Subtitles

[madbunny]

I have yet to figure out how to use it and i've had it for a lil while. It's not lazyness on my part, it's not knowing.

If you had posted in the software help sections, they'd have linked you to the "how to remove subtitles" guide in the 'How-to Guides' section of the site (lower left of the Member Main page).

Simple answer - open the clip in Vdub, select 'filters' and 'null transform' and click 'cropping' and raise it up to cover the subs (using a multiple of 8). Choose 'huffyuv' as the compression, make sure 'full processing' is selected, and save the file.

Some US dvds were only released with static subtitles, Kizuna for example, or the song-scenes in Earthian. Knowing how to crop subs should be right up there with knowing how to rip dvds. Luckily we have guides on how to do both.

This works well. It's easy. I have my students do it AFTER they've finished rendering out their project in huffy, then they also chop off any software logos.. divx, picvideo etc.

As for the original question: Subtitles are bad unless they are part of the video. For example: in Vicbonds Die Another Day video.. there is a dialog segment. Otherwise.. choppy choppy.

[Green²]

Unless they're relevant to the video's message/experience (and aren't distracting, which almost always are unfortunately), take em out.

Problem being that because subtitle usage appears to be overused today, even if the subtitles are relevant to the AMV, you'll still get comments about them, without the thought that those subtitles may have been relevant. Kind of like a involuntary reaction as an result of having to put up with too many AMVs where subtitle usage was not necessary.

Thus in most cases with subtitles, individual results may vary.

[JaddziaDax]

i got a comment about subtitles on a video that doesnt even have subtitles

O.O

[Lexi R.]

Personally, I think it depends. Subtitles are only good if you PLAN for them to be there. I watched many videos were without the subtitles the song and the whole video just wouldn't give off the same effect. The subtitles were meant for the story-telling. ^^

However, when the subtitles are unreasonably there, and hold no meaning what so ever, I suggest to take them off...

[Jayn_Newell]

I was pointed once at one video where the editor couldn't avoid the subtitles in a couple short clips, short of photoshopping them out--I can't remember the show, but the episode in question was about the power of words, and the subtitles were a part of the image itself. (I personally don't like the idea of cropping unless you have a lot of subs to remove--you lose part of the image as well, and unless you want the distraction of differing aspect ratios I'd hate to crop an entire AMV just for a couple lines).

There are of course times when the subtitles are appropriate and leaving them in is fine--on the other hand I was way too lazy on my first two videos to remove them, so I'm certainly a culprit myself (Never again though, if I can help it) If there's only one or two I wouldn't complain too much--but numerous ones are quite distracting, and can detract from the message you're trying to convey (one I didn't notice myself until after I finished the video--my Trigun AMV has the sub reading "She was such a cutie..." or something to that effect. I don't think there's a less appropriate line I could've had there.)

[Arigatomina]

I personally don't like the idea of cropping unless you have a lot of subs to remove--you lose part of the image as well, and unless you want the distraction of differing aspect ratios I'd hate to crop an entire AMV just for a couple lines.

I wouldn't recommend cropping an entire video, but then, I think people should expect to do a lot of preprocessing if they're going to use subtitled footage. Crop the clips where you can't edit around the subtitles and resize them to match the rest of the footage. If you select clips around the subtitles, those few cropped+resized clips shouldn't be stretched enough to be noticeable. Even if they do look a little stretched, you still won't have different aspect ratios. Either resize them to match before you edit or use an editing program that automatically resizes all clips to a standard size (wmm does this by default, for example).

There shouldn't be any issue of different aspect ratios in an amv unless you're using multiple sources with some at widescreen, others at full, and you decide not to make them match.

I definitely agree about losing footage, though. The only way around that is to redraw the scenes and cover up the subtitles yourself. Tedious, but not at all impossible. It's one reason I avoid static subtitled dvds. They suck for amv purposes.

[Willen]

I definitely agree about losing footage, though. The only way around that is to redraw the scenes and cover up the subtitles yourself. Tedious, but not at all impossible. It's one reason I avoid static subtitled dvds. They suck for amv purposes.

Why, oh why do the (earlier) Utena DVDs have hard subs on the fight scenes? I need clean Utena fight scenes! Central Park Media...

[Knowname]

I have my students do it AFTER they've finished rendering out their project in huffy, then they also chop off any software logos.. divx, picvideo etc.

the problem here is when/ if you mask etc. things can get tricky, so you MUST think ahead. even a simple zoom out can prove fatal!

[AquaSky]

Why, oh why do the (earlier) Utena DVDs have hard subs on the fight scenes? I need clean Utena fight scenes! Central Park Media...

I hear you on that one. They definitely need a remaster of those first DVDs so we can get some usable fight scenes.

Anyhow, I've seen people claim they only leave subs in when it "adds to the video". And to be blunt, it doesn't work, and kills the flow and impact of the vid. If your video can't present its story without needing subtitles, you haven't done enough in the way of storyboarding. Actions speak louder than words, even in the world of editing.