Creating Videos: Kaltura Media

Kaltura (Blackboard My Media) updated May 2024

 

Old Kaltura video links in courses from Spring 2022 on have been automatically updated to the new integration tool. Please test your Kaltura videos to be sure they are playing correctly. You will now see a rainbow burst icon (the Kaltura logo) next to the video鈥檚 title in your course, which students can click to view the video. Kaltura videos embedded in an item should still play directly in your course content, as before. 

There are two exceptions to be aware of:

  • For Kaltura quizzes to connect properly to the gradebook, you will need to take a few small steps to with the new tool.
  • If you use Kaltura鈥檚 Course Media Gallery tool, you will need to re-link that by selecting the plus sign in the left hand menu of your course, selecting Add Tool Link, and then selecting UAA Kaltura - Course Media Gallery. 

If you need to copy a course with Kaltura content from before 2022, please use the Export and Import tools. Importing will automatically convert all Kaltura video links and embeds to the new integration tool. Course copy and individual item copy will not work for Kaltura videos from 2022 or earlier. View our recommendations about to follow this process successfully.

If you are having any trouble with your videos, please consult the for common issues and solutions. For assistance with any of the above, reach out to the Instructional Media Studio at uaa_instructionalmedia@alaska.edu / 907-786-4850.

Kaltura Access

Kaltura can be accessed in two ways:

  • Kaltura My Media in Blackboard: For most purposes, access Kaltura from inside using My Media. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l 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 to edit captions, get a publicly shareable link, and access other Kaltura features.

These two access points include different tools, so check which the instructions below indicate. For best practices and information on UAA's other core tools for video, visit the Creating Videos main page.

Using Kaltura

Recording a video with Kaltura

There are two tools you can use to record video with Kaltura in Blackboard: 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 webcam. Express Capture is a tool that records within your browser in Blackboard, and can be accessed anywhere within a course that you would use Kaltura (i.e. within Build Content in an Original course or throughout a course in the Content Editor in an Ultra course).

Kaltura Capture

Kaltura Capture is an application that will install on your computer. The recording and editing functions are more limited than a program like ScreenPal, but it can upload directly to Kaltura My Media once the recording is finished. You can use Kaltura Capture to record any combination of your webcam, screen, and audio.

  1. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - My Media).
  2. Select Add New > Kaltura Capture.
  3. Open Kaltura Capture. If you have never downloaded the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder, you will be prompted to do so. When done, you may need to refresh the page, or return to the UAA Kaltura - My Media tool again and select Add New > Kaltura Capture. The application should open at that point. Once you have downloaded and installed the application, you can open Kaltura Capture directly from your applications as you would any other program.
  4. When the Kaltura Capture application opens, a menu bar with the following buttons appears: Start Recording (red circle), Screen, Camera, and Audio. For each of the input settings, you can click the down arrow next to the icon to select different options, or click on the icon itself to turn it off or on.
    • Note: You can only record the audio from your computer with Kaltura Capture on a PC at this time. To turn this setting on, click the word Manage under the Kaltura logo on the menu bar, and click the gear icon on the lefthand side to open the Settings menu. Below the options for your camera and screen recording quality, you can choose whether or not to record system audio. This Settings menu is also where you can choose to highlight the cursor in your recording, and choose to automatically minimize the Kaltura menu bar when you鈥檙e recording. Click Save when you鈥檝e made the changes you want to in these settings. 
  5. When you鈥檙e ready to record, click the Start Recording button (red circle), then begin presenting after the countdown. When the menu bar is visible, you will see a timer keeping track of your recording time, and you can use the icons on the menu bar to pause and resume, stop, and cancel the recording, as well as annotate the screen with the pencil icon. If you don鈥檛 want this menu bar visible in your screen recording, click the minus sign in the right corner to minimize it. You can always click the application icon to make it visible again.
    • Note: If you are recording both your screen and webcam, you can preview your camera before recording, but you will not be able to view it while you鈥檙e recording.
  6. When finished, click the stop icon. In the pop-up window that appears, you can customize the title, description, and tags. Choose Save and Upload to ensure the video is saved to your Kaltura My Media.
    • Note: Saving from this tool automatically saves your recording to your computer as well. You can see where these recordings are located on your computer by opening the Kaltura Capture application, clicking the word Manage under the Kaltura logo on the menu bar, and click the gear icon on the lefthand side to open the Settings menu. Here you can see the Current recording directory where your recordings are stored on your computer.

