Combine two SUP subtitles end to end

[Zestanor]

So, recently I purchased two DVDs: one was the American release of the 2 DBZ TV specials. Other than the English track, it includes the Japanese audio track along with accurate subtitles, and each special gets its own disc (there are two discs). For whatever reason, the footage is cropped from 4:3 to 16:9. The second purchase was the Japanese release of these two specials. On the Japanese release, which has stellar video quality and is 4:3, there is only one disc. And obviously, there are no English subtitles. (I'm interested in watching the Japanese version with translation subs.) This is what I've done so far: I've ripped the Japanese DVD to my hard drive with DVDDecrypter. I've ripped two subtitle (SUP) files from the American discs (one subtitle file per disc) with PGCDemux. I plan on using SubtitleCreator to put all this together and then alter some of the flags and commands in PGCedit. Here's to problem: I have 2 SUP files, and 1 video title set. For whatever reason, SubtitleCreator can only take one SUP at a time, so the VIDEO_TS it outputs only holds the subtitles for one of the TV specials. (I've tried adding the second SUP as a secondary subtitle track... long story short it doesn't do any good.) So recently I've searched low and high, high and low on the internet for some program that will allow me to combine my two SUP files end-to-end as if the two specials were one movie. And I can't find one. I know one option is to convert my subs to text subs, merge them, then convert back to bitmap subs... But I'm not going there. There should be a way to put together two SUP files!

Also, FFmpeg doesn't recognize SUP subtitles, and Subtitle Workshop can't do what I want. Supviewer doesn't help either.

[manono]

After reading this I agreed that there must be a way to do it. I thought that maybe SupViewer might be able to, but it only has the ability to merge 2 SUP files to be shown at the same time so you can read subs from two languages at the same time, but nothing to join two SUP files to be viewed consecutively. As you already discovered.

However, VobSub does have a little VobSub Joiner utility included with it. Convert your SUP files to VobSubs with SubtitleCreator. Join them with the joiner, and then convert them back to SUP. And hope you don't get those little lines under some of the letters. Here's a guide:

http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/how_to_join_subtitles.cfm

I know one option is to convert my subs to text subs, merge them, then convert back to bitmap subs... But I'm not going there.

Why not? Actually, that's probably the way I'd do it as I like to make my own subs, with my own fonts, sizes and the like.

[Zestanor]

I mean I suppose I could, but this has already turned out to be much more complicated than I'd hoped. I may try this eventually, if the Vobsub method doesn't work. Out of curiosity I've actually used the OCR on some of these subtitle programs, but they have trouble with italics and multiple lines...

Anyway, thanks for the link, I'll try it.

[skaleton]

I'd like to ask manono a question that is off-topic. I hope it's okay.

I like to make my own subs, with my own fonts, sizes and the like.

I am curious to know what fonts, sizes and pixel colors an expert like you uses.
I have started to use Franklin condensed recently.
It's okay but I think I can find better so your advice would be welcome.

[manono]

I'd like to ask manono a question that is off-topic. I hope it's okay.

I like to make my own subs, with my own fonts, sizes and the like.

I am curious to know what fonts, sizes and pixel colors an expert like you uses.
I have started to use Franklin condensed recently.
It's okay but I think I can find better so your advice would be welcome.

I don't pretend to be an expert on such things and just make stuff that pleases me. I use MaestroSBT to make aliased subs and choose the Tahoma font, light grey/dark grey/black as colors, and the usual size for the 4:3 material I make mostly is 23 (I think) and 22 for 16:9 stuff.

Different people prefer to use different fonts and some have better reasons than "I just like the way they look".

[skaleton]

Well, to me you are THE expert and over the years any piece of advice from you has always been most useful.
Thank you for sharing the information. I will definitely try it next time I have the opportunity.