Blinx01`s Ultimate DVD Subbing Guide

Blinx01’s Ultimate DVD Subbing Guide
Phase 1: PREPERATION
To keep things nice and organised I suggest creating a new directory with folders to keep all of the
work related to this project in one place.
I usually call the folder by whatever DVD I'm subbing. So for example, 'Lucky Star – Vol 1 (Subbing
Project)'. It would then contain the following folders;
Once you have done that you are ready to roll.
Phase 2: DEMUX DVD
Now the fun begins. We need to start by demuxing the DVD. This will seperate the video, audio
tracks and any subtitles already on the DVD into seperate files.
For this phase you will need your DVD in VIDEO_TS format and also need to download PgcDemux.
Open PgcDemux. It should look something like this;
Now we need to click the 'browse' button for 'Input IFO' and direct to and select one of the VTS files
from the DVD's VIDEO_TS folder. Then click the 'browse' button for the 'Output Folder' and direct it
to the 'DEMUXED' folder you created in phase 1.
Now you need to select the required settings. You need to make sure 'PGC' mode is selected. Then
for 'domain' you need to select 'titles'. Now you need to use the drop down box and find the PGC
that contains your main feature. It's usually the one with the longest runtime. You then need to click
'Check A/V Delay'. Make note of any delays. Once that is done make sure you have the same options
selected as I do in the image below.
Now click 'PROCESS' and let the program do its thing.
Phase 3: TIMING SUBTITLES
Now that you have demuxed your DVD you need to make sure your subtitles are in sync with the
audio. To do this we are going to need a program called Subtitle Workshop.
Once you are in the program open up your subtitle file. Now you need to select the audio file. To do
so select the 'MOVIE' option and 'OPEN'. Direct to the 'DEMUXED' folder. Now if nothing shows up it
means your ripped audio file isn't officially supported by Subtitle Workshop. You can still play it
though. You just need to manually enter the file name. Once you have done that you are ready to
time your subtitles.
Click the play button. The audio will play and the subtitles will appear at the times they have been
set to. If they aren't in time then the easiest way to do it is to listen for the first line of audio, pause it
just before and you should see a time in the right hand corner below the video box. Make note of
that time.
Now go to 'EDIT', 'TIMINGS' and select 'SET DELAY'. Now you should see a small window like this;
Now you can use the + or - sign to take away or add to the original time. Once done test the audio
with the subs again to make sure they are in sync. Keep playing around with it until you are happy.
Now save these subs in SSA (Sub Station Alpha) format. Save them in the 'SUBS' folder you created in
phase 1.
Phase 4: WORKING WITH SUBTITLES
The next phase is to use that SSA file in order to position the subs and change their font. To do this
we will use a program called MaestroSBT.
Now open the program and open your subtitle SSA file.
We will actually be creating two sub streams. One for widescreen and one letterbox (fullscreen). We
will start with the widescreen stream.
Stream 1: Widescreen
Click on rendering and select the settings you see in the image below;
Now click on 'TIMING'. You now need to enter the correct FPS options that apply to your DVD.
Next you need to select 'STYLES'. That should open up a small window in which you need to select
the 'default' style and click 'Edit'. You will be given the options to select the alignment of your text,
the colour and various other options.
Once you have selected your options click 'OK'.
Now you can select 'EDIT & PREVIEW' to see what your subtitles will look like. This is also the option
where you can position your subtitles if need be.
To position your subtitles you can either click on them and manually position them or click the 'Edit'
button where you can use the alignment tools. You can also edit text in here if you notice any
mistakes.
Once you are happy with everything you can click 'CLOSE' and then go to the ‘SET FILES’ option. This
will open a new window. Click of the ‘BROWSE’ button for ‘OUTPUT SCRIPT’ and direct it to your
‘SUBS’ folder. Now you need to create a new folder inside this directory and name it ‘WIDE’. Select
this new folder as the output folder.
Once this is done close the window and click on the ‘GENERATE’ button.
You now have a widescreen stream.
Stream 1: Letterbox (Fullscreen)
Using the same SSA file, we are going to simply edit a few of the settings to create a letterbox
stream.
Click on rendering and select the settings you see in the image below;
Now you need to edit the styles.
