Using Ffmpeg to hard code subtitles

[wotdefcuk]

I am using the command line below to convert ass subtitles into hard coded subtitles.

ffmpeg -i "D:\pending\input.VOB" -vf "ass='D:\pending\input.ass'" -c:v mpeg2video -pix_fmt yuv420p -preset slow
 -r 29.97 -s 720x480 -b:v 4000k -threads 1 -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -ar 44100 -b:a 192k -f vob out.mpg

I got this result

ffmpeg version N-50442-g4f0d4ac Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Mar  2 2013 15:25:54 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enabl
e-gnutls --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libcaca --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libilbc --enable-libmp3lame --enable-l
ibopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libsoxr --en
able-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-li
bx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
  libavutil      52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
  libavcodec     54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
  libavformat    54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
  libavdevice    54.  3.103 / 54.  3.103
  libavfilter     3. 41.100 /  3. 41.100
  libswscale      2.  2.100 /  2.  2.100
  libswresample   0. 17.102 /  0. 17.102
  libpostproc    52.  2.100 / 52.  2.100
[mpeg @ 023a8a40] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000 microseconds
Input #0, mpeg, from 'D:\pending\input.VOB':
  Duration: 00:16:01.31, start: 0.060000, bitrate: 5773 kb/s
    Stream #0:0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p, 720x480 [SAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tbc
    Stream #0:1[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s
No option name near '\pending\input.ass'
[AVFilterGraph @ 031b4c60] Error initializing filter 'ass' with args 'D:\pending\input.ass'
Error opening filters!

It seems that the ass video filter does not file full path. I did try it by copying the file in the folder where I was running this application from and it works. Does anyone know how to make this work?

[Baldrick]

Maybe try with double backslashes like D:\\pending\\input.ass

[wotdefcuk]

ffmpeg -i "D:\pending\input.VOB" -vf "ass=D:\\pending\\input.ass" -c:v mpeg2video -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 29.97 -s
 720x480 -b:v 4000k -threads 1 -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -ar 44100 -b:a 192k -f vob out.mpg
ffmpeg version N-61570-gaa86ccc Copyright (c) 2000-2014 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Mar 17 2014 22:01:34 with gcc 4.8.2 (GCC)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enabl
e-gnutls --enable-iconv --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libcaca --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libilbc --enable-libmod
plug --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librtmp --enable-li
bschroedinger --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-
amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib

  libavutil      52. 67.100 / 52. 67.100
  libavcodec     55. 52.102 / 55. 52.102
  libavformat    55. 34.101 / 55. 34.101
  libavdevice    55. 11.100 / 55. 11.100
  libavfilter     4.  3.100 /  4.  3.100
  libswscale      2.  5.101 /  2.  5.101
  libswresample   0. 18.100 /  0. 18.100
  libpostproc    52.  3.100 / 52.  3.100
Input #0, mpeg, from 'D:\\pending\input.VOB':
  Duration: 00:16:01.31, start: 0.060000, bitrate: 5773 kb/s
    Stream #0:0[0x1bf]: Data: dvd_nav_packet
    Stream #0:1[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p(tv), 720x480 [SAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], max. 7000 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tb
c
    Stream #0:2[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s
File 'out.mpg' already exists. Overwrite ? [y/N] y
[ass @ 02bad1a0] Unable to parse option value "pendinginput.ass" as image size
    Last message repeated 1 times
[ass @ 02bad1a0] Error setting option original_size to value pendinginput.ass.
[Parsed_ass_0 @ 03d19700] Error applying options to the filter.
[AVFilterGraph @ 03d1ac80] Error initializing filter 'ass' with args 'D:\pending\input.ass'
Error opening filters!

Still same problem

[Chris K]

In video filter chains you have to escape the colon in file paths because it there is used as a argument separator.

You can use this...

-vf "ass=D\:/pending/input.ass"

[Budman1]

Just had same problem... The "ass=" entry only takes certain '/' not the '\' and doesn't need the base reference c:\ so you would enter:
-vf "ass=../../../../../../pending/input.ass'" (Notice the slashes are ALL changed to '/')

The ../ is an old Dos designation to go up a directory so enter enough to get back to the c:\ folder, extras don't matter.

