Subtitles have become a global sensation in the film production industry. Every production company is now opting for subtitles and rightfully so because they make films versatile and inclusive for every individual out there. Before introducing the subtitling process, film companies were using closed captions which were mainly to serve the purpose of inclusion for people who were hearing-impaired. It is safe to say that subtitles are an advanced version of the closed captions because they both serve the same exact purpose with subtitles having more benefits than the closed captions.
There are a couple of different reasons subtitles are important in film production. They offer an array of benefits and advantages. We will shortly look at some advantages before we proceed with the main subject of this article, which is different software’s that help in the editing of subtitles.
- Subtitles are very beneficial for people who are hearing impaired. For the longest time, the deaf community had been sidelined from enjoying films and videos. With the introduction of subtitles and closed captions, they can now enjoy and engage with films the same way everybody else can.
- Many people used to not watch foreign films because they were foreign. Imagine being a French man and busy watching a film like “Lacasa De Papel” which is a Spanish movie, and it doesn’t have subtitles. It is impossible and would only work for people who enjoy watching visuals without the sound. Subtitles have made it easy to interact and enjoy foreign language films.
- On point number one I mentioned how subtitles have been beneficial for people who are hearing-impaired but they are not the only ones who have benefited. Individuals who are not hearing-impaired use subtitles to follow through a film in order to avoid misunderstanding a dialogue. In such instances, the subtitles really come in handy.
- Subtitles have made film companies reach a global audience which is something that never used to happen. Foreign films are going global and being enjoyed by people from other countries, who speak different languages to the films. This has been made possible by subtitles. We can literally say that subtitles have made the film world a global village by the versatility they offer.
- Another way that subtitles on a film are helpful, is in an instance where one would want to watch a film in a noisy place or a library where noise is not permitted, and it so happens that they don’t have their headphones. One can just mute the audio and watch the video film through the subtitles. We can say that subtitles have made watching films very convenient.
With that said, you can already tell why subtitles are really important for production houses and why editing them is part of the production process that is very important. It attracts more viewers, and this eventually translates into more money for production houses. Subtitle editing can be a tedious process which is why it is so important to have the right subtitle software. A good subtitle editor will reduce the tedium of creating subtitles for your video so that you can work more efficiently and with less burnout.
In this article, we will further look into the software’s that help make the subtitling editing process less tedious and more enjoyable for subtitlers.
The list I will mention below comprises software that are easily accessible and can be downloaded and used for any subtitling process. Some of them are complex to use than the others but the minute you get the feel of one, it gets easy to use the rest. What I mean is that all these pieces of software work incredibly well for anyone who uses them and using either of them will guarantee you a successful subtitling process.
1. Movavi Video Suite
The Movavi videos suites is one subtitle editing software that works really well and guarantees great results. This being a suite, means that it comes fully loaded with any tool that you would want to use for subtitling, you won’t need any external tools in order for you to create great subtitles.
You can easily add and edit subtitles on your videos with Movavi video suite. It is one of the subtitling software that is quite easy to use and since it comes with a powerful inbuilt video editing and screen capturing software; it is a guarantee that it will cover all the video creations needs you might need.
One thing to note about Movavi video suite is that it has been designed to offer very easy and accessible tools for editing videos and it also has a large selection of quality effects. In a nutshell, you can use Movavi Video Suite to:
- Edit videos and create slide shows
- Capture screen casts or streaming web videos
- Save videos for viewing on mobile devices
- Convert media files and DVD’s
2. Open Subtitler Editor
The Open Subtiler Editor offers an array of options that further help in lightening the editing process of creating subtitles. With this software, you have access to editing tasks like adding and removing subtitles, translation, re-syncing, and editing of the existing text. You can also create subtitles files from scratch using this software with no hassle.
It is important to note that this software is also open-source software. It uses the NET Framework rather than Java which Jubler uses. In order for this software to work for your machine, you need to have NET Framework version 4 or later. Since the software relies on Windows Media Player to work, it only runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems.