Express Capture

Express Capture can only record your webcam and audio, not your screen, and there are no editing functions in this tool. However, it is a quick way to record directly within Blackboard 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 your course.

  1. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - My Media). Or within a course you can select Build Content and choose UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed.
  2. Select Add New > Express Capture.
  3. Clicking on that will take you to a new screen that says Record Media. There鈥檚 a simple view of your webcam, a few options of basic audio and video settings, and a large red record button.
  4. When you鈥檙e ready to record, hit record, wait for the countdown, and begin speaking.
  5. When you鈥檙e finished, hit done, and it鈥檒l give you an option to playback the video, Record Again, Download a Copy, or Use This. If you鈥檙e happy with what you鈥檝e recorded, click Use This, and it will automatically upload to your My Media space. You can then give it a name, a description, tags, and designate whether it鈥檚 Private or Published.

Uploading videos into Kaltura Media

You can upload video files from your computer or phone to KalturaMy Media via Blackboard or through Mediaspace. Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed document. Zoom recordings done with your UA login are automatically uploaded and saved to your Kaltura account.

Uploading with Kaltura My Media in Blackboard

  1. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - My Media). Or within a course you can select Build Content and choose UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed.
  2. Select Add New button > Media Upload.
  3. 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. (All common video, audio and image formats in all resolutions are accepted.)
  4. Fill in the name and description, then give the file 鈥渢ags鈥� to assist in locating this later. Please tag your videos with UAA, your department/course prefix, and your name.
  5. Select Save.

Uploading with UAA Kaltura MediaSpace

  1. Navigate to
  2. Select the guest icon in the top right and log in with your UA credentials.
  3. Select + ADD NEW and choose Media Upload.
  4. Select Choose a file to upload and navigate to where your videos are stored to select the video.
  5. Fill in the name, description and tags and click Save.

Editing videos in Kaltura

Using any of the methods above will add videos to your Kaltura My Media in Blackboard and Mediaspace. To edit a video in Kaltura, log in to , click your name in top right and choose My Media to see a list of all your videos in Kaltura My Media. Select the title of the video you鈥檇 like to edit, then click Actions > Launch Editor. This .

Adding and editing captions

Your video will be machine-captioned automatically (check back in an hour; the wait depends on the length of your video). Wait until the automatica captions have been completed before editing the captions. To edit the automated captions, navigate to . Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed document.

    1. Navigate to
    2. Select the guest icon in the top right and log in with your UA credentials.
    3. Click your name in top right and choose My Media to see a list of all your videos in Kaltura My Media. 
    4. Click on the title of the video whose captions you want to edit to open the details screen.
    5. Select the ACTIONS pull-down menu.
    6. Choose Edit
    7. Select the Captions tab
    8. Kaltura will show the list of caption files. Click the Edit Captions button, which will take you to the Closed Captions Editor page. 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鈥檚 a change you need to make throughout the transcript.
    9. When you鈥檝e finished editing the captions, click Save, confirm your changes, and click Back.
    10. To confirm the captions are displaying as you intended, play your video with CC English to see the edited version.

Adding a Kaltura captions frame for 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.) To add a YouTube video to Kaltura, you can open My Media in Blackboard by clicking Tools on the global menu and then selecting UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - My Media), or within a course you can select Build Content and choose UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed. You can also add a YouTube video to your Kaltura My Media by logging into . This only works for public YouTube videos, not unlisted ones. 

  1. Whether you鈥檙e in My Media in Blackboard or in Mediaspace, in the top right you鈥檒l see the Add New button. Click that and select YouTube from the dropdown menu.
  2. Paste in the URL/link to the video and click Preview.
  3. Fill in or edit the name, description, and tags and save.
  4. When the video has processed, follow the steps above to edit the captions.

Sharing videos in Blackboard

To embed a video or interactive video quiz from Kaltura My Media directly in your Blackboard Course, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to your Blackboard course.
  2. Open the content area where you want to post the video. (Videos can be added in any content area/folder/learning module).
  3. Select Build Content, then select UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed).
  4. Your Kaltura My Media page will open.
  5. Select the video you want by clicking </>Embed. If you add a new video (see Uploading Videos tab above), you can also embed it directly into your course here.

Alternatively, create an Item in Blackboard, then use the plus sign icon on the toolbar to Add content, scroll down to select UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search and Embed, and embed your video. (If you鈥檙e associated with KPC, you鈥檒l select KPC Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed). See for detailed instructions.

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

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