Combining two SRT files?

[bizzybody]

I demuxed a batch of .ogm files and many have two .srt files. One is short with few lines, looks like some notes, the other has the full intro and dialog. The first timecode and title line is the same in both files.

How can I combine the two? Any lines that have the same timecode in both files, I'd want to stack the lines unless they're identical then just use one of them.

[handyguy]

Not sure, but Subtitle Workshop is free & has a JOIN function you can try it.

[bizzybody]

I've found quite a few threads on joining videos and subtitles end-to-end, but nothing on merging two subtitles 'in parallel'.

Since the smaller SRT files don't have much in them, I could probably use Subtitle Workshop to put those lines in at the top of the video.

[AlanHK]

Since the smaller SRT files don't have much in them, I could probably use Subtitle Workshop to put those lines in at the top of the video.

In a text editor, paste the lines from the short file into the larger one, at the beginning.
Then open in Subtitle Workshop: "Edit/Subtitle/Sort", it will put them in the correct sequence.

Also worth doing "Tools/Information and errors", which will tell you if there are any problems, particularly overlapping subtitles. You may then combine or adjust their times.

[bizzybody]

Sounds nifty. I was thinking of hardsubbing the main titles with AVI ReComp then converting the extra titles to ssa or ass format then running them through AVI ReComp again and putting them at the top.

Looks like I'll have to go back to an older version because I don't find anything about information and errors in Subtitle Workshop 4, though it does have the sort function. (Shouldn't warning about overlaps be part of sorting?)

[AlanHK]

Looks like I'll have to go back to an older version because I don't find anything about information and errors in Subtitle Workshop 4, though it does have the sort function. (Shouldn't warning about overlaps be part of sorting?)

Yes, I'm using the old 2.51 version.

The newer version was in beta for a long time and lacking some features of the old one, so I held off upgrading. I haven't looked at it recently though.

It has a seemingly random menu system. I can never remember where functions are after not using it for a few weeks. But the help file is comprehensive, just search in that and you'll see what functions it has.

[bizzybody]

This is useful information to know. Thanks.

I did one and found that most of the lines in the small file were duplicates of lines in the large file or combined two or more lines into one or were small variations.

So I'll just use the larger srt files on their own. Got the videos resizing in Tsunami right now- without the subtitle files because even after running them through SubResync Tsunami still can't get them correct for 23.976 framerate. AVI ReComp does a better looking job that's easier to read at 320x240.