In a nutshell, you can use Open Subtitle Editor to:
- Add and remove subtitles from a video.
- Translating the subtitles.
- Re-synching the subtitles with the video.
- Editing existing subtitle texts.
3. SubMagic
If you did not know, subtitles are usually created in different formats and this always depends on the preference of an individual. The SubMagic software which is a freeware program for Windows users, allows individuals to edit subtitles in some different formats we have out there. With this software, you have access to a quick menu with an array of options that allow you to work on and fix potential problems you might face while creating subtitles. It is one of the easiest software to use and you can get a hang of it easily as long as you practice.
The Submagic software allows you to preview your subtitles and confirm if they are in perfect form as you would like them to be.
In a nutshell, you can use the SubMagic Software to:
- Convert your subtitles from one format to another.
- Synchronize the subtitles to a movie more closely.
- You can also preview your subtitles while watching the movie.
4. Subtitle Workshop
This is another open-source subtitle software just like the open subtitle editor. One thing I love about this one in specific is the fact that it has a really easy and user-friendly interface that is quite easy to navigate and is also available in a couple of different languages. This means that even foreign-language speakers can use this software for their subtitle works.
It gives its users access to tools that can manipulate time and text and be able to customize so that you can create an interface that will allow you to operate in a convenient workflow for yourself.
In a nutshell, you can use the Subtitle workshop software to:
- Set subtitle durations.
- Adjust subtitle lines.
- Check your subtitle text spellings.
- Automate frames per second changes.
- Detect, mark, and fix timing or text errors using a comprehensive set of automatic and manual tools.
- Extended by using Pascal script files.
5. POP Subtitle Editor
This software is very specific to the file formats it works with. It is software that creates subtitles for MP4, WMV, AVI, or QT video files. It is important to note that this software is only available for Microsoft Windows platforms.
Just like all the other software I have mentioned above, the POP Subtitle Editor allows one to edit and proofread their subtitles while the video is playing to avoid a back and forth where you have to pause, rewind and forward in order to edit the subtitles.
In a nutshell, you can use the POP Subtitle Editor to:
- Easily edit your subtitles to your preference.
- Change color, font, size, and position of subtitles.
- Edit and proofread subtitles while the video is playing.
- Export video files with your subtitles with one click.
6. Aura Video Editor
The most important thing to note is that this is a Windows only Software. As much as we are talking about subtitle editors, the Aura Video Editor is a full-on video editing application, and it’s not specific to editing subtitles only.
The software has a simple interface with a drag-and-drop function. With this software, you can use or import over 20 different video formats with no restrictions. It is also very possible to export files in MKV, FLV, and 8 other popular formats.
In a nutshell, you can use the Aura Video Editor to:
- Edit and proofread subtitle texts.
- Trim and arrange video clips.
- Create slide shows from photographs.
- Add music to the final product.
7. VideoPro
As you have noticed, a lot of these software, are not solely for editing subtitle files, they offer so much more than that. As much as we can use them for different tasks, they also offer amazing subtitle editing tools, which is why they made it to this article.
The Video Pro is a full video editing package which has hardware acceleration that helps in smooth editing of video files up to 4K resolution. Unlike the Aura Video Editor, the VideoPro can be used by both Windows and Mac computers.
It is important to note that unlike the other software’s the VideoPro is not a free software and you have to pay for a subscription in order for you to have access to it.
8. Aegisub Advanced Subtitle Editor.
This is another open-source software that is available for Windows, Mac, and UNIX operating systems. It has an array of incredible editing tools that help in styling and editing subtitle files by including a real-time preview for checking one’s work.
These software’s has amazing audio waveform viewers which makes it really easy for one to synchronize the subtitle texts to the audio of a video. You can note that, that Aegisub supports features that are not available in the SRT file format, you can save your files directly to the SRT if you are using different features.
All of these software work incredibly well, for editing subtitles and I guarantee you, choosing to use either of them will benefit you greatly. Since all of them offer the same advantages, you are free to choose one depending on your preference.
