or in your browser, without having to download an application or store any files on your computer. It is also available to students in some areas of Blackboard, like Discussions and Assignments.

  1. Wherever you access Kaltura (Mediaspace or Blackboard), you should see an Add New button near the top of the window. Click that and from the dropdown select Express Capture.
  2. Clicking on that will take you to a new screen that says Record Media. You can toggle your camera, audio, or screen on or off here, depending on what you want to record.
  3. When you’re ready to record, hit the large red record circle, wait for the countdown, and begin speaking.
  4. When you’re finished, hit done, and it’ll give you an option to play the video, Record Again, Download a Copy, or Use This. If you’re happy with what you’ve recorded, click Use This, and it will automatically upload to your media in Kaltura. You can then give it a name, a description,  and other customization options.

Editing Videos

Once you have added media to Kaltura, either by recording, uploading, or recording a Zoom meeting to the cloud, you are able to edit your media in Kaltura Mediaspace, outside of Blackboard. Log in to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace, click your name in top right and choose My Media to see a list of all your videos. Select the title of the video you’d like to edit, then click the Actions button below the video and select Launch Editor. This video from Kaltura demonstrates how to use the Kaltura Video Editor.

Uploading videos

You can upload media files from your computer or phone to Kaltura in Blackboard or in Mediaspace Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed uploading videos into Kaltura Media document. Remember, Zoom cloud recordings done with your UA login are automatically uploaded and saved to your Kaltura account!

  1. Wherever you access Kaltura (Mediaspace or Blackboard), you should see an Add New button near the top of the window. Click that and from the dropdown select Media Upload.
  2. Select Choose a file to upload and navigate to the video file on your computer, or drag and drop a file into your browser window.
  3. Fill in the name and description, then give the file tags to assist in locating this later. It’s good practice to tag your videos with UAA, your department/course prefix, and your name or username.
  4. Select Save.

Editing Videos

Once you have added media to Kaltura, either by recording, uploading, or recording a Zoom meeting to the cloud, you are able to edit your media in Kaltura Mediaspace, outside of Blackboard. Log in to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace, click your name in top right and choose My Media to see a list of all your videos. Select the title of the video you’d like to edit, then click the Actions button below the video and select Launch Editor. This video from Kaltura demonstrates how to use the Kaltura Video Editor.

Captioning videos

Editing Captions

All videos and audio in Kaltura are automatically captioned. It’s good practice to edit the captions for accuracy and timing, to ensure your videos are fully accessible. Once you record or upload your video, after about an hour you should see that the automatic captions are complete. The amount of time it takes depends on the length, audio quality, and complexity of your video. Once the automatic captions have been completed, you can edit them for accuracy in Mediaspace, outside of Blackboard. Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed adding and editing captions document.

  1. Navigate to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace and log in with your UA credentials.
  2. Click your name in top right and choose My Media to see a list of all your videos in Kaltura My Media. 
  3. Click on the title of the video whose captions you want to edit to open the details screen.
  4. Select the ACTIONS pull-down menu and choose Edit.
  5. Select the Captions tab and click the Edit Captions button. Here you can edit the text of the captions, and playback the video as needed for reference. There is a find and replace function here, which is helpful if there’s a change you need to make throughout the transcript.
  6. When you’ve finished editing the captions, click Save, confirm your changes, and click Back.
  7. To confirm the captions are displaying as you intended, play your video with CC English to see the edited version.

Using Kaltura to improve captions on a Public YouTube video

If you want to share a Public YouTube video in your course, but need to ensure the captions are accurate, you can use Kaltura to add automatic captions and edit those captions. You cannot request professional captions this way.

  1. To add a YouTube video to Kaltura, first copy the link to the YouTube video.
  2. Wherever you access Kaltura (Mediaspace or Blackboard), you should see an Add New button near the top of the window. Click that and from the dropdown select YouTube.
  3. Paste the link to the video in the dialog box and click Preview.
  4. Edit the name, description, and tags as needed, and Save.
  5. When the video has finished processing, follow the steps above to edit the captions.

Note: This only works for Public YouTube videos, not Unlisted ones. Additionally, there have been reports of issues playing YouTube videos via Kaltura when using the Chrome browser. We recommend using Firefox if you run into this issue.

Sharing videos

Sharing Videos in Blackboard

Kaltura videos can be added in any content area/folder/learning module, and can be added to both Ultra and Original courses. To embed a video or interactive video quiz from Kaltura directly in your Blackboard Original Course, follow these basic steps, or refer to the Sharing Kaltura Videos in Blackboard document for more detail.

  1. Open the content area or item in your course where you want to add the video. 
  2. Select Build Content or Add Content, then select UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed. (If you’re associated with KPC, select KPC Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed).
  3. Your My Media page will open, displaying all the media you have stored in Kaltura.
  4. Click Add New to record or bring in a video from YouTube, or select a video you already have by clicking Embed.

Note: You can embed a video before the automatic captions are completed and/or edited. Updated captions will show everywhere your video is embedded.

As of May 2024, we are now using the latest Kaltura integration for Blackboard. For courses from 2022 on, you will see a rainbow burst icon (the Kaltura logo) next to the video’s title in your course content, which students can click to view the video. Kaltura videos embedded in an item should still play directly in your course content, as before. To copy a course with Kaltura content from 2022 or earlier, you will need to Export/Import into the new course rather than using the Copy tool. Importing will automatically convert all old Kaltura video links and embeds to the new integration tool. If you use Kaltura Quizzes or the Kaltura Course Media Gallery tool, you will need to re-embed those to ensure they’re integrated properly.

Sharing Videos from Kaltura as “Unlisted”

By default all media uploaded to Kaltura is Private, so only you can view it. In Kaltura Mediaspace, you can adjust your media visibility settings if you want to share a video more broadly.

  1. Navigate to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace and log in with your UA credentials.
  2. Click your name in top right and choose My Media. This will display all the media you have stored in Kaltura.
  3. Click on the title of the video that you want to share.
  4. Select the Actions pull-down menu and choose Publish.
  5. Here you can change the video from Private to Unlisted, meaning anyone with the link can view the video. Click Save.
  6. Click the Share tab and copy the link to the media page. Anyone you share this link with will be able to view the media.

Faculty Development & Instructional Support 
Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence, Instructional Design, and Center for Community Engagement and Learning 
Library 213 • 907-786-4496 • uaa_facultysuccess@alaska.edu • Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.