Converting Closed Captions to Subtitles

If you're producing streaming media with closed captions, chances are you're also producing DVDs using the same content. Obviously, once you've produced and synchronized the captions, you'd like to use the same files in your DVD productions. Once again, if you own a broadcast captioning program, start by asking your vendor if you can export DVD-compatible subtitles from their systems.

As I was working with MAGpie, this option wasn't open to me, so I started hunting around on the Web for a tool that could input closed captioned files, and output subtitle files compatible with the three authoring programs I primarily use, Adobe Encore 1.5, Apple's DVD Studio Pro 3, and Ulead's DVD Workshop 2.

My search wasn't exhaustive, but I soon found a program called Subtitle Workshop from URUSoft (www.urusoft.net/products.php?cat=sw&lang=1). The program is a free download; all the company asks is that satisfied users send donations via PayPal.

You can create subtitles in Subtitle Workshop, though it lacks features such as the ability to right- and left-justify text, and MAGpie's ability to synchronize captions to the video in real time. In terms of pure captioning usability, I preferred MAGpie. However, where MAGpie can only output in the three streaming video formats, Subtitle Workshop supports more than 50 DVD subtitle output formats and offers a wealth of import options.

I started by importing the SAMI file created by MAGpie, which formatted perfectly (Figure 11.17).

Figure 11.17. Subtitle Workshop imported the SAMI file flawlessly.

Using the output templates available in Subtitle Workshop, I then exported caption files (File > Save As) for DVD Workshop and Adobe Encore. DVD Workshop imported the file without problem, though I had to perform minor text cleanup, primarily in two-line captions, which DVD Workshop attempted to display in one line (you'll notice it truncated "been digitized" to "beedigitized" in Figure 11.18). In addition, all captions were center-justified and placed in the middle of the screen.

Figure 11.18. The subtitles imported into DVD Workshop without difficulty but required some minor text cleanup.

When I attempted to import the captions into Adobe Encore, I received the error message shown in Figure 11.19. Apparently, Encore can only import Unicode files.

Figure 11.19. Looks like Encore needs a Unicode file.

I loaded the file into Windows Notepad to see if I could spot any obvious errors, then checked Notepad's export options to see if either option recommended by the Encore error message was available. If you click File > Save As, then the Encoding drop-down list box, you'll see that UTF-8 is listed. I saved the file into UTF-8 format, and Encore loaded it without problem (Figure 11.20) and all captions displayed correctly, though they were all left-justified and placed on the left of the screen.

Figure 11.20. Mission accomplished: captions appear in Adobe Encore.

Interestingly, Encore's workflow for caption creation is comparatively weak, so budget-minded producers adding subtitles to their DVDs should consider using the MAGpie-to-Subtitle Workshop workflow.

Importing into DVD Studio Pro required a bit more trial and error, but was ultimately successful. We first tried the DVD Studio Pro output preset, which wouldn't import. This wasn't surprising given that Apple had changed the subtitle architecture in Version 3. Fortunately, the Apple manual outlines several other formats that should import, including the Spruce Technologies STL format (DVD Studio Pro is partly based on a defunct program called Spruce DVD Maestro).

We tried that format and DVD Studio Pro happily accepted it, with a couple of minor problems primarily replacing a <P> with a carriage return to produce a two-line caption. As with DVD Workshop, all captions were center-justified and placed in the bottom center of the screen.

While not totally problem-free, Subtitle Workshop certainly proved much more efficient than starting from scratch, and you have to like the price! Subtitle Workshop is not the only fish in the caption-converting sea, however. I also found a product called Lemony (www.jorgemorones.com/lemony/index.htm) that can import MAGpie files and output captions for DVD authoring in a variety of formats, and (it costs 135 from Europe).