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Tech Time: Subtitles for FCP

Posted by Emma on April 6, 2011 at 8:44 am. Captioning, Subtitling, Techy

There is another cool way to add subtitles to your video! Did you know that you can embed subtitle files into Final Cut Pro (FCP) project? It’s really easy to do and your subtitles always look sharp.

Image of embedded subtitles (white text with a semitransparent background)

(This technique is available for versions 5.1.2 and later. Sadly, this won’t work for FCP versions older than 5.1.2 or Final Cut Express.)

What you need:

An XML file with PNG graphics that matches the timing of your FCP sequence. (That’s it!)

How does it work?

The XML file with PNG graphics provides an open, transparent, graphic format that anyone can utilize with a wide range of tools.

Here’s the basic idea; however there are a few more steps when working on an actual project.

First, import the .xml into Final Cut Pro.

Graphic showing the steps of importing an XML into FCP.

(The XML import allows you to match your subtitle sequence to your master program sequence. Just scroll through your list of sequence setting choices.)

(A new sequence is created that includes only the timed subtitle PNGs. Open the sequence and take a look. Pretty snazzy!)

Second, open your finished video sequence and drag your CaptionMax Subtitle sequence onto the track above your finished video.

Lastly, render the finished video sequence with subtitles and play it in FCP to test it.

Now you’re ready to export your video out of FCP and into any format. Your video will have open, accessible captions that look very sharp!

If you have FCP & an excellent Video Editor, then we recommend this format to add open captions to your video file.

Does this work in other editing systems?

This is the workflow we recommend for FCP but Avid & Blu-ray both have similar set-ups.

- Avid users with the Avid DS subtitle plugin can get an Avid DS text file.

- Blu-ray also uses XML/PNG files, but the XML file is totally different than the FCP XML. Exports for FCP & Blu-ray are, unfortunately, not interchangeable. Be sure to clarify your editing system when talking to your project manager!

- Users of other editing systems are out of luck—there isn’t a subtitle file that can be imported by, for example, Adobe Premiere, unless you’ve heard something we haven’t!

Happy editing!

Tech Time: Videos with Embedded Captions

Posted by Emma on March 23, 2011 at 8:32 am. Captioning, Techy

Quicktime captions are IN!

Did you know that CaptionMax can create Quicktime/iTunes/iPod videos with embedded captions?

The very cool final product is your finished .mov with embedded caption data.

An example of captions in Quicktime player.

Pros:

1. The newest versions of Quicktime can only use embedded captions, so you won’t have accessibility problems by using this new method.

2. Embedded captions work for videos played in the iTunes player or on Apple devices such as iPods, iPhones, Apple TV, iTunes, etc.

3. This is the only web captioning format that can be roll-up, have italics, and have music notes!

4. With Quicktime version 7.x, Apple allows the video package to contain a Closed Caption Track. This works for both Mac & Windows versions of Quicktime.

5. Captions are turned on and off via the ‘Show Captions’ command in the Play menu.

Cons:

1. This method will not work with videos that are played in other players, such as Flash or Windows Media Player. The CC on/off controls are only part of the Quicktime/iTunes players.

2. If you have a .mov with embedded captions and it is later transcoded, the captions may be lost. Trancoding most likely will strip the captions.

3. The positioning can be a little weird when the captions are played in Quicktime, with centered captions slightly off center or dropped characters. This happens especially in high definition and it’s a function of the Quicktime player’s decoder.

Just another cool technology update. Have you used caption embedded .movs? What do you think?

Access in the Classroom – It’s Not Just Braille.

Posted by Emma on March 16, 2011 at 11:12 am. Audio Description, Captioning, Consumer Advisory Board, Subtitling, Techy

CaptionMax has a dedicated Consumer Advisory Board with experts in all kinds of accessibility. As guest bloggers, we ask our board members to  share their accessibility stories. Our next CAB guest blogger is Joya Bromeland, a 6th year itinerant teacher for blind and visually impaired students. Joya works with many different schools to make technology accessible to all students. In the past year, she has been developing this great resource to empower classroom teachers. She has been great enough to share it; so head on over and check it out! Take it away, Joya.

A row of computer monitors on a desk

I’m one of Louis Braille’s biggest fans, and providing braille and braille instruction continues to be an important part of my job, but the multi-media classroom of the 21st century requires that my students who are blind and visually impaired be just as skilled in areas of technology, self-advocacy and creative problem-solving in order to have basic access to classroom tools.

As an itinerant Teacher for students who are Blind and Visually Impaired (TBVI), I collaborate with teachers in roughly 18 different schools to ensure that our students have access to the same instructional materials, experiences, and opportunities as their sighted peers.  It’s an ambitious and necessary goal that leads to alternative pathways to access and success: braille, tactile graphics, refreshable braille displays, speech screenreaders, audiobooks, audio description, keyboard shortcuts, video magnification and more.

