Subtitles from an existing text in iMovie or iDVD

Hello to you all,

Here is a question considering subtitle issue with iMovie film.
I edit a video using iMovie. I have the text file for my subtitles, but this program has the only possibility: type subs in manually. I presume these subs are then embedded. This method is very time and effort consuming, AND it takes huge place on my HD.

Is there any other method, which allows me to add this text file afterwards (or any other moment) as a whole to my DVD without having to type line by line? I don't have the references and indication of frames.

Here I found a reference to a program called Jubler, sounds like something I might want to use, but not clear when and how... What other tools would you advise?

I work under Mac OS X. If I have to add subs AFTER I made the DVD, tools for Windows are no problem. I would, however, prefer a tool that somehow integrates into iDVD or iMovie. Something like adding an extra timeline for text and adjusting its timing...

Thanks in advance!

P.S. This topic is copied from Subtitle section, where it didn't receive almost any suggestions except to post here.

There is nothing for subtitles that integrates into iDVD or iMovie.

Jubler can be used to create the subtitles. You could then use a tool like ffmpegX to convert the movie to a DVD and include the subtitles (as a separate "turn on/turn off" function like a commercial DVD). Alternatively, ffmpegX will let you embed the subtitles as you encode the movie into an AVI or some sort.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply.
Does it mean that after finishing my project in iMovie, I should use ffmpegX instead of iDVD? Do I first have to edit the text with Jubler (to ensure correct timing etc. if it allows to)?

Isn't saving in .mov format loosing quality? Won't it be better to save as DV (and what do I do with my DVD chapters, leave them for the time being?)
For the clarity:
- I first save my movie,
- then edit my text to adjust timings,
- then author the movie with the subs using ffmpegx.

Is this correct?

And thanks a lot for your help!

What would you advise when iMovie refuses to open a project of 56 GB - might making some more space help? It just closes without any notice. Any advice on how to compress this project?

Thank you very much for your detailed reply!
I figured that iMovie needs this 'scratch' space, so probably I have to give up my project. My HD is 150 GB, typed it wrong? No way of cleaning so much space. The file which if 56 GB is the iMovie project made from an .avi (DV) with lossless quality. Too ambitious for such a laptop, I'm afraid.

From the subtitle tools listed probably only Jubler works with Intel-based Mac, so I'll give it a try.

My progress thus far is as follows.
I exported my iMovie project to a .dv file. Then I edited the text subtitles with Miyu (freeware) to adjust timings, and saved as a .srt file. Then loaded the movie and subs into ffmpegX and followed the instructions in the guide. Used DVD mpeg2enc preset, checked .VOB subtitles and selected .idx. In Options tab, everything remained as it was.
The result is: the files in the same folder as the original:
mymovie.dv.ff.ac3
mymovie.dv.ff.m2v
mymovie.dv.ff.mpg
mymovie.dv.ff.mpg.xml;
No Video_TS folder.
In .mpg file, no subtitles.
In Activity Monitor, I see that 99-100% CPU is used by mplayer (even when ffmpegX quits). No preview, no play or info avaiable - the program freezes when pressing these buttons (so I don't have the logfile of my last encoding).
What do I do with the resulting files, what did I do wrong in my encoding process and how can I get the subs (all fuzz was for the selectable subs, otherwise I'd've used iDVD instead)?
Anyone suggestions?
All help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot for your reply!
Can you specify what exactly do I have to do in iDVD? And what do I do in ffmpegX / MovieGate to author?
Otherwise, what can I do with MovieConverter or Toast (drag my .dv and .srt files into DVD video and let it do the job, but then without menus I guess.....)?
Very grateful for your help!

Oh you were faster than me
Waiting for iDVD to encode, cannot try MovieGate or the rest.
Do I have to export Mpeg-4 with MpegStreamclip, and leave audio alone? Couldn't it be easier to convert the .dv file to something MovieGate could handle?
And I would like to have menus, hope it will be easy.
I don't really understand what "just give you mpeg (with subtitle) and author it" means....
Thanks again!

MovieGate is supposed to be a great program, but it's not. It really does not offer the possibility to intuitively edit and author, leave alone preview :S By the way, MovieGate did do the job of creating a DVD from .dv and .srt files, but it did not do it correctly. No "nice menu", no possibility of adding selectable chapters, etc.

Please advise me some other, friendlier, tool. Is the soft from your signature something I'm looking for?

I'll try the first method with mpegstreamclip.
And thanks for your input!

