Subtitle guide: Including subtitle settings for Cxtodvd

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:24 pm

If you don’t know anything about Convertxtodvd please read this thread/guide first https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178405

After you have gone through this or if you’re already familiar with it. Then we can proceed.

Here are a few sites and things one needs to know beforehand; www.subscene.com and www.opensubtitles.org. These are the two main sites which will have the subtitles you need.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for here is a compiled list of subtitle sites:
https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=327281&highlight

After this comes the selection process, which subtitles to choose? Choose the one which comes closest to the file name of the movie you have downloaded for e.g. "Everything is Illuminated KLAXXON" this is your file name/movie, now you need to download subtitles that match the name of your file/movie. In this case it would be http://subscene.com/everything-is-illuminated/subtitles-63485.aspx you must choose the KLAXXON version and you’re good to go.

Why only Klaxxon because the file you downloaded was a Klaxxon rip and if that groups subtitles are available than those will be the ones that will sync correctly. The same goes for any ripper/group out there if you download an aXXo rip then you should look for aXXo subs.

You will not always be able to get an exact match, even if you do, one should always check to see if the subtitles sync correctly before converting the movie using cxtodvd.

For doing that you need a free software for e.g. VLC player, Media Player Classic, KMplayer etc. These software's will let you add subtitles to your movies before converting them using cxtodvd. I will only be providing information on adding subtitles using VLC player: Here is a link http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

After you have completed the installation open VLC player go to media – open file go to the location where your movie is saved, open it. After that go to video – subtitle track – open file then go to the location where you saved your subtitles open them, and they will start to show up. This is where you determine/find out if the subs sync correctly or not.

You also need to know how to add subtitles to your movie using cxtodvd.

1. Open cxtodvd and add video files, your movie will appear.

2. On the left side of your movie name there will be a + sign, click it and it will open up.

3. You will see a drop down menu stating audio, subtitle, chapters etc.

4. You need to right click the subtitle tab and it will ask you "add subtitle" click it and then go to where you saved the .srt (Subtitle file). Double click it and you will see Subtitle (1 stream). When you see this...that'll mean the subtitles have been added.

Now we come to the part where I explain how to set your Convertxtodvd subtitle text rendering settings correctly:
First you will have to go to the settings tab in ConvertxtoDvd, then click on subtitles, after that press subtitle text rendering settings, a window will pop up. This is where you can change the subtitle settings to your liking.

After many trials I’ve managed to get them to look as perfect to the eye as possible.

These settings will give you the best possible results when you play your converted movie/DVD on a standalone DVD player. I will explain why I have changed the default settings to these - one by one.

1. The font by default is Arial, keep it that way but the size is 20 which is a bit small so, I keep mine on 22 and for foreign movies; I increase the font to 24 because the text is more important than the dialogue.

2. Turn bold off, if you keep it on bold can sometimes become overwhelming and get in the way of the picture/movie you’re trying to watch.

3. The color you can choose any, but I’ve received the best results from white and the two yellow’s (one is bright and one’s dark). There is another very light yellow which I keep away from.

4. Most importantly keep the Max. Length to 0. If you go by the recommendation of CX2DVD (it can be misleading) by that I mean the subtitles will come up on the screen as paragraphs and cover half of the screen which can be annoying. 0 makes it automatic and perfect.

5. Margin (Borders of text field) the default for this is 62 which is quite high (Vertically) so make it a bit lower.

6. Shadow direction by default is bottom right. To make the subtitles look more prominent change this to middle center.

This can give you a good understanding of how to play with subtitles in CX2DVD. After trying this if you don't like some methods that I've chosen. Select them they way you want to your own liking. The whole point for this guide is

Side note - whenever I’m doing any conversion using cxtodvd I always add Eng subs, even if the movie is in English, you’ll be surprised to know how much adding subtitles makes a difference.

The subs will show dialogue that your ears sometimes can't pick up for e.g. in a movie there is chatter on the radio or television news in the background pertaining to the movie....this helps in understanding the movie better.

That is why I have folder named subtitle folder on my desktop and that’s where I place all my subs. This way when it comes time to place subs on a foreign film I know exactly what settings to have on, to get the best possible result.

The whole point of this guide is for people using cxtodvd to get subtitle results, which look as if they've been done professionally...like you would see in a retail DVD.

So if anyone else can come up with better settings please let us know. I would really appreciate that.

