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Good subtitling software? | What is SUBTITLING software?

August 3, 2016, 4:22 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
Post title: What is SUBTITLING software?

Every now and then I see people saying they want to 'get into subtitling', and their question sounds like "What software would DO IT for me?"

Apparently they are looking for some kind of Google Translate where people would upload a video, and receive it subtitled. If that's the case, YouTube has it. It's just a matter of configuring the page, and it gets done in real time.

However it uses voice recognition, whose results are utterly ludicrous. Then it uses machine translation, and the output serves no other purpose than roaring laughter. For no reason whatsoever, the funniest ones tend to be with institutional videos for dermatology clinics.

I divide my process in steps:
[list][*] Translating and breaking - using Express Scribe and the Windows Notepad
[*] Time-spotting - using Subtitle Workshop 6 or Subtitle Edit
[*] Checking and special formatting, when needed - I usually do this simultaneously with spotting
[*] Burning, if required - VirtualDub is my all-time favorite[/list]

It is possible to subtitle without burning if you play the video with VLC VideoLAN, or if you'll be uploading the subtitles to YouTube. Subs are generated in real time during playback.

I've skipped a truckload of details here. If you need information on digital video, you'll find it at [url= [url removed] ]VideoHelp[/url].

However there is no "reasonable fast" way to subtitle, other than YouTube's experimental contrivance.
Subtitling requires skill, effort, and time.
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Good subtitling software? | No problem

August 3, 2016, 4:24 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Daithi
Post title: No problem

[quote]Michelle McBride wrote:

[quote]Juan Jacob wrote:

of course.
Free ones? A lot. I use Subtitle Workshop for 15 years now. Very good, for me.
Others have this, or not, and discussion goes on. [Sound wave, for example, frame change indicator, etc.]
Good luck.

[/quote]

Hello, I hope you don't mind my jumping in for a query!
I heard that Subtitle Workshop is quite good, but is it correct that changing the position of the subtitles to the top of screen (if needed) is not possible? For example, if there are any graphics at the bottom of the screen can we move the subtitle to the top for that scene?

Thank you for your help
[/quote]

Hi no problem. Hi does the Workshop operate with Japanese characters? It wouldnt display Czech alphabet. I tried all the available charsets in the program.
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Good subtitling software? | Sounds good!

August 3, 2016, 4:30 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Daithi
Post title: Sounds good!

[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

Every now and then I see people saying they want to 'get into subtitling', and their question sounds like "What software would DO IT for me?"

Apparently they are looking for some kind of Google Translate where people would upload a video, and receive it subtitled. If that's the case, YouTube has it. It's just a matter of configuring the page, and it gets done in real time.
[/quote]

Hi and thank you for the reply, José. I'm sorry but not at all am I looking for that. I am interested in manual-work quality subtitles. However, I'd like to speed it up as much as possible. Let's us say save 4 hours from the total. Sometimes there is a ton of unnecessary clicks when editing, so I thought there's a program that has keyboard shortcuts for example and increased ease of use, or something like that.

[Edited at 2016-08-03 11:47 GMT]
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Good subtitling software? | Anything is possible

August 3, 2016, 5:04 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
Post title: Anything is possible

[quote]Michelle McBride wrote:

Hello, I hope you don't mind my jumping in for a query!
I heard that Subtitle Workshop is quite good, but is it correct that changing the position of the subtitles to the top of screen (if needed) is not possible? For example, if there are any graphics at the bottom of the screen can we move the subtitle to the top for that scene? [/quote]

Michelle,

Subtitle Workshop saves its subtitles in about 60+ file formats. The choice depends on what software you'll use to burn or show (overlaying in real time) the subtitles.

You can see the difference, say, between SSA and SRT files about 3/5 of the way down on [url= [url removed] ]this page[/url].

SSA holds a bunch of parameters, including subtitle position. After you learn the ropes, you may open a SSA file using the Windows Notepad and manually edit the parameters to your wishes. If you are not that brave, you may try to find SubStation Alpha software, which allows to do the same with a more friendly user interface.

Just remember ONE thing: [u]After you have edited SSA parameters, DON'T open the file on Subtitle Workshop![/u], as it will reset ALL these parameters.

SRT, as you'll see there, contains very skimpy data. The idea is that all changes in subtitle features will be handled by the software to burn them on the video, or to show them in real time. While some commands are allowed, they tend to be specific to the burning/playing software, not standard, so results may (or not) be unpredictable.

You can get the SSA specs from [url removed]
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Good subtitling software? | What version of SW?

August 3, 2016, 5:09 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
Post title: What version of SW?

[quote]Daithi wrote:

Does the Workshop operate with Japanese characters? It wouldnt display Czech alphabet. I tried all the available charsets in the program. [/quote]

SW was the #1 most popular program for years in its v2.51 from Uruguay. The same author attempted a complete rewrite, v4.0, which never worked well.

