Subtitle Editor

[ChrisM]

I'm putting the final touches on a 15m video.

I'm having some trouble understanding the functionality of the subtitle editor. I can't seem to get it to do anything beyond simply importing the subtitles to the project.

Once the subtitles are on the timeline, I can't find a way to use the subtitle editor to edit them.

I have 95 subtitles that I imported from an srt file, but once in the project, I've made a few visual tweaks and timing adjustments. I would like to be able to capture this work by exporting the project's current subtitle set to a new srt file.

Shift-selecting the contents of the title track doesn't work. Any suggestions how I should proceed?

[BrianCee]

not fully sure I understand exactly what you want to do - but the 'export subtitle' option is in the sub-title editor

You might find the information on sub-titles in the User guide starting at page 115 helpful

[ChrisM]

Hi Brian:

I would like to export my project's subtitles to a new srt file.

However, I am having trouble "finding" my subtitles with the Subtitle Editor in order to perform the export.

When I select the subtitles, and then open the Subtitle Editor, I get a dialog saying "Please select a video or audio clip from the timeline and try again."

This message still appears if I select both the subtitles AND a video or audio clip.

If I select just the video or audio clip that the subtitles were applied to, then the Subtitle Editor opens with an empty subtitle list.

I confess I'm feeling a little confounded: I have subtitles that I wish to edit, then export, and I also have a Subtitle Editor. What I can't manage to work out is how exactly I can load my subtitles back into the editor?

[ChrisM]

Actually, now that I've taken the time to post this, I've suddenly solved the problem.

Instead of using the Subtitle Editor, I went to the Title view of the Library Panel, and looked under Options-> Edit, where I found a "Save Subtitle File" icon. It allowed me to export the entire title track to a srt file.

This feature isn't in the User Guide!

[BrianCee]

I am not a user of subtitles - I don't think many users are - never really seen the need for them when I can quickly make, edit and save ordinary titles and put them at the bottom of my videos - if Videostudio was able to create videos to disc with sub-titles that you could switch on and off or select other languages with a remote when viewing then perhaps it might be worth doing it.

maybe someone who does use subtitles can give you some more assistance

[lata]

Hi ChrisM

Once you have saves the titles as a “srt” subtitle file, you can open in the Subtitle Editor
You said …..
“If I select just the video or audio clip that the subtitles were applied to, then the Subtitle Editor opens with an empty subtitle list.”

Provided you select a clip or sound file of the same length as original project, then it will display all titles.
I suspect your clip was to short?

The Subtitle Editor is not very intuitive, takes a bit of getting used to….
Saving the Titles as a SRT will place them at the bottom of the video where subtitles should be, is that what you are trying to do? It will also remove any animations you have set, use one font for all titles?
Do you wish all titles to be set in the same positions at the bottom of the video. Although you can set in other positions, but all the same position.

[ChrisM]

Hi Trevor

Thanks for your response. I've been vacationing, but now I'm back to this little video project....

I did manage to figure out how to export the subtitles to a new SRT file. However, I still haven't figured out how to use the Subtitle Editor to work with the subtitles in the project. I agree that it is un-intuitive

I also realize that I haven't been very clear about what I am doing, so here are the details that I rushed past in my earlier posts.

My project is 15 minutes long. It consists of one video clip on video track 1, 95 subtitles on title track 1, and 6 audio clips on the music track. At the moment, the voice track is empty. These 95 subtitles are simply subtitles: Narrative text, at the bottom of the screen, common font, no animations.

I had imported the subtitles from an SRT file that I created in a text editor, from the project script. Once imported, I made a large number of small changes to the subtitles- timing adjustments, text position, and some ascii errors fixes ( such as quote marks displaying as: †)

With this work done, struggled to find a way to export my changes to SRT in order to have a current, correct, version. I was stuck because I focused on trying to use the Subtitle Editor to do this. After all, it does have an 'Export subtitle file' icon near the upper right. After my initial post, I eventually looked elsewhere, and finally found a "Save Subtitle File" icon in the 'Title' Edit Option panel.

