Kaltura

Kaltura is a media platform integrated with Canvas that allows faculty and students to create, upload, manage, and embed videos for instruction, assessment, and collaboration.

Overview of Kaltura at A-State

Kaltura is Arkansas State University’s enterprise video platform for creating, storing, sharing, and analyzing instructional media. It supports faculty and students across multiple learning environments, including Canvas, MediaSpace, and classroom recordings.

What Is Kaltura?

Kaltura is a cloud-based video management system that allows:

It is integrated with Canvas and available to all A-State faculty, staff, and students.

Where to Access Kaltura

How to Use Kaltura

Kaltura supports a variety of workflows for adding and using video content:

Ways to Add Video

All uploaded or recorded videos appear in your My Media library.

Ways to Use Video

Once in My Media, videos can be:

How Kaltura Fits into A-State’s Media Ecosystem

Tool Purpose Integration
Canvas Embedding, quizzes, analytics Full integration
MediaSpace Personal media management Standalone portal
CETL Studio High-quality faculty recordings Upload to Kaltura
Microsoft Teams Meeting recordings Manual upload from OneDrive

Notes: 

Using Kaltura in Canvas

Kaltura is fully integrated into Canvas, making it easy to upload, embed, organize, and analyze instructional media. This page outlines how to use Kaltura tools within Canvas to enhance teaching and learning.

Accessing Kaltura in Canvas

Faculty can access Kaltura through several built-in Canvas tools:

Adding Video to Canvas

Use the Add New button in My Media or Media Gallery to upload or record content.
Screenshot of the Add New dropdown menu in Kaltura showing options for Media Upload, Express Capture, YouTube, Kaltura Capture, and Video Quiz.

Available options include:

Embedding Video in Canvas

Videos can be embedded in:

Use the Browse & Embed tool to select a video from:

Screenshot of the Kaltura Embed Media window showing available videos from My Media, Media Gallery, and Shared Repository with an Embed button.

Tip: Embedded videos retain Kaltura features like analytics, captions, and quiz functionality.

Creating Video Quizzes

Kaltura allows you to add quiz questions to videos:

See the Video Quiz overview for details and instructions.

Tracking Engagement

Use Kaltura Analytics to monitor:

Analytics are available in:

Entry level analytics in Canvas

Note: Some views may be listed as “Unknown” due to browser settings or direct links. Publishing videos in Canvas helps ensure accurate tracking.

Best Practices

Final Tips: 

Kaltura Capture: Recording and Managing Videos

Kaltura offers two distinct tools for recording video content: Kaltura Capture and Express Capture. Each serves different needs depending on your device setup, recording goals, and available permissions.

If you need screen annotations or multiple inputs, use Kaltura Capture. For quick webcam recordings, try Express Capture.

This page will guide you through:

Installing and Launching Kaltura Capture

  1. Go to My Media or Media Gallery in Canvas.
  2. Click Add New → Kaltura Capture.

    image-1760983192830.png

  3.  
  4. The application will then launch on the computer for you to start your recording. If it is not installed, you’ll be prompted to download the application.

    image-1760983204500.png

Supported Platforms

Follow the installation instructions

Kaltura Capture is not supported on mobile, tablet, Chromebook, or virtual desktop environments (e.g., Citrix, VMware).

Mac users: Make sure your system's privacy settings allow the app to access your screen, camera, and microphone. 

Windows users: If you encounter error messages, you may need to adjust system access settings. 

If the download fails, contact the IT Help Desk to check the firewall or security settings.

