<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Subtitling > Working with Subtitles in Brief

Adding Subtitles

There are several ways to insert subtitles to a project.

First, you can always use Insert After/Before commands from the Subtitle drop-down menu.

Typing text in EZTitles

Text in EZTitles is typed the same way as in a normal word-processing program. Two fonts can be used in EZTitles – Font 1 and Font 2. They are selected by or toolbar buttons. The default font is set with the File/Project Settings/Subtitles.

Switching between input languages works the same way as in other Windows programs. The currently selected input language is displayed on the Status Bar.

When you type text in the current line and it becomes too long (the safe area, or the number of characters per line - see Safe Area), the last word is automatically moved to the next line. During this operation the preceding lines go upwards if necessary. If you want to start typing a new line before the text has reached the end of the line, you can use Enter.

During the typing process the program does an automatic spell check of the text and the possible errors are underlined (only if the option has been turned on from the Tools/Proofing/Spelling Options menu).

Entering and Editing Timecode

The subtitle timecode is most often entered using the keyboard shortcuts. In that case, the current video frame's timecode is assigned as either the in-cue or the out-cue of the subtitle.

It is also possible to directly type the in-cue and out-cue values in their edit fields, but that method is rarely convenient.

Note: To be able to use all keyboard shortcuts make sure that the Num Lock on your keyboard is off.

Locate the frame where you want to place the in-cue of the subtitle. Set the in-cue by pressing the Enter key on the Numeric keyboard. Now locate the frame where the subtitle should hide. Freeze it and set the out-cue for the subtitle by pressing the Ins key on the Numeric keyboard.

Another approach is to capture in- and out-cues of your subtitles on the file, while video is playing in Preview Mode (see Preview Mode). In Preview Mode while playing the video file at normal speed press and hold down Space to set the in-cue for the current subtitle. To set the out-cue for the same subtitle release the Space bar.

More information about entering and editing timecode is available in Timecode Editing.

Global Subtitle and Timecode Operations

Editing subtitles often includes adjustment of the timecode or other attributes, which can be applied to a whole series of subtitles or to all subtitles (excluding the zero subtitle). The corresponding commands are grouped in the Titles menu. These are: Format, Delete, Renumber, Recut, Sort, Fix Subtitles, etc. and are thoroughly described in Global Subtitle & Timecode Operations.

Comments

You can type notes related to the current subtitle directly in the Comments field. F11 will automatically direct you to the comments box. When you are done you simply press F12 and you will be right back at the editor.

Spell Check

Spell checking in EZTitles is works in the background as you type, as long as the respective option is activated in Tools/Proofing/Spell Check. Spelling mistakes are underlined in red. Right-click on the underlined word and you will see a list of suggestions to correct it. Please be aware that it is required to have Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or Libre Office installed on the machine.

Spell checking can also be done manually by selecting Tools/Spell check..., clicking on the toolbar icon or by pressing F7. Spell checking is thoroughly described in Spell Check.

Undo and Redo

If you’ve given the wrong command and you want to reverse the changes, use the Undo (Ctrl + Z) command from the Edit menu, the reverse command Redo (Ctrl + Y) command can also be invoked from the Edit drop-down menu.

To undo all changes made to a subtitle you can also use Group Undo (Ctrl + Alt + Z).

Edit Mode

As the name suggests this mode is designed for editing subtitles. The greater portion of work is done in Edit Mode. In that mode the text and timecode are edited, subtitles are added, deleted or formatted, etc.

Preview Mode

In Preview Mode when the video is played the subtitles are shown and hidden from the screen as the viewer would see them. This mode is most often used for capturing and editing the timecodes and preview of the subtitles. When the video is played most of the commands are disabled by default and you can only capture in- and out-cues or overwrite existing ones using the timecode override feature (Ctrl key). For more details see Preview Mode.

Preview Subtitles Only

The Preview Subtitles Only option allows you to skip the parts of the video with no subtitles or conversation during the playback in Preview mode. The idea behind this feature is to reduce the time needed for the final review of the subtitles.