subtitles out of sync with video

[nickbeare]

I'm trying to add subtitles to a video project consisting of three types of clips:

 

1 a person talking to the camera, filmed in AVCHD format

 

2 a person teaching a class, filmed in VOB format

 

3 some blanks clips with text added

 

I want to add the subtitles to the clips in AVCHD format, to give a written version of what the person is saying.

 

When I start adding the subtitles to a clip, it all looks fine when I first test the sequence - but in subsequent playbacks, the subtitles appear late, and completely out of sync with what the person is saying. The time each clip starts and finishes does not correspond to the show and hide times that I've specified - they start a second or two later, with the gap getting longer and longer as the clip progresses.

 

The problem is still there in Preview and after building a movie in YouTube format.

 

Using text boxes instead of subtitles is not really an option - each subtitle is too short (just a few words of speech) to set the in and out points accurately.

 

I'm using Videopad Professional v 2.41

 

Any ideas about what I might be doing wrong, or is this perhaps some sort of software bug? Would upgrading to the latest version solve this?

[Nationalsolo]

Hi

I can't say why they are getting out of synch but perhaps it's the video format you are using. I have added English subtitles for videos I made in French but use the overlay text option for this as I find it easier.(VP2.41)

 

You don't need the in/out markers for the Overlay track option and you can add the same length of text as you would with the subtitle option.

 

Assuming you have the transcript of the speech you want to subtitle, then just mark it up in phrases as you would like it to appear (just as you would with the subtitle option) then create each phrase as a text box. You can alter the size of the text and also have multiple lines, although no more than two works best. These will appear at the cursor position so you can fix the start position for each just by previewing the clip and stopping the cursor at the correct point. If you already have the IN positions listed then you can use the values in the position box under the sequence preview pane to set the cursor prior to adding each block of text. If the one you are adding overlaps the previous box then the previous box can be shortened and so on ensuring that each block of text starts correctly and lasts as long as the speech.

 

If you don't use the cursor idea then once the box has arrived on the track simply drag it along the track to the right spot so it synchs with the sound. You can easily add one box after another and alter the duration of any that are too long or short by dragging the ends in or out. The main thing I find a bit annoying is that there is no character size option using figures, only a slider. These text "clips" stay put.

It's worth trying.

 

Nat

[nickbeare]

Thanks for the speedy and detailed reply, Nat - I'll have a go this afternoon.

 

Nick

[nickbeare]

Success at last! I'd been working in storyboard view - it's not possible to expand the timeline in that view (as far as I can see), so the text clips were tiny and it was impossible to manipulate them.

 

I tried using Timeline view and found by chance (you can tell I'm a beginner) that the timeline can be expanded hugely - so it's easy to manipulate the clips.

 

Many thanks for your help, Nat.