Recording with Kaltura Capture

Once installed, Kaltura Capture opens with a simple interface showing:

image-1760983344186.png

  1. Record button - Only one click to record!
  2. Screen - Select the screen device you want to record from the drop-down menu (in case of multiple devices) or click on the screen icon to disable screen recording.
  3. Camera - Select the camera device you want to record from the drop-down menu (in case of multiple devices) or click on the camera icon to disable your camera recording.
  4. Audio - Select the audio device you want to record from the drop-down menu (in case of multiple devices) or click on the audio icon to disable your audio recording.
  5. Manage - This opens up the management window, which contains tabs for Library, Settings, and Information. 
  6. Record your screen - Select the screen from the drop-down menu that you want to record from if you have more than one device connected.
  7. Screen area - Select to record the Full Screen (default) or choose Select Area to record a specific area of your screen. 

Step-by-Step Recording Configurations

✅ Record Camera and Screen

✅ Record Camera and Audio Only

✅ Record Two Cameras

✅ Record Two Screens

✅ Record Audio Only

✅ Record Specific Area of Screen

  1. Click the arrow next to the screen icon.
  2. Select your screen from the drop-down menu.
  3. Choose Select Area.
  4. A cropping window appears.
  5. Resize and position the frame over the area you want to record.
  6. Click Confirm. The frame turns red.
  7. Begin recording.

To cancel and return to full screen, toggle Full Screen under screen selection.

Get to Know the Recording Tool

When you click the Record Button, the interface changes. It now provides the following options.

image-1760984354159.png

✏️ Using Annotation Tools During Recording

Kaltura Capture includes built-in annotation tools that allow you to draw on your screen during a recording. These tools are especially useful for highlighting key concepts, guiding attention, or emphasizing specific areas of your presentation.

The Annotations toolbar can be accessed by clicking the pencil icon in the Recording Tool after you start a screen recording. It remains visible until you click the icon again to close the annotations menu.

Annotation tools are only available when screen recording is enabled. If you are recording only your camera or audio, the toolbar will not appear. 

If you do not need the Annotation tools, consider using Express Capture instead. It is browser-based and does not require all the setup for Kaltura Capture. 

Annotation Tool Options

Best Practices for Using Annotations

Important: Annotations are recorded as part of the video and cannot be removed after recording. To chop and splice out the entire section with annotations.
➤ See: Editing Videos in Kaltura.

If you need editable overlays or advanced effects, consider using Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects after exporting your video. To learn how to download your Kaltura recordings, edit them in an external tool, and then upload them back to My Media.
➤ See: Downloading, Advanced Editing and Uploading of External Media 

Managing Your Recordings

Once Kaltura Capture is installed and launched, you can access the Recording Management window, which helps you organize and edit your recordings.

You will also be automatically directed to the Edit Page for the video in the Library when you finish a recording to set the title, description, and tags.

Accessing the Recording Management Window

On the recorder user interface, click Manage.

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The window has three main tabs:

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Library Tab

In the Library, you have the following options:image-1760985578607.png

Edit Page

From the Edit page, you can:

By Default, the titles for all new Recordings will start with Kaltura Capture recording and then contain the date and time of the recording. To make your recordings easier for you and your students to search, please give the videos more descriptive titles.  

Finalizing a Recording

When you click Save & Upload, the new video will appear at the top of the Library tab of the recording management window. It will remain there until you delete it. After clicking to upload a video, a pending status will display next to the entry. 

image-1760986553963.png

When the upload has started, a message displays: Started uploading to your media.

When the upload has finished, a message displays: Recording was successfully uploaded to your media.

You can close the application during an upload, and your recording will continue uploading in the background as long as you're logged into the computer. You can lock the computer, but don't sign out. Uploading will pause if you log off.

The video will now be in your My Media, and you can click on the link to navigate to the entry in your video portal.

image-1760986660153.png

To learn how to embed and share these videos,
➤ See: Using Kaltura in Canvas. 

Settings Tab

From the Settings tab, you can:

image-1760987260048.png

If your camera or screen resolution is lower than the selected recording quality, Kaltura will automatically adjust to the highest supported resolution.

Information Tab

From the Information tab, you can:

image-1760987323135.png

Using Express Capture

To use Express capture, first make sure your browser supports WebRTC. 

The common WebRTC-supported browsers are Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. To check your browser, see: Express Capture supported browsers & devices.

