Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Can DCP-o-Matic add subtitles from a .srt file?

This is topic Can DCP-o-Matic add subtitles from a .srt file? in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-12-2016, 05:36 AM:

And if so, how?

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 07-12-2016, 05:49 AM:

http://dcpomatic.com/manual/html/ch06s06.html

- Carsten

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-14-2016, 02:49 PM:

That doesn't look like my Subtitle tab. I'm running 1.82.0, do I need a later version?

'Use Subtitles' is there, but is always greyed out. How do I specify the file containing the subtitles? There is nowhere on the subtitles tab to do it, and if I try to add it in the same way as a video file, nothing happens.

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-14-2016, 03:44 PM:

Yes, you need to be on 2.x, I would suggest the latest version 2.9.0.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-14-2016, 05:47 PM:

Thank you Carl. I have downloaded version 2.9.0 for Mac OSX; I am running Yosemite 10.10.5. Subtitles work but I am having a problem with audio The test material I am using has simple 2 channel audio. Under the DCP tab I go to Audio, set 2 channels and no processor. Show audio brings up what I would expect to see, with the audio peaking too high. if I then go to the Content tab, and then Audio the audio map shows L and R channels in the DCP, but no channels in the content, and all of the other audio options greyed out. No problems with audio in the old version; am I doing something wrong? I've had a look in the manual, but can't see anything. Thanks for any help you can give.

Posted by Carl Hetherington (Member # 7107) on 07-14-2016, 05:57 PM:

What do you have selected in the content list at this point? You need to select the content file which contains audio to adjust its audio settings. Perhaps you could show a screenshot of DCP-o-matic when you see the problem?

Thanks, Carl

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 07-14-2016, 06:21 PM:

Stephen, you probably left the subtitle file selected when you went to the audio tab. As Carl writes, select the video/audio file in the content list, then you should see the audio matrix populated and audio options enabled. Every content will have it's dedicated options enabled.

You should probably adjust the audio by -8 to -15dB, aiming at around -20dB with the RMS line.

- Carsten

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-15-2016, 12:25 PM:

Yes, that was the problem. Of course, I added the subtitle file after the video one, so that is what was selected.

I normally have to take the audio down by up to about -5 dB, but this one needed about -7.

It's difficult to judge the subtitles, particularly the size and weight of the font, in the small preview window on the laptop. I've made a DCP of a ten minute section from the film; I'll take that in tomorrow to see how it looks on the screen.

Thanks for the help.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 07-15-2016, 04:24 PM:

A simple tip - you can actually create a subtitle test very quickly by adding a subtitle file to a new, otherwise 'empty' project.
DCP-o-matic will create the subtitles over a black screen and silent audio within a breeze, as practically no picture has to be encoded. Limit this to 1-2min run time, and you are done within a few seconds. Create two or three DCPs with different font sizes (or repeat your subtitle file n times and adjust font size between them). Very easy, very fast. The DCP will be very small and fit on any USB memory stick.
Create one in scope, one in flat, both Interop and SMPTE, and you have some very small Test-DCPs for subtitle and subtitle position/cropping tests.

SRT files can also be very easily set up with any text editor from scratch. The easiest way to play around with DCI subtitles. And you have instant preview in DCP-o-matic.
--- snip ---
1
00:00:00,000 ---> 00:00:05,000
First title during the first 5 seconds

2
00:00:06,000 ---> 00:00:12,000
Second title during 6s through 12s

3
00:00:15,000 ---> 00:00:20,000
This the first line
This is the second line

<...>
--- snip ---

- Carsten

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-15-2016, 08:02 PM:

Yes, I've had to edit the subtitle file to correct spelling mistakes and incorrect timing, or to split long lines which can be difficult to read.

It seems to be almost essential to use a black outline to the text, so it can be read against a light or dark background, but this does not display well in the small dcp-o- matic preview window on a 13" laptop, where the white centre to the characters almost disappears in places. The cinema is not normally open on Saturdays, but is today for a special festival screening, so I'll get there early and put my ten minute test up on screen to see how it looks.