Then v6.0 came up from Bulgaria, so it supposedly handles Cyrillic chars without a hitch. I guess they wouldn't let their Slavic neighbors down. If you have trouble with Czech, write them, and I'm sure that by this time they have a solution.
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Good subtitling software? | Thanks.

August 3, 2016, 5:23 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Daithi
Post title: Thanks.

[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

[quote]Daithi wrote:

Does the Workshop operate with Japanese characters? It wouldnt display Czech alphabet. I tried all the available charsets in the program. [/quote]

SW was the #1 most popular program for years in its v2.51 from Uruguay. The same author attempted a complete rewrite, v4.0, which never worked well.

Then v6.0 came up from Bulgaria, so it supposedly handles Cyrillic chars without a hitch. I guess they wouldn't let their Slavic neighbors down. If you have trouble with Czech, write them, and I'm sure that by this time they have a solution. [/quote]

Thanks for that. You are a mine of information.
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Good subtitling software? | Camtasia

August 3, 2016, 12:08 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Daithi
Post title: Camtasia

[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf [/quote]

Camtasia also looks very appeasing. You can even move the caption visually with the timeline and stretch it.

[url removed]
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Good subtitling software? | Thank you for your kind assistance!

August 7, 2016, 8:26 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Michelle McBride
Post title: Thank you for your kind assistance!

[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

[quote]Michelle McBride wrote:

Hello, I hope you don't mind my jumping in for a query!
I heard that Subtitle Workshop is quite good, but is it correct that changing the position of the subtitles to the top of screen (if needed) is not possible? For example, if there are any graphics at the bottom of the screen can we move the subtitle to the top for that scene? [/quote]

Michelle,

Subtitle Workshop saves its subtitles in about 60+ file formats. The choice depends on what software you'll use to burn or show (overlaying in real time) the subtitles.

You can see the difference, say, between SSA and SRT files about 3/5 of the way down on [url= [url removed] ]this page[/url].

SSA holds a bunch of parameters, including subtitle position. After you learn the ropes, you may open a SSA file using the Windows Notepad and manually edit the parameters to your wishes. If you are not that brave, you may try to find SubStation Alpha software, which allows to do the same with a more friendly user interface.

Just remember ONE thing: [u]After you have edited SSA parameters, DON'T open the file on Subtitle Workshop![/u], as it will reset ALL these parameters.

SRT, as you'll see there, contains very skimpy data. The idea is that all changes in subtitle features will be handled by the software to burn them on the video, or to show them in real time. While some commands are allowed, they tend to be specific to the burning/playing software, not standard, so results may (or not) be unpredictable.

You can get the SSA specs from [url removed] [/quote]
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Ask me anything about subtitling | Quick dialogue exchange

August 7, 2016, 9:44 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Ask me anything about subtitling
Poster: Norfuer
Post title: Quick dialogue exchange

So I'm working on the subs, but I can't seem to get this to happen:
- Speaker 1: Line 1
- Speaker 2: Line 2

I'm using this kind of Time Code format
[Time 1]- Speaker 1: Line 1[Time 2]
[Time 1]- Speaker 2: Line 2[Time 2]

To try to get them to appear at the same time. But when I render the video, the subs just end up showing the first line. To quote my actual timecodes...

[00:25:18.27] - MARY SCHWEITZER: This is the piece. [00:25:21.05]
[00:25:18.27] - LESLEY STAHL: (gasps) No! [00:25:21.05]

But I just end up with

- MARY SCHWEITZER: This is the piece.

I'm using InqScribe 2.0.5 to create the sub file (SRT), and MediaCoder to render the subs into the mp4.

I was following the instructions from this page. [url removed]

What am I doing wrong? Thanks again. :)
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Ask me anything about subtitling | -

August 8, 2016, 12:29 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Ask me anything about subtitling
Poster: Max Deryagin
Post title: -

Hi Norfuer,

This is a rather unorthodox way to create subtitles. Here's the usual way of doing it:

[quote]
[Time 1]
- Speaker 1: Line 1 [line break]
- Speaker 2: Line 2
[Time 2]
[/quote]

Is there no way to break a line in InqScribe?

What you can do, if you don't want to use other software that's better-equipped for subtitling, is create timecodes for both dialogue lines in one

[quote]
[Time 1]
- Speaker 1: Line 1- Speaker 2: Line 2
[Time 2]
[/quote]

then open your SRT file in any text editor and force-break lines there, so you will have the following format, for example:

[quote]
8
00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,890
- Boris: What a lovely day!
- Kate: Indeed!
[/quote]

[Edited at 2016-08-08 07:29 GMT]
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Ask me anything about subtitling | -

August 8, 2016, 4:57 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Ask me anything about subtitling
Poster: Norfuer
Post title: -

Hi Max!