Originally Posted by Herve

select a track in the main tab
select a subtitle just below
clic "add"
the mpeg and its subtitle will be collect in the drawer below

No problem with these steps.
---

Originally Posted by Herve

go the chapter tab, select the track you want to chapter in the drawer.
make your chapters.

This also seems ok.
See the attached snapshot. What I want is to link the button "Play movie" to the movie, and the button "Scene selection" to, obviously, the scenes. I also want to call the scenes as they are called in the film

Originally Posted by Herve

specify the title, position of your thumbails, or import a new file

So here I have the problems. I just don't get the logic of "title" and "submenus" within this program. (see other snapshots here: http://afkatja.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!251A47471B66BD0F!133/)


picture%201.png

[quote="Herve"]

Originally Posted by SuperMole

So here I have the problems. I just don't get the logic of "title" and "submenus" within this program. (see other snapshots here: http://afkatja.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!251A47471B66BD0F!133/)

snapshots are not avaible but this feature will not help you (this sort of menu is like a "subfolder" for videos, not an ability to access to a special stream)

Uhm... let's say I only want a button like "Play movie" that links to the film, forget about chapters and scenes. I make a submenu, because "button" tab leads somehow to a submenu when double-click. (Otherwise the "Button" tab is all inactive, see attached snapshot.) There I place the track as the program calls my film and hope it will link to the film as my previous attempt was a menu that led nowhere.... Is this correct? When the DVD is ready, after inserting the disc one will get a menu and after pressing "Play movie" the movie? I cannot get even this far

Originally Posted by Herve

You have no other simple soluce, instead of DVDSP (expensive) or myDVDEdit (you must have some knowledge about DVD-authoring) or command line dvauthor (very friendly)
Last soluce -and worst one- is to integrate subtitles directly in the mpeg (re-encode/hardcode subtitle inside the picture )

What is command line dvauthor (accessible via Terminal? Then I doubt it might be friendly....)? This is so uncomprehensible, that such a simple task of making a DVD with menu and chapters (all nicely available in iDVD) AND subtitles (not available in iDVD) costs so much effort.... Maybe I see it wrong?

Originally Posted by Herve

each button = a different track
to modify one button, you must select it: clic on the thumbail or clic the track in the list below, (every time you add a video, the list display it, if you want to select a track clic on this list, same behavior as chapters).
PS: at home when I select a button, the thumbail becomes red (depends of your preferences)

All right, I export the film and subtitles, then go to the button tab and it's deactivated, cannot edit anything. I right-click there and choose "Add selected track to the main menu". I see the thumbnail, when I select it, it also becomes red. I don't need submenus or whatever, I just want (as simple as that) a film with subtitles and chapters. Then I click start and voila.... a menu, which leads to nowhere, a black screen with title "My DVD" (which is a submenu I didn't edit). So really disappointing, this was my second try with same result. Giving it up....
By the way, the .mpeg file created by mpegstremclip could not be read by ffmpegX (using mpeg2enc codec; ffmpeg codec deactivates subtitles so not an option for me).
I would agree now to something very simple, just the film and subs!

oops, dvdauthor

Seems a Windows tool.....?

not a simple task without a GUI
I don't know why you didn't succeed (maybe some problems with ergonomy or tutorial?), my last attempts were easy, but I didn't try with the last version.

Ergonomy of the MovieGate program? It's just very very unfriendly... (or am I seeing it too difficult?)

Hello:

I'm looking for how add subtitles from a SRT file (or similar) to AVI file (and another files) and generate a DVD. The best answer I have found it's in this forum and that was posible just with ffmegX (that we can download in this web or in the program web (www.ffmpegX.org)

It's surprising that 5 years after this post, there isn't anything new and not just that, now we can't have DVD studio pro

The process with ffmepgX is some difficult and I've writed a manual IN SPANISH that I think will be help to many people in the same situation as me

Thank you because without this forum I couldn't do that

JoseDA

Originally Posted by SuperMole

By the way, the .mpeg file created by mpegstremclip could not be read by ffmpegX (using mpeg2enc codec; ffmpeg codec deactivates subtitles so not an option for me).

ffmpegX detects the source file format by looking at the suffix first. If you rename your .mpeg to .mpg, then ffmpegX can continue in your process.

Originally Posted by SuperMole

oops, dvdauthor

Seems a Windows tool...?

Also a Linux/Unix/BSD/Darwin command line tool, which is used by various Mac GUI apps, including ffmpegX.

It's surprising that 5 years after this post, there isn't anything new and not just that, now we can't have DVD studio pro

Well, not too surprising given that DVDs are so 20th Century. The solution today seems to be devices like the WDTV that can display subtitle files along with the selected video.