Express Capture is not supported on mobile iOS devices, and you may see an error after recording or be unable to save your video. 

For best results, use Express Capture on a desktop browser. Then follow these steps.

  1. Go to My Media or Media Gallery in Canvas.
  2. Click Add New → Express Capture.

    image-1761067976122.png

  3. The Record Media page will appear.
    image-1760988375410.png
    • Your browser will request access to your webcam and microphone.
      • Chrome

        image-1761067933844.png


      • Edge

        image-1761067940135.png


      • Firefox

        image-1761067947889.png

    •  

      Select Allow. 

      If you accidentally block access to your camera or microphone, Express Capture won’t load. Refer to, What to do if you get locked out of Express Capture, if you blocked the camera or microphone for this web application.


  4. Next, Select Your Devices 
    image-1760988499864.png

    By default, Express Capture uses your computer’s webcam and microphone.

    • Click the arrow next to the camera or audio icon to:
      • Choose a different device (if available).
      • Toggle the camera or microphone on/off.

        You cannot turn off both the camera and audio at the same time.

    • Enable Screen Capture (if needed)
      • Screen capture is only available when both camera and audio are enabled.
      • Click the arrow next to the screen icon to:
        • Select the screen to share.
        • Toggle screen sharing on/off.
  5. Start Recording
    • Click the red record button.
    • A 3-second countdown will begin.
    • A timer will appear on the left side of the screen during recording.

      image-1760988560762.png

       

  6. Stop Recording

    • Click the red stop button to finish.
    • A preview window will appear with the following options:
      • Record Again – Discard and re-record.
      • Use This – Upload the video to Kaltura.
      •  

If you recorded both your camera and screen, the preview will show each stream stacked vertically with identical playback controls.

➤ See also: Create a recording with Express Capture

To learn how to embed and share these videos,
➤ See: Using Kaltura in Canvas. 

Editing Videos in Kaltura

The Kaltura video editor is a simple yet powerful tool for editing any video uploaded to Kaltura. You can trim, clip, chop, and splice your videos.

Combining two videos isn't supported in the video editor—use Media Stitching for that.

You can’t change a video’s title directly from the video editor unless you’re saving your changes as a new copy.

If the editor button is greyed out or the trimming tool isn’t available, the source file may be missing.

Accessing the Editor

Option 1: From the Media Page

Option 2: From the Edit Media Page

  1. Access the My Media page. 
  2. Choose one of the following methods: 
    • Click the pencil icon next to the desired media.
    • Click on the thumbnail or title of the desired media, then choose Edit from the ACTIONS drop-down menu.

Editor Layout

The editor has three main areas:

image-1760989572099.png

Keyboard Shortcuts

Trim or Clip

Trimming edits the original video’s start or end and saves the change permanently. While clipping a video creates a new copy of the video with a different start or end, it keeps the original intact. The procedures are the same, but to Trim you Save the video, and to Clip you instead Save a Copy.

If the editor button is greyed out or the tools aren’t available, it might be because the source file is no longer available.

Only the owner or co-editor of a media entry can create clips.
➤ Transfer media ownership or add collaborators

Set the start and end times using any of the methods listed below:

Use the zoom function to enhance display granularity. Adjust the segment's length with the handlebars to set the exact points you want.

image-1760990861741.png

Trim

Don't forget that Save will alter the original media permanently, and any deleted segments are gone for good.

If you wish to preserve the original file, use Save a Copy. This will save all your edits as a new Clip. 

Clip

Saving may take some time, especially for longer videos. You can leave the browser window or tab open and check back later. Your edited video will be saved in My Media.

For very long uploads, you may get logged out of your computer before the upload finishes. This can cause the upload to fail. Make sure to monitor your computer during the upload process to prevent this from occurring. 

Chop and Splice

Chopping cuts and removes a section in the middle of a video. Splicing joins the remaining sections together, and Kaltura does this automatically, so you don't need to move the cut segments yourself.