Further complicating FFMpeg subtitles is the fact that any compiled version much past 2013-01-10 doesn't work on this format and needs a new format found at
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FFMPEG_An_Intermediate_Guide/subtitle_options and I cannot get this to work EVER, any way.

My suggestion is download the 2013-01-10 version of FFMpeg and use your format with the slashes changed and no base directory. Unfortunately you are trying to go to the D:\ drive and I don't think that will work.

Here is actual test entry:


Here is the CLI running:


And here is the result:

[wotdefcuk]

"D\:\\pending\\input.ass" works.
Thanks everyone.

[Budman1]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Baldrick for the valuable information and Thank You wotdefcuk for providing the feedback. I can now make my program reference external drives! Woot!

An extra note... my system needs the extra single quotes also but it works great now as below.
-vf "ass='D\:\\pending\\input.ass'"

[wotdefcuk]

you don't even need quotes ass='D\:\\pending\\input.ass' works

[Chris K]

you don't even need quotes ass='D\:\\pending\\input.ass' works

You need the single quotes if your file path contains spaces.

[ks47]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Baldrick for the valuable information and Thank You wotdefcuk for providing the feedback. I can now make my program reference external drives! Woot!

An extra note... my system needs the extra single quotes also but it works great now as below.
-vf "ass='D\:\\pending\\input.ass'"

Thanks for the above posts. This problem baffled me for a long time to create a subbed video with ffmpeg. In my endeavors, I was able to able to create a soft sub using ffmpeg, but I must play the video with ffplay if I wanted see the sub. On the other hand, if I wanted a permanent sub to the video I needed to frameserve avisynth subtitle and convert with ffmpeg.
I’m still not satisfactorily able to create subbed video in any folder; if the output file is not in the same project folder ffmpeg will complain that fontconfig is not found even though the video is processed. I’ve tried to configure fonts.conf in environmental variable. http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=318&start=20
This did little to help. Yet, I should be thankful for this thread for solving idiosyncratic ffmpeg coding I needed to decipher. @Budman: I, too, needed 2 quotes; however, I did not need double slashes as long as the video was in the same folder. Moreover, I did not need to trace up the directly tree; I was able to use different drive letter to sub with ffmpeg without any problem.

[wotdefcuk]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Baldrick for the valuable information and Thank You wotdefcuk for providing the feedback. I can now make my program reference external drives! Woot!

An extra note... my system needs the extra single quotes also but it works great now as below.
-vf "ass='D\:\\pending\\input.ass'"

Thanks for the above posts. This problem baffled me for a long time to create a subbed video with ffmpeg. In my endeavors, I was able to able to create a soft sub using ffmpeg, but I must play the video with ffplay if I wanted see the sub. On the other hand, if I wanted a permanent sub to the video I needed to frameserve avisynth subtitle and convert with ffmpeg.
I’m still not satisfactorily able to create subbed video in any folder; if the output file is not in the same project folder ffmpeg will complain that fontconfig is not found even though the video is processed. I’ve tried to configure fonts.conf in environmental variable. http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=318&start=20
This did little to help. Yet, I should be thankful for this thread for solving idiosyncratic ffmpeg coding I needed to decipher. @Budman: I, too, needed 2 quotes; however, I did not need double slashes as long as the video was in the same folder. Moreover, I did not need to trace up the directly tree; I was able to use different drive letter to sub with ffmpeg without any problem.

Put the fonts.conf in a folder called fonts in your ffmpeg folder and give it another try.

[HelpVid]

Just what I needed!

Cheers

[wotdefcuk]

Has anyone been able to use the subtitles filter to burn srt file to the video? I always get No such filters

[HelpVid]

Do you use the shared build? http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

My command: -vf "ass='E\:\\path\\to\\sub\\subtitle.ass'"

I have no error using this command. But, no subtitle are burned. ^^ A fontconfig problem, I presume.

