Easiest Way to Add Optional Subtitles to FCP X DVD Project from Scratch?

Hey there guys,
I hope that this post finds you all having a wonderful day.

We have a project which requires some subtitles:

1. These subtitles need to be optional (i.e. not burnt-on, but something which can be selected as desired on a DVD).
2. We have no pre-existing .srt file – these subtitles are going to be created from scratch.

Accordingly, we have the following questions:

A. Is there a plug-in which allows the creation of this type of subtitle within FCPX? We have had a look at TKY Subtitle Banner ( www.fcp.co/forum/9-free-fcpx-plugins-and...-tky-subtitle-banner ) but we have no idea whether this is suitable for creating subtitles which can be switched on and off in a project for DVD.

B. Is there an Apple or third-party app that you would recommend which permits the easy creation and placement of subtitles with minimal technical knowledge? SUGARfx ( sugarfx.tv/info/subtitles_SUGARfx.html ) seems to be quite good but the subtitles do not seem to be optional.

We are running FCP X 10.0.9 and OS X 10.8.5.

We would be grateful for any guidance.

Thank you so much for reading this post!

Your problem finally is NOT a FCPX issue. You don't need FCPx for that.

It's a job for 3rd party tools.

You need a DVD authoring/creation tool which supports optional subtitles.
All of these require more or less different subtitle formats.

The required kind of subtitle formats can be created by different tools. You need a finished movie to work with these tools. Some formats like .srt a plain text, you can create them manually if you want.

In case you want to prepare subtitles in FCPX you can use any Title Template.
The TKY one is a nice option (visually). SugarFX will be useless here and is wasted money. It only makes sense for finished movies with burnt in subtitles and very hard to handle when it comes to a point where you have to make changes.
The good option with FCPX is that you can start subtitling without having a finished movie.
But the end of the process you still need the above mentioned 3rd party tools.
One tools to convert a FCPX XML to file format x for DVD tool y and the DVD tool y.

Andreas Kiel wrote: Your problem finally is NOT a FCPX issue. You don't need FCPx for that.

It's a job for 3rd party tools.

You need a DVD authoring/creation tool which supports optional subtitles.
All of these require more or less different subtitle formats.

The required kind of subtitle formats can be created by different tools. You need a finished movie to work with these tools. Some formats like .srt a plain text, you can create them manually if you want.

In case you want to prepare subtitles in FCPX you can use any Title Template.
The TKY one is a nice option (visually). SugarFX will be useless here and is wasted money. It only makes sense for finished movies with burnt in subtitles and very hard to handle when it comes to a point where you have to make changes.
The good option with FCPX is that you can start subtitling without having a finished movie.
But the end of the process you still need the above mentioned 3rd party tools.
One tools to convert a FCPX XML to file format x for DVD tool y and the DVD tool y.

Thank you so much for your kind explanation!

Does iDVD permit the creation of subtitles from scratch? We do not have an SRT file.

And on this topic, can anyone recommend a good, simple-to-use SRT editor?

The following features would be great:

1. Adjust font and size of subtitles;
2. Adjust positioning;
3. Ease of use.

As far as I remember iDVD doesn't support subtitles.

SRT is an obsolete format. In it's basic version it only supports a choice of plain, italic, bold and underline text styles.
Other enhancements are flavours which are not necessarily supported by players.

So there is no real SRT editor.

Andreas Kiel wrote: As far as I remember iDVD doesn't support subtitles.

SRT is an obsolete format. In it's basic version it only supports a choice of plain, italic, bold and underline text styles.
Other enhancements are flavours which are not necessarily supported by players.

So there is no real SRT editor.

Thank you very much for your kind explanation, which is sincerely appreciated.

Is there any DVD authoring app that you would recommend? From our own research, Wondershare's Video Convertor Ultimate for Mac looks very good, but we have no experience at all of this package.

videoconverter.wondershare.com/video-con...er-ultimate-mac.html

I found a dvd software that can add SRT subtitles and watermarks, however the menu creation has to my taste horrible backgrounds that can not be changed... I've just contacted them to ask for modification of the menu creation graphics or the possibility to customize these elements. If you don't need a menu the software permits that and it is still possible to add subtitles and create either NTSC or PAL dvd.