The timeline always reflects the original video's timespan. White gaps show where content was removed but do not indicate pauses.

  1. Click the timeline and drag the real-time marker to where you want to cut the video.
  2. Click the scissors icon to split the video.
  3. Drag the real-time marker to where you want your cut section to end and click the scissors icon again.
  4. Click on the section you want to remove (it will have a yellow border around it. If it doesn’t, click on it). Click either the trash icon or press the delete key to remove it.
    The section disappears. Kaltura automatically splices the remaining segments, so you don't need to drag them together on the timeline.

image-1760992818973.gif

Fade Effects

  1. Click on the segment that you want to apply a fade effect to.

  2. Click the fade in / out icon and enter the seconds you want to fade in or out of the segment.

    image-1760992942075.png

  3. Click anywhere outside the window or press Enter to confirm your changes and close the fade-in/out window.

    image-1760992964120.gif


    Fade markers are indicated at the point of the segments to show where the fade-out and fade-in points begin.

    image-1760992948337.png

Editing Media with Multiple Streams

When the editor displays content with multiple streams (for example, both screen and video capture), the timeline is loaded with the primary stream.

You can adjust how the content is displayed on the player using the screen icons that appear when you hover (see image below). Changing the display won't affect the timeline.

image-1760993078570.png

  1. Click the Content Selector icon under the play button and choose the stream you want to edit from the pop-up menu.

    image-1760993163344.png


    The timeline will display the stream you selected and allow you to view where you will clip or trim the media simultaneously for each stream.
  2. Set the range using any of the methods listed above.
  3. When satisfied with your edits, click Save or Save a Copy.

Exit Editor

When you have finished editing, click the exit arrow in the bottom left corner to close the editor.

image-1760993315115.png

If you ever want to start over during editing, just click the exit arrow and then return.

Media Stitching: Combining Multiple Videos

Would you like to combine multiple videos and images into one video? It's very easy with Kaltura's Media Stitching tool. This tool allows you to easily create new, original videos by stitching together existing content.

  1. Go to My Media and click +Add New → Stitch Videos
    The Stitch video page displays.

    image-1760993982973.png

  2. Enter a name in the New Video Name field (default is “My Combined Video” + date)
  3.  In the Choose media to stitch section, select media to stitch:
    • Click the Add (+) button next to each item
    • Use Search to locate items
    • Selected items show a checkmark and move into the stitching list
    • Click again to remove an item

image-1760994063026.png

You must select 2–5 items. The total duration of all stitched videos must be under 5 hours.

  1. Reorder or manage items:

    • Drag the two-line icon to reorder

      image-1760994214602.gif

    • Use the three-dot menu to move or remove items.

      image-1760994168537.png

  2. Click Create

    • You’ll be taken to the Edit Entry page to add metadata.

 

Captions are retained from each of the stitched videos.

Once saved, stitched items cannot be changed. You will need to use the Editor to make any changes to the stitched video once it has been saved.

If you delete a media entry after it has been added to a stitched video, it will remain in the stitched video.

Timeline breaks are visible between stitched videos. Fade transitions are planned for future releases.

For cleaner stitching of videos with transitions, you may want to consider the Adobe Creative Cloud tools. 

Downloading, Advanced Editing and Uploading of External Media

Sometimes, the native Kaltura Capture tools or web-based editor limit your vision. You may want to:
In any of these cases, you’ll want to know how to download and upload your videos from Kaltura.

Downloading Kaltura Videos for Editing

To perform advanced edits in tools like Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects, you must first download your Kaltura video.

By default, videos uploaded to Kaltura do not allow downloading.

⚙️Enable Downloading for Your Media

Only the media owner can enable downloads.

You can allow viewers to download your media in different formats. To enable downloading of a video, follow these instructions.