Thanks for the help! I formatted it like the first one you suggested, rendered, and it worked perfectly! I don't know who wrote that timecode example, but they either worked with an older version of InqScribe, or had no idea how it works.

I'm now 5/8 through with the project, and things are looking great.

Thanks again! :D
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Good subtitling software? | Express Scribe

August 8, 2016, 7:19 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: Daithi
Post title: Express Scribe

[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
I
divide my process in steps:
[list][*] Translating and breaking - using Express Scribe and the Windows Notepad
[*] Time-spotting - using Subtitle Workshop 6 or Subtitle Edit
[*] Checking and special formatting, when needed - I usually do this simultaneously with spotting
[*] Burning, if required - VirtualDub is my all-time favorite[/list]

[/quote]

I just started working with Subtitle Edit and it's truly amazing program. I am a little intrigued about this Express Scribe. I watched some YouTube videos about it. But from I I could see it did not offer that much extra from Sub Edit.

Sub Edit offers waveform, video form, playback speed control, hotkeys (maybe not for everything), Subtitle sliding and stretching.

What exactly are you using Express Scribe for?

I saw that it has this door pedal function, but that's about it.
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Good subtitling software? | Express Scribe

August 9, 2016, 4:08 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Good subtitling software?
Poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
Post title: Express Scribe

[quote]Daithi wrote:

I just started working with Subtitle Edit and it's truly amazing program. I am a little intrigued about this Express Scribe. I watched some YouTube videos about it. But from I I could see it did not offer that much extra from Sub Edit.

Sub Edit offers waveform, video form, playback speed control, hotkeys (maybe not for everything), Subtitle sliding and stretching.

What exactly are you using Express Scribe for?

I saw that it has this door pedal function, but that's about it. [/quote]

There is a personal history factor here...

I began translating video for DUBBING, back in 1987. A client (I translated text material for them) gave me the chance to take a shot at it, and we discovered a natural talent I didn't know I had. So I didn't take a course, anything like that. I just watched once how he did it, and adapted his m.o. to create my own. The very first video I ever translated was dubbed verbatim from my script, and sync came out okay. (You can still watch a part of it on [url= [url removed] ]this page[/url], clicking on "Ver o trailer" there on the right side, about midway of the picture height. As a curiosity, I know personally the two voices you'll hear there, the initial presenter (Jorge B.) and the main character's (Emerson C.), and almost three decades later, we still get to work together now and then.

Those were the days of analog video = tapes. They were kind enough to provide me with VHS copies, so I wouldn't have to invest a fortune in a U-Matic (and later Betacam) player. Yet these home-use units (not the editing suite were not very good at frequent and short PLAY-PAUSE-REW cycles. Audio cassette tapes aren't much better. So I copied the sound to open-reel tape recorders. The first video, I did with a rather delicate one from Philips. It did the job, but I saw it wouldn't last long. So I bought an Akai workhorse (1721W - a 4000D-like unit with built-in amplifier and speakers). Later I got a GX-630D, with corded electric control. These two lasted for about 15 years, assisted me in translating about 500 videos, and later were sold to collectors, still in working condition.

When it's about dubbing, the translator's job usually ends upon delivering a dubbing script. I used a numerous variety of word processors, the first of them still on an Apple II computer. Therefore I am knowledgeable to state that Microsoft Word was always - and still is - by far the worst among them; marketing clout having made it the one-and-only market standard nowadays. In those early times I had to print that out on a dot-matrix printer, and drive to the client, taking that hard copy. Quite often, I took the chance to stay for a while, and watch them dubbing my previous translations.

Only in 2004, by request of another client, I got into translation for SUBTITLING. They needed me on account of the subject (automotive mechanics) and language direction PT > EN. So I plunged into learning about it, and quickly discovered a few things.

The first one was that video was quickly going digital. A plain-vanilla PC was replacing completely a lot of expensive hardware required for video subtitling. Making a long story short, a couple of months later I was time-spotting and burning subtitles, as well as authoring interactive DVDs.

The second one was Express Scribe. A week after I had tried it for the first time, I put the two valiant open-reel Akai units on retirement.

Regarding the [b]control pedal[/b], it is emphasized because they SELL it! At first, I built my own. Yes, it would make a difference for anyone who could type at breakneck speed, like a secretary I knew, who could hold 400 strokes per minute. Not me. As I'm typing already, the F-keys work fine.

The important point is that I merely ADAPTED my translation m.o. from dubbing to subtitling. However instead of using the ever-mischievous Word, I found a better option in the Windows Notepad. I set it for a monospace font (usually Courier), turn the Automatic Line Break ON, and adjust the window width to my maximum number of chars per subtitle. If any line overflows, I have an immediate warning that it's not concise enough.

