What can I use to extract/convert subtitles from DVD?

[Joshray]

I'm using Handbrake to encode my DVDs but there is no feature to convert subtitles to .srt format. What's the best software I can use? I've already tried Subrip and it's not doing such a great job... spacing is all messed up for ex. "This isthe subtitle and Ihate it". That happens a lot.

[videobruger]

I use SubtitleEdit

[Joshray]

Hey I've tried both SubtitleEdit and DVDSubEdit... and neither of these programs are doing a good job. The OCR is fine but the spacing is screwed up. I keep getting words conjoined together. Is there any other good subtitle converters? Or any fix for this problem?

[jman98]

It's been a while since I've done this but some program (maybe it was Subrip) let you change the spacing value between letters on the OCR and if you adjust that the OCR does a lot better job of giving you "This is the subtitle" instead of "This isthe subtitle".

[Joshray]

It's been a while since I've done this but some program (maybe it was Subrip) let you change the spacing value between letters on the OCR and if you adjust that the OCR does a lot better job of giving you "This is the subtitle" instead of "This isthe subtitle".

Thanks! It is Subrip.

[manono]

Does it have to be SRT? It doesn't accept the original DVD subtitles, either VobSubs (IDX/SUB) or SUP files, as input?

Edit: The Handbrake site tutorial says it can extract and use the VobSubs:

https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/Subtitles

Saves doing the OCR and they'll look just as they do on the DVD.

[Joshray]

Does it have to be SRT? It doesn't accept the original DVD subtitles, either VobSubs (IDX/SUB) or SUP files, as input?

Edit: The Handbrake site tutorial says it can extract and use the VobSubs:

https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/Subtitles

Saves doing the OCR and they'll look just as they do on the DVD.

No they don't. SRTs are much easier to read and doesn't have jaggy edges.

[manono]

No they don't.

No they don't what? Don't look as they do on the DVD? They're the same DVD subs. Exactly the same. Now, maybe they were no good to begin with and already had the aliasing? There are a lot of DVD subs I don't like myself, and I often redo them to make them look like I want. With the VobSubs you don't have to worry about any OCR mistakes, either. I don't use SRTs myself, but SSA subs run through MaestroSBT to make SST subs. But that's nothing Handbrake can do.

[Budman1]

Subtitle edit seems to be the best that I found but be sure to change the settings for the colors. That can make a big difference.
The normal default is usually:



But I find you get much better results, especially letters that abut with these settings but try variations:


Even the adjoining letters in "otherwise" above render as below after changing the settings.

[Joshray]

It says harm not hann. Seems to have a lot of OCR mistakes.