[iPsyotix™]

How to Sync Subtitles

As DVDs have come to dominate home video, it has been accompanied by the availability of subtitles for pretty much any movie in just about any language imaginable. But what do you do when the subtitles you have come from a different source than the video? Maybe your have two different DVDs with the same movie; one with high quality widescreen video and the other with the subtitles you need. Maybe you had to buy a PAL DVD to get the subtitles to add to your NTSC movie.

Whatever the reason, you may need to modify a subtitle file so it syncs up with your movie. We'll be looking at three basic situations. The first will be conversion from NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC. The second will be removing the first few seconds (or more) and the final one will be delaying the beginning of the subtitles. If you need to do more than one of these operations on your subtitles it's best to stick to this order. For example, if you need to convert from NTSC to PAL and also



Required Software



VobSub
VobSub is an extensive collection of tools for ripping, editing, converting, and playing subtitles.

Subtitle Format:
In order to use this guide you'll need to have your subtitles in VobSub's native format. This means an IDX file and a SUB file. If your subtitles are in either SubRip (SRT) or SubStation Alpha (SSA) format you'll need to convert them first. Consult the table below to find instructions for the necessary conversion. For SSA subtitles you'll actually need to convert twice; once to get them into SRT format, which can then be converted to IDX and SUB format. The conversion is lossless since it amounts to just 'taking a picture' of the text.

SSA (SubStation Alpha)Convert SSA to SRT using VobSub

Convert SRT to VobSub using Txt2VobSub

If you prefer (or require) a different format VobSub is capable of converting to many different formats. Just keep in mind that since VobSub uses an image (graphics) based format rather than simple text you may have to correct some of the subtitles after converting back.

Converting between PAL and NTSC:
Converting between PAL and NTSC sources can be incredibly complicated when it comes to video and audio. In many cases it's accomplished by either speeding up (NTSC to PAL) or slowing down (PAL to NTSC) the video and audio. Obviously the subtitles need to be sped up or slowed down to match. Fortunately this is actually quite easy using VobSub. As with all the instructions in this guide you'll need to make sure your subtitles are in IDX and SUB (VobSub) format.



Start VobSub
For converting between NTSC and PAL you'll need to select VobSub Cutter from the Start menu.









Open Subtitle File
Use the Open button to select your file.






Set Source and Destination Framerates
Once your subtitle file is loaded you need to set both the original and framerate and the one you're converting to. First check the Modify FPS box, then select your framerates. For NTSC the framerate can be either 23.976 or 29.97. For PAL it will always be 25.






Save New Subtitle Files
Once you have the framerates selected you can create your new subtitle files. Use the Save As button to select the destination folder and name the output files. It generally only takes a few seconds to create the new subtitle files.

Cropping the Beginning and End
You may have a video file that you've edited to remove the beginning or end (or both). You'll also need to cut your subtitles to match. Fortunately it's both quick and easy to do with VobSub.




Start VobSub
Not surprisingly, removing the beginning or end requires selecting VobSub Cutter from the Start menu.









Open Subtitle File
Use the Open button to select your file.





Adjust Start/End Times
Once your subtitles are loaded you'll see the beginning and ending timecodes displayed. This will normally be all 0's for the start timecode, but may occasionally be higher. To remove subtitles from the beginning add the amount of time you want to remove to what's already displayed. For example, to remove the first 2 seconds you would change it from 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 to 0 : 0 : 2 : 0. In most cases you'll also want to make sure the box next to Modify timestamps to count from "Start" is checked.

If you want to trim from the end, subtract the time you want to remove from the end timecode.






Save New Subtitle Files
Once you have the framerates selected you can create your new subtitle files. Use the Save As button to select the destination folder and name the output files. It generally only takes a few seconds to create the new subtitle files.



Adding Delay to Subtitles
Sometimes your subtitles display up to a second or two before they should. If every subtitle is ahead of the movie by a fixed amount it's very easy to fix with VobSub.




Start VobSub
Unlike the previous two operations this one uses VobSub's main interface. Select VobSub Configure from the Start menu.








Adjust Delay
The number listed for Time offset (ms) is normally set to 0 by default. If you need to delay the subtitles simply change this number. Increasing it will cause the subtitles to display later. Decreasing it will make the subtitles display sooner. When you click the OK button the delay will be saved.