On the App store : "ifunia dvdcreator"

This app (wondershare) doesn't look like an option to me.
I only used DVDSP and sometimes Encore.

I googled a bit and found iskysoft.com - but I don't know whether they support menu creation etc.

Andreas Kiel wrote: This app (wondershare) doesn't look like an option to me.
I only used DVDSP and sometimes Encore.

I googled a bit and found iskysoft.com - but I don't know whether they support menu creation etc.

What was it that you didn't like about Wondershare? We were not entirely convinced by the documentation, but is it functionally okay?

Re: DVD Studio Pro, do you happen to know where we can purchase this programme? It is not on Amazon in the UK.

AlexMaxim wrote: Re: DVD Studio Pro, do you happen to know where we can purchase this programme? It is not on Amazon in the UK.

I don't think you can buy DVDStudioPro (included in Final Cut Studio 3) any more, unfortunately. You can check eBay for used copies, though.

You don't happen to have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, do you? You could use Encore if so.

smg669 wrote: You can check eBay for used copies, though. n.sburlati@gmail.com

I just checked there are several on ebay.co.uk

EDIT: Double-post.

smg669 wrote:

AlexMaxim wrote: Re: DVD Studio Pro, do you happen to know where we can purchase this programme? It is not on Amazon in the UK.

I don't think you can buy DVDStudioPro (included in Final Cut Studio 3) any more, unfortunately. You can check eBay for used copies, though.

You don't happen to have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, do you? You could use Encore if so.

Regrettably, we do not have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Is Encore user-friendly? If so, we could consider this as an option. Many thanks for the suggestion.

Andreas Kiel wrote:

smg669 wrote: You can check eBay for used copies, though. n.sburlati@gmail.com

I just checked there are several on ebay.co.uk

Many thanks for this suggestion! We will check this out and see what the prices are like.

look here link

Just to clarify the great points already made; DVD Studio Pro and Encore are excellentt for authoring DVDs, but are not at all tools for subtitle creation. In DVDSP your subtitle input should be a Spruce STL file (not EBU STL, that is a completely different format). The Spruce STL format is a text-based format that lets you set font, colors, formatting etc very easily.

For the creation of the subtitles I highly recommend hiring a subtitling professional. Doing it in an NLE is incredibly time consuming and will most likely not turn out that great. There are tons of standard practices regarding editing, reading speed, placement etc that basically only a subtitler can keep track of and adhere to.

Finally, although DVD authoring isn't all that tricky, it might be more of a hassle than it's worth to buy the software and teach yourself, if it's only for a single project. Get a quote for the authoring from someone experienced before deciding on whether to do it all yourself.

Joen,

Good points which have to be mentioned in this context!.

To convert SRT to STL used in DVDSP is easy - there is lot of free software.
To convert to Encore Text is a bit more complicated but doable.

Another option is to use SCC with DVDSP, I'm not sure you can use that with Encore.
For DVDSP you additionally can use rendered subtitles (with STL)

A good free option for both apps is Belle Nuit subtitler.

fb_527411383 wrote: Just to clarify the great points already made; DVD Studio Pro and Encore are excellentt for authoring DVDs, but are not at all tools for subtitle creation.

While they may not be the BEST tools for subtitle creation - especially if you're doing a large volume of subtitles - both most certainly ARE tools for subtitle creation. Each app offers the ability to create and type (or cut and paste) subtitle text directly in their respective interfaces.

smg669 wrote: While they may not be the BEST tools for subtitle creation - especially if you're doing a large volume of subtitles - both most certainly ARE tools for subtitle creation. Each app offers the ability to create and type (or cut and paste) subtitle text directly in their respective interfaces.

I don't know anybody who created the subs in DVDSP more than one (a first ) time . Same with Encore.

smg669, you do have a point. If only a small number of subtitles are needed then it is quite possible to do it directly in the authoring app. Anything more and you're way better off using something else. Or, preferably, hiring someone.

I would second Andreas' tip on checking out Belle Nuit, it will be able to convert between most subtitle formats, including into Spruce STL. It is also possible to create subtitles in Belle Nuit , but it is quite cumbersome if I remember correctly.