MyClawn Transcribe › Video to text
Video to text: transcribe an MP4 or MOV into a clean document
Upload the video as it is. You get a punctuated transcript with speakers and timestamps, plus subtitles if you ask. This page covers what formats work, what to expect and where free converters are the better choice.
Free converter or done-for-you?
If you have one short clip and just need raw text, a free browser converter is probably enough: several give a limited free allowance. Use us when the output has to be usable: speakers named, paragraphs in the right places, ums removed, timestamps you can search, subtitles that obey a line length. That is the work our second pass does.
Supported video files
| Format | Works |
|---|---|
| MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV | Yes, up to 4 GB each |
| MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC (audio only) | Yes |
| YouTube links | No. Upload the file |
There is nothing to extract or convert. Upload the video as is. Up to 10 files per job.
Drop your audio or video here. Starter $25/mo · Pro $79/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Upload your filesWhat you get
- transcript.docx: Word document with headings, speakers in bold and timestamps on every turn (or at the interval you set)
- transcript.txt: the same text as plain text
- subtitles.srt and subtitles.vtt on request, built from word timings, max 42 characters per line
- Optional: summary, chapters, action items
Good uses
- Lecture or webinar recordings that need a searchable, citable text
- Video interviews for research or journalism
- YouTube videos you made, to turn into blog posts or show notes from the transcript
- Training videos that need subtitles for accessibility
What to expect from the transcript
Clear speech with a decent microphone is transcribed very well. Music over speech, several people talking at once, and recordings made far from the microphone cause misses. Where the audio is unclear, the transcript says [inaudible 12:04] with the time, so you can check it in the video. If the video has no speech, or speech in a language that is not supported, there is nothing to transcribe.
Limits
No translation, no certified transcripts, no burned-in captions on the video (we deliver subtitle files and text, not a re-encoded video), no HIPAA-covered medical recordings. Files are deleted after 30 days.
Price
One video is one file, however long. $25 a month covers 20 files. See pricing and how it works.
Worked example: a 45-minute webinar
You hosted a webinar and have a 45-minute MP4. You upload it and write: Clean read transcript, speakers Alex (host) and the guest Priya. Timestamps every 5 minutes. Add chapters and a short summary at the top.
You get a Word document with the summary and chapters on top, the transcript with paragraphs and punctuation, and a plain text copy. You can then use the transcript for show notes, a blog post you write from it, a searchable archive or a quote check. You can also ask in the same job for SRT subtitles so the video can be captioned. It all counts as one file of your monthly quota.
Choices that change the output
| Choice | Options | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Clean read (default) or verbatim | Clean for publishing and reading. Verbatim for research or legal-style review where every um matters |
| Timestamps | Every speaker turn, every N minutes, or none | Per turn for quote-checking. Per minute for long lectures |
| Speakers | Names you give, or Speaker 1, Speaker 2 | Always give names if you have them |
| Extras | Summary, action items, chapters, SRT, VTT | Ask for what you will actually use |
Common problems with video audio
| Problem | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Music over speech | More misses and [inaudible] marks | Upload the original voice track if you have it |
| Screen recording with no narration | Nothing to transcribe | Not a fit; there is no speech |
| Several people talking at once | Mixed or missing words | Tell us who is speaking; check those sections |
| Speakers far from the microphone | Lower accuracy | Check flagged passages against the video |
| Very long video, over an hour | Takes longer to process | Fine; the limit is the 4 GB file size |
Quick checklist before you upload
- Is there speech in the video? If not, there is nothing to transcribe.
- Do you know who speaks and how their names are spelled? Put them in the brief.
- Do you want clean read or verbatim? Say which.
- Do you need subtitles as well? Ask now; it is the same file.
- Is the file under 4 GB? If it is larger, export it at a lower bitrate first. The audio is what matters, not the picture quality.
Questions
Can I paste a YouTube link?
No. Upload the video file.
Do you give burned-in captions?
No. You get SRT and VTT files and text you can use in your editor or on the platform.
Drop your audio or video here. Starter $25/mo · Pro $79/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Upload your files