Move from script to narration faster by converting text to speech right in Storyline 360. Generate audio for stakeholder reviews or localize your course into different languages, then choose from a range of voices to get the tone you want. Read on to learn more.

• Convert Text to Speech
• Select Languages and Voices
• Update Script Changes or Use a Different Voice
• Generate Closed Captions
• Replace Text-to-Speech Narration with Recorded Narration
• Make Text-to-Speech Narration Accessible

Convert Text to Speech

Convert your script to text-to-speech in a few steps. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Text-to-Speech.
2. Select a Language from the first drop-down list. This ensures your words are pronounced correctly.
3. Choose a Voice (standard or neural) from the second drop-down list. You can hear what a voice sounds like by clicking the Preview Voice button.
4. Type or paste your script into the text-entry field. Or, click Copy from Slide Notes to use your slide notes as the script.
   
   You can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time. When using speech synthesis markup language (SSML), you can convert up to 3,000 characters of text and 3,000 of SSML tags. If your script is longer, break it into smaller sections and generate multiple text-to-speech audio clips. Then place the clips back to back on the timeline so they play in sequential order.
   
   
5. Keep the Generate Closed Captions box checked to add closed captions to your text-to-speech narration.
6. Click Insert to complete the process. An internet connection is required. If you’re offline, Storyline 360 prompts you to connect to the internet and try again.

The generated narration appears as an audio clip on the slide timeline. Conversion is usually fast, but longer scripts may take more time to process. Once converted, text-to-speech audio behaves like any other audio clip in Storyline 360, so you can customize it with the built-in audio editor.

You can add multiple text-to-speech clips to a slide and even use different voices, which is useful for simulating conversations between characters.

Select Languages and Voices

Choose from a variety of standard and neural voices across multiple languages to enhance your content.

Standard Voices

Standard voices provide clear, reliable narration for a wide range of use cases. They’re organized by language and listed alphabetically in Storyline 360:

 Neural Voices

Neural voices produce more natural, realistic narration, making them ideal for a more conversational tone. They’re organized by language and listed alphabetically in Storyline 360:

Update Script Changes or Use a Different Voice

Need to revise your script or use a different voice? You can update text-to-speech narration at any time. Here’s how:

1. Open the Text-to-Speech editor by right-clicking the text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline. Or, select the text-to-speech audio track, go to the Options tab on the ribbon, and click Text-to-Speech.
2. Edit your script or voice settings when the Insert Text-to-Speech window opens. Update the script, choose a different voice, or both.
3. Click Update.

Generate Closed Captions

Storyline 360 can automatically synchronize closed captions with text-to-speech narration, making your course more accessible. You can add closed captions during conversion or after narration has been created. Here’s how:

Add Closed Captions During Conversion

Check the Generate Closed Captions box when converting text to speech.

Add Closed Captions to Existing Narration

Right-click the text-to-speech audio track on the slide timeline and choose Text-to-Speech from the context menu that appears. When the Insert Text-to-Speech window opens, check the Generate Closed Captions box and click Update.

Use the Closed Captions Editor

Select the audio track on the slide timeline, then go to the Options tab and click Add Captions. The closed captions editor opens with captions already synced to your narration. Click Save & Close.

For more details, check out:

• Creating and Editing Closed Captions with the Built-In Editor
• Importing Closed Captions for Narration and Videos

Replace Text-to-Speech Narration with Recorded Narration

You can use text-to-speech narration during course development and later replace it with recorded narration without losing your closed captions. Here’s how:

1. Select your text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline and go to the Options tab on the ribbon.
2. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Audio.
3. Choose to replace your text-to-speech audio with a file from your computer, a clip from the media library, or a recording from your microphone.

Make Text-to-Speech Narration Accessible

Text-to-speech narration can improve accessibility by making course content easier to hear, follow, and understand. When paired with the practices below, it helps more learners engage with your content. Here are a few tips to make text-to-speech accessible:

• Add closed captions. Provide closed captions so learners can read along with narration. You can generate captions automatically when converting text to speech, add them later, or use AI Assistant to create them. Position captions at the top or bottom of your slides and customize the foreground and background colors to maximize readability (1.2.2 Captions [Prerecorded]).
• Provide text alternatives. Include equivalent on-screen text, transcripts, slide notes, layers, or markers so learners can access the same information without relying on audio. This also helps with review and supports different learning preferences (1.2.1 Audio-only [Prerecorded]).
• Reinforce content with visuals. Avoid relying on audio alone. Add on-screen text or visual cues to support key information (1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics).
• Give learners control over narration speed. Enable the playback speed control so learners can pause, slow down, or speed up narration as needed. This helps them process content at a pace that works best for them (1.4.2 Audio Control).
• Keep your language simple. Use plain language in your script so the narration is easy to follow. Clear, straightforward wording helps learners understand the content more effectively.
• Use SSML to improve clarity. SSML lets you adjust speaking rate, refine pronunciation, and add pauses to make the narration clearer and more engaging.
• Reduce distractions. Enable the background audio toggle so learners can mute any background tracks. This helps learners stay focused and lets assistive technologies navigate content more effectively. The “Lower background audio volume when slide audio plays” setting is enabled by default to support accessibility (1.4.2 Audio Control).
• Test with assistive technology. Review text-to-speech playback with screen readers and keyboard navigation to ensure everything works as expected.