[wotdefcuk]

Do you use the shared build? http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

My command: -vf "ass='E\:\\path\\to\\sub\\subtitle.ass'"

I have no error using this command. But, no subtitle are burned. ^^ A fontconfig problem, I presume.

Did you put the fonts.conf in the fonts folder in your ffmpeg folder?
What version of ffmpeg?

[Chris K]

http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/ffmpeg-filters.html#subtitles-1

-vf "subtitles='E\:\\path\\to\\sub\\subtitle.srt'"

[wotdefcuk]

http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/ffmpeg-filters.html#subtitles-1

-vf "subtitles='E\:\\path\\to\\sub\\subtitle.srt'"

no luck. I am getting this

D:\>ffmpeg -nostats -i test.VOB -y -vf "subtitles='test.srt'" -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -profile:v main -level:v 3.1 -preset slow -s 720x480 -b:v 2000k -x264
opts crf=20:keyint=40:ref=3:vbv-bufsize=14000:vbv-maxrate=2000 -threads 1 -c:a libvo_aacenc -ac 2 -ar 44100 -b:a 128k -af volume=1.5dB test.mp4
ffmpeg version N-47062-g26c531c Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Nov 25 2012 12:25:21 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-pthreads --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --
enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopu
s --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libutvideo --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvo
rbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
  libavutil      52.  9.100 / 52.  9.100
  libavcodec     54. 77.100 / 54. 77.100
  libavformat    54. 37.100 / 54. 37.100
  libavdevice    54.  3.100 / 54.  3.100
  libavfilter     3. 23.102 /  3. 23.102
  libswscale      2.  1.102 /  2.  1.102
  libswresample   0. 17.101 /  0. 17.101
  libpostproc    52.  2.100 / 52.  2.100
[mpeg @ 0000000001f572c0] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
Input #0, mpeg, from 'test.VOB':
  Duration: 00:16:01.31, start: 0.060000, bitrate: 5773 kb/s
    Stream #0:0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p, 720x480 [SAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tbc
    Stream #0:1[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 192 kb/s
[AVFilterGraph @ 000000000027bbc0] No such filter: 'subtitles'
Error opening filters!

[Budman1]

Just an add on to the already wealth of information in this thread... I set 3 environment variables and then I had to put the font.conf file in the location specified by the variable. I BELIEVE as wotdefcuk mentioned, if the variable is not set then the libass defaults to WHATEVER was specified in the build. This caused me problems as I swapped in and out later and earlier versions of FFMpeg trying to make it work, somedefaulting to the FFMpeg directory and some the fonts directory, so I set the environment variables and I stick with it now.

Also, I had problems similar to HelpVid, looking back over the conversion and for some reason later FFmpeg's did not like the 'mode' settings in the font.conf file. I removed them and just copied the entries such as:

<alias>
<family>Courier</family>
<prefer><family>Courier New</family></prefer>
<default><family>monospace</family></default>
</alias>

for whatever Fonts I wished to add and I haven't had an issue any more.

[Chris K]

@wotdefcuk

ffmpeg version N-47062-g26c531c Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Nov 25 2012 12:25:21 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)

Your FFmpeg version is way to old. Why not use the latest?

[HelpVid]

@wotdefcuk

ffmpeg version N-47062-g26c531c Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Nov 25 2012 12:25:21 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)

Your FFmpeg version is way to old. Why not use the latest?

Do you use the shared build? http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

-_-'

[wotdefcuk]

@wotdefcuk

ffmpeg version N-47062-g26c531c Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Nov 25 2012 12:25:21 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)

Your FFmpeg version is way to old. Why not use the latest?

Do you use the shared build? http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

-_-'

Nope I used the static builds. Aren't the static builds the stable builds?

[wotdefcuk]

@wotdefcuk

ffmpeg version N-47062-g26c531c Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Nov 25 2012 12:25:21 with gcc 4.7.2 (GCC)

Your FFmpeg version is way to old. Why not use the latest?

Do you use the shared build? http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/

-_-'

Nope I used the static builds. Aren't the static builds the stable builds?

nevermind. I was stupidly using the old build as the path variable was set to an older build of ffmpeg.