P.S. [Edit] I forgot to mention one thing, which is important. Whenever you change any settings in your cxtodvd's "subtitle text rendering settings"...

For e.g. you change the font size or color or any other subtitle settings - you have to restart your PC for those settings to take effect. All other settings in cxtodvd are changed right away, but when it comes to the subtitle settings you have to restart your PC, otherwise you will be stuck with the same settings and your converted movie will not have the new settings applied to it.

[Edit] In the latest version of convertxtodvd which is ConvertXtoDVD v4.0.12.327 you don't have to restart your PC if you've made any changes in your cxtodvd "subtitle text rendering settings"

Here is a link to the latest version http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/191208801/convertxtodvd?tab=summary

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:31 pm

nice post sybex it covers a few things that the other convertx thread does not

https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178405

Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:52 pm

schlomo72 wrote:

nice post sybex it covers a few things that the other convertx thread does not

https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178405

Thanks schlomo Smile

I was about to edit mine and put the link that you just provided.

Guys/Gals first have a look at this https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178405 and then you can play around with your subtitles rendering text settings.

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:55 pm

thank you Sybex, this is a very nice post. I just got convert X. to DVD and have burned a couple of movies with it. I was getting ready to do some foreign films with subtitles so your information will come in handy. I will give your settings and try and let you know what I think.

I read the other posts that you have linked here and I also searched the posts but I still have a question I have not found an answer for. As you seem to know a lot about subtitles I thought I might ask you.

how do I adjust the subtitles to make sure that they are in sync?

I have a copy of Everything is Illuminated and it did not come with subtitles. I found the subtitles, however they are not in sync with the action on the screen. I think that is because the film is missing about 10 or 15 seconds of the opening credits. what do I need to do to fix this using convert X. DVD?

I appreciate any assistance that you have to offer.

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 4:52 am

Well thought out.

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:21 pm

flatearthling I did some research, seems like you downloaded Klaxxon rip, but you choose the wrong subs I read your comment on isohunt, you need to download the Klaxxon version. They will sync correctly; the ones you downloaded were for the foreign dialogue only.

If anyone runs into any difficulty just let me know.

WhiteViper + 1 for appreciating the effort Smile

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:49 pm

a compiled list of subtitle sites

https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=327281&highlight

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:06 pm

schlomo72 wrote:

a compiled list of subtitle sites

https://isohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=327281&highlight

Schlomo your posts are always warm and positive, but since your a toaster & toaster = warmth, so I guess that explains it Wink

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:19 pm

yup

was thinking that when you are done compiling your thread... and you feel it is ready.. make it a sticky and clean the other posts... add what you need to the first post ect..

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:01 pm

Great idea, lets see if we can get some more questions/queries...in the meantime I will start preparing & compiling my posts into one...so it can be ready.

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:36 pm

I am thinking that when this is done, a group hug is in order. Cool

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:48 pm

hey Sybex thanks for helping. I really appreciated your nice response to my question and I did not realize that I had downloaded the wrong subs. ConvertXDVD makes it really easy to add the subtitles so I think I will always put them in there as you suggest.

+1 to your reputation

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:15 am

fblevins1 wrote:

I am thinking that when this is done, a group hug is in order. Cool

lol Agreed but I will not let it take place if your not there. Group hug wouldn't mean anything if you are not a part of it Wink

+ 1 for making me laugh.
@flatearthling I'm glad your problem is fixed...just wondering did you use VLC player to check if your subtitles were in sync?

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:27 am

sybex0479 wrote:

@flatearthling I'm glad your problem is fixed...just wondering did you use VLC player to check if your subtitles were in sync?

yes I did check it out everything is A-OK.

I noticed that this thread had been rearranged so it looks like I'm asking a question that you already answered for me. Oh well.

The settings that you recommended are working great too.

Thanks again for your help.

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:50 am

sybex0479 wrote:

fblevins1 wrote:

I am thinking that when this is done, a group hug is in order. Cool

lol Agreed but I will not let it take place if your not there. Group hug wouldn't mean anything if you are not a part of it Wink

+ 1 for making me laugh.
@flatearthling I'm glad your problem is fixed...just wondering did you use VLC player to check if your subtitles were in sync?

Ok I waited long enough for the group hug, and I brought a little friend into the mix. Plus a little bonus for you as well sybex0479 Cool