Quick Start: How to Use AVAnnotate

Step 1: Log into AVAnnotate with your GitHub credentials

Sign in with your GitHub credentials, or create a new GitHub account by providing a username, email address, and password.

Step 2: Create a New Project

Select + Add and input information about the new project, including Title Description Language and Project Slug. Project Authors and Collaborators are optional. For more information, see Projects.

Step 3: Add an Event

Most Events are associated with one AV file, but an event could be associated with multiple AV files since it could take more than one tape or reel to record an event. Alternatively, in special cases, there is no AV file. See more.

Select + Add and input information about the new event, including the event Label. For the AV file includeItem Type (Audio or Video) AV label URL and Duration. Description and Citation are optional fields. AVAnnotate can reference AV and images through URLs or IIIF manifests. (Note: AVAnnotate does not store AV or image files.)

Step 4: Add annotations and timestamps

Annotations and timestamps are user-created and correspond to a point or range in the audio or video. Annotations contain information about the audio and video that might include a transcript; captions; information about formal features of the media, like shot sequence, volume, or lighting; historical or cultural context; environmental noises such as fans or car horns; or information about conceptual notes or themes. For more information, see Annotations.

Step 5: Add tags and tag groups

“Tags” are labels or index terms used in the published project to organize and discover topics in the annotations. Tag groups are used to organize the tags. For more information, see Tags.

Step 6: Customize pages to build context

Users can create auto-generated pages for each event as well as design custom pages that include text, whole events, AV clips with or without associated annotations, AV clip comparisons, and images (via URL links). Users might add a page that includes an introduction or conclusion to the project; build separate sections of an accompanying analytical essay; add context or pedagogical implications for events and annotations; explain the annotation choices made in the project; etc. For more information, see Pages.

Go to Site Builder and select Publish!