For this stream I suggest using keeping mostly the same settings as the widescreen stream with the
exception of reducing font size by 2. You should also reduce line spacing.
If you followed my exact sample then you should use the following settings;
Now as before you can preview the subs to make sure everything looks fine. Once you are happy
with the outcome you need to go to the ‘SET FILES’ option. You need to do as you did before except
this time create a folder called ‘LB’ inside your ‘SUBS’ folder.
Once you have done this click ‘GENERATE’.
Congratualtions, you now have widescreen and letterbox streams.
Phase 5: REMUX
Now you are ready to remux the DVD. To do so you will need a program called MuxMan.
Once the program is open you need to direct the required field to your DEMUX folder. You will need
to insert the video and audio files, which you must also select the language for.
For ‘Subpictures’, you should click the ‘...’ button and firstly direct it to your widescreen SST file.
Once this is selected you need to click the ‘WIDE’ button. You then need to select the language of
the track.
Now you need to select the number 2 button for subpictures. Now do the same as before except this
time direct it to your letterbox SST file. Now click the ‘LB’ button and select the language track.
If you have done all this correctly it should merge the two sub files into one sub stream.
The next thing to do is import the chapters which you can do by going to 'FILE', 'IMPORT' and direct
to the DEMUX folder and select the chapter txt file. The final thing to do is set the destination folder
as REMUXED.
When everything is selected it should something like the image below;
Select 'START' and let it do its thing.
Phase 6: REAUTHOR
You now need to reauthor your DVD. To do so you will need a program called VobBlanker.
When you open the program the first few things you need to do are;
1. Click the 'BROWSE' button for the 'Input Video Manager' option and direct it to the VIDEO_TS.IFO
for the original DVD.
2. Select the output folder as REAUTHORED.
Now you need to click on the first VTS.VOB in the 'TitleSet' section. This will open up options in the
PGC section. You now need to figure out which on of these is your main feature. It's usually the one
with the longest duration.
Once you find it right click on it and select 'REPLACE'. Select the replacement as the VTS from the
REMUXED folder.
Now you need to go to 'SETTINGS' then select 'MORE SETTINGS'. Now a new window should open
up. You need to find a tick the boxes for "Copy PGC Stream Control from replacing IFO" and "Copy
VTS Audio/Subs tables from replacing IFO".
Once you have done this select PROCESS.
Phase 7: SUBTITLE COLORS
If the DVD didn't have any subtitles to begin with then that means there was no CLUT info. That
basically means that the colors you set earlier will be all messed up meaning you need to go back
and edit them. To do this you will need to use a program called DVD Sub Edit.
Once you open the program go to, 'FILE' and 'OPEN FULL DOMAIN'. Go to your reauthored folder
and select the VTS_01_1 or something similar to that name. The program will then process this
action. Once it has done that it shoud look similar to the image below with your video and subtitles
being displayed.
If your subtitle colors are messed up then use the 'Subpic Color/ Transparency' section to change
them. 'b' is the outer color and 'p' is in the inner color. If you have cahnged them and want the same
color for all the subs then you need to go to 'EDIT' and select 'APPLY LAST MODIFICATION TO ALL'.
Now all the subtitles will be the same color. If you have any subpics that you want to be a different
color then just scroll through using the < and > symbols and change the colors manually.
Once you are happy with the state of your subs then go to 'FILE' and select 'SAVE ALL
MODIFICATIONS'.
Your DVD is now complete.
Phase 8: REBUILD
This last step is optional but most people prefer ISO's here so this will instruct you of how to build
the REAUTHORED folder into an ISO file.
You will need a program called IMGBURN.
Open the program and go to 'MODE' and select 'BUILD'. It should now look like this;
Now select the folder icon and direct it to your REAUTHORED folder. Now select the output and
name the ISO. Then click the build icon, which is the huge folder to ISO image. It will now process
your request and once finished you will end up with your ISO file.
You are now finished and have your ISO ready to upload here.
Remember, this guide is simply the basics of DVD subbing. There are more advanced methods that I
left out of this guide as they are either not vital or would over complicate things.
Anyway, I hope this guide is of some help to you and all the best for your DVD subbing adventures.
Blinx01