  1. Go to My Media
    Navigate to the video you want to enable for download and click on its title or thumbnail.

  2. Open the Edit Menu
    On the media page, click the three dots under the video player.
    image-1761053929745.png
    Select Edit from the menu to open the edit media page.

  3. Enable Downloading

    • Click the Downloads tab in the Edit Media page.

      image-1761054193986.png

    • Check one or more of the available formats (e.g., Source, HD, SD) that you want users to be able to download.

      image-1761054213896.png

      Available formats are determined by your system administrator.

    • Click Save to apply your changes.

Download a Video

Once downloading is enabled by the media owner, viewers can download the video from the media page by following these steps.

  1. Find the Video
    Go to My Media or Media Gallery and click on the thumbnail of the video you want to download.

  2. Open the Download Menu
    On the media page, click the three dots or ACTIONS menu (depending on your interface).
    image-1761053837269.png
    Select Download from the menu.

    This option only appears if the media owner has enabled downloads.

  3. Choose a Format
    A list of available formats will appear. Click the format you want to download.
    image-1761053874061.png

  4. Save the File
    The video will begin downloading to your device.

Edit with Adobe Creative Cloud

Once downloaded, you can use Adobe tools for more complex editing:

Refer to the following Knowledge Base Pages for a list of available editing tools and instructions on how to request an Adobe Creative Cloud account.

When you finish editing your video in the external tool of your choice, you can upload it back to Kaltura.

Uploading Media from Your Desktop

To upload your video:
  1. Go to My Media or Media Gallery
  2. Click Add New → Media Upload

    image-1761062211609.png


    Drag and drop your file.
    image-1760987845266.png

    OR

  3. Select a file from your computer.

    image-1761062222582.PNG

    Zoom and Teams recordings are typically saved to your OneDrive, depending on your settings. If you're unsure where your recordings are stored, contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

  4. Enter a Title, Description, and Tags

    image-1760987885071.png

  5. Click Save

  6. You can click Go to Media to navigate to the media page or click Go to My Media to navigate to your My Media library.

    To upload another file, scroll down and click Choose another file, and repeat the steps above.

➤ See: Upload Media

Depending on the length of your video, it may take a while to upload and autogenerate the captions.

While the video is uploading, you’ll see a progress bar. Once the upload is complete, a green bar will appear at the top of the page that says Upload Completed! At that point, you don't need to remain on this page—just check your media in a few hours to review the captions.

Once uploaded, the video will appear in My Media with a gear icon to indicate that it is still processing. This includes generating alternative formats for dynamic quality adjustment across devices and network speeds, as well as creating automatic captions.

Once you see the video thumbnail in My Media, processing is complete. Your video will now appear in My Media and can be embedded in Canvas or edited further using Kaltura’s built-in tools.

If the media has not finished uploading or processing by the next day, contact the Kaltura Account Manager.

Captioning and Accessibility in Kaltura

Ensuring your instructional media is accessible is essential for supporting all learners. Kaltura provides built-in tools for captioning and integrates well with Canvas’s accessibility features. This page outlines how to manage captions and apply best practices for inclusive media.

Why Captioning Matters

Captions benefit:

Captions also support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and help meet ADA compliance standards.

Captioning Standards and Policy

Captioning Workflow in Kaltura

  1. Recording/uploading
    Upload your video to Kaltura using any supported method—Media Upload, Express Capture, Kaltura Capture, or YouTube integration.
  2. Automatic Captions

    Videos uploaded to Kaltura are automatically captioned using machine-generated speech recognition.

    Accuracy may vary depending on audio quality and speaker clarity.

  3. Editing Captions

    You can edit captions directly in Kaltura to correct spelling errors and timing.

    To correct the captions for the videos you upload to Kaltura, follow the instructions below:

  4. Publishing
    Once captions are reviewed and finalized, publish the video to your course Media Gallery or embed it in Canvas content.
  5. Student access
    Students can view captioned videos in Canvas with improved accessibility and playback performance.