However, I'm still curious what I am doing wrong with the Subtitle Editor.

• Simply launching the Subtitle Editor, (using the icon above the timeline) results in a dialog that says: "Please select a video or audio clip from the timeline and try again."
• When I select my video track and launch the Editor, it opens empty, with no times/subtitles in the right hand table.
• Directly selecting any (or all) of the green subtitle blocks (on the title track in the timeline) before launching the Editor repeats the "Please select a video or audio clip from the timeline and try again" message.
• Shift-selecting the video track AND the subtitles also results in: "Please select a video or audio clip from the timeline and try again."
• Selecting audio clips from the music track behaves identically.
• On the chance that the Subtitle Editor requires a voice track, I created an audio file the same length as my project and inserted it into the voice track. However, this approach had the same results as the above.

So, does anyone have guidance as to how to use the Subtitle Editor to display, and edit, the subtitles on the timeline of a project? I have a feeling that I'm missing something really simple here...

[lata]

Hi

Think of the SRT file as a zipped file containing the individual titles.
We can open the SRT file using NotePad, now we see the individual titles and a time code showing their positions and duration, the font being use can also be seen, I think?

Once you open the SRT on the timeline you are viewing individual title, not the SRT.

If you edit those titles you have to save them as a new SRT before opening in the SubTitle editor.
First we have to select a clip / video the same duration as the SRT file, we can if we wished identify that duration via NotePad, last title entry, although the project duration would do, your project is 15 minutes, so you need a 15min video file to open your SRT via SubTitleEditor.

Select the 15 minute video on the timeline, open SubTitle Editor and then Import Sub Title File….

Your best option is to render your project to a single video file, then add the titles or create the titles in SubTitle Editor

[Ken Berry]

Given your more detailed explanation of exactly what you are doing, I am wondering whether you should even bother using subtitles at all. For me, subtitles are usually associated with translations of foreign languages being spoken in the main video. The sort of descriptive or narrative text you are inserting can just as easily be done simply by using simple titles (simple in terms of font, appearance, size) in the lower third of screen. That is what I do on a regular basis when wanting to describe what the video sequence immediately above that title is all about and/or when I don't use voiceovers for this. This way you can manage exact placement, duration etc much more directly.

[ChrisM]

Trevor: So I wasn't missing something obvious: Once the subtitles are imported, they cease to be subtitles and are treated as a number of *individual* titles. I'd say then, that the Subtitle Editor is a bit misnamed... it's more like a Subtitle Importer...

Ken: You are absolutely correct about my use case for subtitles. When the project is complete, the SRT will be sent for translations. I am working with subtitles pulled from the English script to generate a reasonably well-timed template. When the translated SRTs return, I hope to just drop them in.

In any event, thank you for your help. This is my first time using VideoStudio, and so far this has been one of only two things that had me stumped. (Managing overlay track resolution/scale is #2)

Chris

[lata]

Hi Chris
Using Video Studio to create SRT’s

The sub title editor will scan your video file to recognise the narrations, then set the time codes for those narrations, We then add the appropriate text effectively creating Titles.
We can save as a SRT or export directly back to Video Studio timelines where the titles/text would match the video.
And again we can create SRT’s from the timeline titles.
Fonts are the same for all text / titles, and by default titles are placed at the bottom of the video.

Existing SRT’s
If you have downloaded a video from the internet and the appropriate SRT then you do not really need to use the Sub Editor as the SRT already exists, the titles should match the video.
Although you can open the SRT within the Sub Editor provided you first select an appropriate clip having the same duration as the SRT duration

If you import a SRT to the timeline you are now viewing the individual titles which can be edited or further adjusted to match the video.

SRT’s are a good way to save multiple titles, which could be opened in any project, if that’s what you wish to do.