Pulling Caption Files From FACEBOOK Videos

You want to get the caption file from Facebook, but can't. Or can you? In this video, you'll learn how to download the captions file from a Facebook video.For the longest time, Facebook captioning has frustrated me. Don't get me wrong, it's getting better, but they still have one feature that's missing: The ability to DOWNLOAD THE FILE YOU CREATE. While this option is not available for the user, there is still a way you can access the caption file. So I made a video showing how. Based on a Google search, I'm the first person to figure this out, so check it out![NOTICE: In May, 2018, Facebook changed their captioning software in a way that jumbles up the file you download. However, I discovered a solution to this after creating the video below. To work around this issue, ensure you follow the instructions at the end of the post.]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvrOUDFqbZ8&t=330s

Getting a Caption File From Facebook Videos:

1. Upload your video file to Facebook and auto-generate the captions. Make adjustments as necessary.2. Find a place on Facebook to view the video.3. Right-click outside of the video player and click "inspect element" or "inspect".4. Press CTRL F in the code window that opens, and type "captions" in the search box that opens.5. Continue to go through the options that appear until you find a line of code that reads like, "<track kind="captions"src="blob:[FACEBOOK LINK]>"6. Double click and copy the link and paste it into your browser. MAKE SURE that you include the "blob" part when copy-pasting the link.7. Copy all the text that appears and paste it into your computer's notepad application8. Go to File and click "Save as". When saving the file, make sure encoding is set to "ANSI" encoding, and that you save the file as a .vtt file, NOT a .txt file.And due to a few changes Facebook made in May, 2018, the following steps are now necessary, as the captions you have right now will be OUT OF ORDER. But here is the solution:9. Go to https://subtitletools.com/convert-to-srt-online10. Click the "choose file" button, and upload the .VTT file you just created.11. Click, "Convert to SRT".12. The SRT file you get back will have all the captions in order.13. The SRT file will also have the text, "Edited at https://subtitletools.com" as the first caption. This can be resolved by removing the text within the notepad application, and then saving the file.You should now have a perfectly usable captions file compatible with Facebook, YouTube, Premiere Pro, and other compatible video applications. If you have any further questions about captioning, or there are steps of this process that could be clearer, feel free to shoot me a message in the comments or contact me for further information.Stay classy! 

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