Best Practices for Accessible Media

All of these best practices—clear audio, scripting, caption review, and timely publishing—are easily supported in the Lightboard Recording Studio. The studio setup minimizes background noise, supports teleprompter scripting, and saves recordings locally. Faculty can then upload the video to Kaltura using the Media Upload option and assign an appropriate title for captioning and sharing.

Related Tools and Resources

Support and Troubleshooting for Kaltura

This page provides guidance for resolving common issues with Kaltura and accessing support resources. Whether you're uploading media, embedding content in Canvas, or managing captions, help is available.

Common Issues and Fixes

Below are some of the most frequent problems users encounter when working with Kaltura, along with their causes and recommended solutions.

Video Uploaded to Canvas Instead of Kaltura

Issue: Video buffers, won’t play reliably, or lacks analytics and captioning tools.
Cause: The video was uploaded directly to Canvas instead of Kaltura, which limits functionality and performance.
Fix:

Captioning Errors

Issue: Auto-captions are inaccurate.
Cause: Automated captioning may misinterpret speech or lack context.
Fix:

Analytics Not Tracking

Issue: Viewer shows as “Unknown.”
Cause: The video was shared via direct link or not embedded properly in Canvas.
Fix:

Video Not Showing in Canvas

Issue: Students see an "Access Denied" error when trying to view embedded Kaltura videos.
Cause: The video was embedded in a previous course and copied into a new one, causing access issues.
Fix:

Issue: Users see a “third-party cookie” error message when accessing Kaltura content.
Cause: Modern browsers like Safari, Firefox, and Chrome block third-party cookies by default. Kaltura’s Application Framework (KAF) uses cookies to maintain session activity, and when loaded inside an LMS iframe, those cookies are treated as third-party.
Fix:

Kaltura Video Quiz Not Syncing with Canvas Gradebook

Issue: Grades from Kaltura Video Quizzes do not appear in the Canvas Gradebook.
Cause: The quiz may be embedded in multiple places or accessed outside the assignment link, which can interfere with grade passback.
Fix:

Playback Errors in Kaltura Player

Issue: Users see error messages like “Media not found” or “Player failed to load.”
Cause: The video may be unpublished, deleted, or the embed code may be broken.
Fix:

Firewall or VPN Blocking Kaltura Access

Issue: Users experience disconnects or cannot load Kaltura content.
Cause: Network security tools (e.g., VPNs, firewalls, proxies) may block Kaltura’s streaming services.
Fix:

Mic or Webcam Not Working in Kaltura Express Capture

Issue: Users are unable to record audio or video using Express Capture.
Cause: Browser or operating system permissions may block access to the microphone or webcam. Security software or privacy settings can also interfere.
Fix:

Best Practices for Recording and Editing

Keep It Concise

  • Aim for videos under 15 minutes
  • Use playlists for longer content

Focus on Clarity

  • Use annotations to highlight key points
  • Narrate clearly and match visuals

Be Present

  • Include webcam footage
  • Use personal examples

Support Learning

  • Add chapters and slides
  • Use captions for accessibility

Captioning

  • Kaltura auto-generates captions
  • Edit captions or upload a script

Guides and Training Resources

This section contains tutorials, support articles, and video walkthroughs for using Kaltura effectively:

Where to Get Help

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

For help with instructional design and using Kaltura in your courses.
CETL@AState.edu | 870-972-2334
Dean B. Ellis Library, Suite 301

ITS Help Desk

Help with Canvas system errors, login issues, and general technical support.
itshelpdesk@AState.edu | 870-972-3933
Dean B. Ellis Library, Room 149

Access & Accommodations Services

For captioning support and accessibility accommodations for students.
dservices@AState.edu | 870-972-3964
Submit a Captioning Request

Kaltura Account Manager

Help with Kaltura system errors, locating missing videos, and account setup or permissions.
Kevin Downum
AOS Director of Academic Technology & Media
kdownum@AState.edu | (870) 680-8464
International Programs Building