This gives me the subtitling "script" in a TXT file, my former dubbing deliverable. Then I convert it into SSA, SRT, whatever, and go to Subtitle Workshop or Subtitle Edit to time-spot [u]and proofread/review/edit[/u].

It should be mentioned that at that same time I began using Express Scribe to translate for dubbing as well. It completely replaces, with some advantages, the open-reel tape recorder.

Of course, every video translator should assemble and perfect his/her ideal workflow. Many work directly on SW/ES, like one I met in the 'old days' who admittedly wore out to scrap one VHS unit per year (when they cost $800), as part of the cost of doing business.

I have a few different workflows, e.g. when I'm merely translating a subtitles template with the video. Express Scribe is, IMHO, the best option for "human from-audio-into-text" processing in all of them.
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Convert to .PAC without losing formatting

August 14, 2016, 1:07 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Convert to .PAC without losing formatting
Poster: CatiaC

Hi everyone,

My employer needs me to send him my translation as a .PAC file. So, I work on Augisub and then I use SubtitlesEdit to convert the file to PAC. The thing is, when its done, the file loses all formatting (except the italics). There were some ghost boxes (shadow behind the subtitle to cover oracles that appear on screen) and they are gone. Plus, I am not sure about the letter size and font size (they specifically asked for Arial 16 fomatting).

Does anyone know how to convert a file to .PAC without losing formatting? Is there any other way?

Thank you so much in advance!
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Subtitling translation tests | Guidelines for subtitles' segmentation:

August 18, 2016, 1:26 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Subtitling translation tests
Poster: yasser Boubou
Post title: Guidelines for subtitles' segmentation:

1- limit your words to:
6 words per 1 line
12 words per 2 lines

2- Double space (ENTER) between sentences

3- Use the - (dashes-when there is dialogues)
-
-

4- Proper nouns should be written inside parenthesis
5- Standard quoting (double quotes) should apply to relevant voices off-screen
This is part of the the test
Hey.
Oh, great. All right, all hands on deck on this one. Blast circumference…roughly eighteen by twelve. We got three dead and several dozen injured. So, let's...let's get on it.
All right, I'll look for bomb parts.
I'll shoot the overalls.
Henry and I'll document the detonation blast area.
Okay, I'll measure, you photo...
So, uh, I know you're applying for the directorship.
Oh…
Stage doesn't get any bigger than this, Sara. You want this case? Good. It's yours. (exhales) I know this is gonna sound insensitive, but don't you think a bomber wearing a vest would've taken out way more people than this?
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How to bill? How to come up with the total $

August 18, 2016, 3:36 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How to bill? How to come up with the total $
Poster: Cristabel

Hello,
I am recently new to the subtitling industry and am informing myself on how this works. I understand the programs of Aegisub & Wincaps, but after I finish subtitling a video, how do I figure out how to bill /per minute? Is there a program/spreadsheet/method of doing this?
Since each frame is broken down to a few seconds of subtitling, I don't understand how one can figure out the minutes subtitled in order to bill the work completed?
I'm sure there's a simple way....but I thought I'd ask more experienced individuals regarding this question!!

Thank you for your time
Cristabel
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How to bill? How to come up with the total $

August 18, 2016, 6:42 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How to bill? How to come up with the total $
Poster: Kalyanasundar subramaniam

The run time of the video or movie is taken in to account (as displayed in the video) and multiplied with the rate per minute to arrive at the total amount .It is so simple

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How to bill? How to come up with the total $ | Per video minute

August 18, 2016, 9:47 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How to bill? How to come up with the total $
Poster: Paulette Romero
Post title: Per video minute

I work with an agency in Spain and I get paid per video minute. It doesn't matter if you only really subtitle 50 minutes of a 60 minute video. If the whole video is 60 minutes long then that's what you put on the bill.
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How to bill? How to come up with the total $ | ...

August 18, 2016, 11:10 pm
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How to bill? How to come up with the total $
Poster: Jan Truper
Post title: ...

Unless otherwise agreed, just take a look at how long the video file is and round up to the next full minute.
For a 47:22 min long video you charge 48 price units, regardless of the number of subtitles or translated words involved.
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How to bill? How to come up with the total $ | Overthinking

August 19, 2016, 5:54 am
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Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How to bill? How to come up with the total $
Poster: Cristabel
Post title: Overthinking

Thanks everyone! I guess I was overthinking this. Since there were several scenes that didn't need subtitling, I thought I had to figure out only the "audio" that was translated. I didn't think it was simple as Ex: 60 minute video is charged as a 60 minute video!

Thank you all!
Cristabel
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