I start with the assumption that every element of the curriculum can be accessed nonvisually—whether it’s Algebraic graphs, diagrams of the moon phases, PowerPoint assignments and board work, websites, Twitter, Moodle, email, newspapers, books, abstract visual concepts, and videos.  Then, through collaboration with general ed. teachers, braillists, and my fellow TBVIs, we figure out a way to make it happen through accessible formats and specialized instruction.

Our students become experts at thinking outside the box, maneuvering around it, giving it a good kick every once in a while—all inherent to the process of full and independent participation at school among their sighted peers.  It’s not surprising we work with such great students (and I can’t wait to see what they bring to our future!)

Of course there are daily bumps in the road to access.  There are days when I am on the phone trying to reach publishers of an online textbook because their “accessible version” of the book is not accessible to my students.  Or I’m sending accessibility standards to the “Contact Us” links on websites after a frustrating session with a student that probably led to me scanning, pasting, or retyping the web text because it was inaccessible via screen reader.  And this spring, we TBVIs will continue the campaign for reducing bias and providing equal access to standardized tests for our students. But more and more we have the law to back up our expectations for accessibility with ADA, IDEA, NIMAS, and now the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.

Currently, there is limited availability of audio described videos for specific curriculum, though these videos are being produced by educational publishers and used by teachers at increasing rates.  Working with my students, I understand the value in providing vivid audio descriptions with accurate vocabulary in the 5-minute science video shown at the beginning of class, or the history video shown to build context for a unit of study.  Access to AD video leads to opportunity for my students to develop the same level of awareness and understanding of concepts as their sighted peers.  Publishers and schools need to act on this value in order to make audio description a real possibility in the classroom.

I’ve really appreciated the resources CaptionMax has made available to teachers in Minnesota to help spread the word about Audio Description and teach us how to access it.  It’s also been exciting to be a part of the Consumer Advisory Board, where we experience some of the rigorous process that goes into high quality audio describing. I’m hopeful that the Video Accessibility Act and the committed work of CaptionMax will lead to greater availability of these videos and ultimately greater access and opportunity for our students.

Top 5 Tips to Beat the Captioning Headaches!

Posted by Emma on March 9, 2011 at 9:35 am. Audio Description, Captioning, Subtitling, Techy, translation

Captioning doesn’t have to be a painful process. In fact, adding accessibility to your media (broadcast, web, whatever) can be pain free! Here are our 5 Top Tips for keeping your captioning/subtitling/transcription costs down and finding the right provider for you!

Tip 1: Plan Ahead

Include captioning/subtitling/transcription costs in your initial project budget and timeline to get the best deal and eliminate those unexpected gotchas at the end. Adding captions can significantly boost your SEO and drive more potential clients to your website. Any captioning services worth their weight will offer you a free quote for your project.

Tip 2: Research

Look at lots of samples! Many companies will have a sample gallery where you can see a small bit of all the services they offer. Find the the look and style that you like best. Find out the difference between web and broadcast captions. Ask your friends who they use. Get recommendations! Ask your prospective captioning company any questions you have. All the best have experts on staff who have added captions/subtitles/you name it to everything short of a toaster oven (we’re still working on that one). Those experts can help you find the best fit and the most pain-free process for your specific video!

Tip 3: One-Stop Shop

Do you need tape encoding? Are you making a web video and a DVD? Do you need multiple language translation? Interested in going green with a tapeless work flow? Is sending a hard drive your preferred method? The best companies can handle your project from start to finish. These extra technical services let you skip the hassle of contracting yet another post-house that can charge you double for the same product. Take advantage of your captioning company’s techy knowledge, and you’ll work with fewer go-betweens and have fewer headaches!

Tip 4: Turnaround

Sometimes you need it yesterday! Some projects will always have irritations and bottlenecks as their deadlines approach. Make sure that you talk to your captioning company about clear turnaround deadlines. Your captioning company should be able to clearly explain their turnaround times for the file types you want. Be clear with your scheduling needs and confirm a guaranteed turnaround time. But if you’re down to the wire, go with the company that delivers on time — every time!

Tip 5: Customer Service

Have questions? Don’t understand something? While there will always be variations in prices between captions, subtitles, transcription, etc., your captioning company should provide you with excellent customer service. A dedicated project manager can answer your questions and guide you smoothly through the captioning/subtitling/transcription process. Choose a company with years of experience in a wide range of projects, subjects, and technologies. Find a company with real people who speak real-people language and not a bunch of industry (yes, there is a captioning industry) jargon.

Tech Time: Aspect Ratio (Part 2)

Posted by Emma on February 23, 2011 at 9:58 am. Captioning, Subtitling, Techy

This is Part 2 of a two part series about aspect ratio. In Part 1, we talked 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Now, we’ll talk anamorphic aspect ratio & how aspect ratio affects captions and subtitles.

Anamorphic widescreen

Some widescreen programs, such as HD TV, are just straight-up rectangles. But there’s also a type of widescreen used for standard definition programming that people watch on TV sets (broadcast and DVDs), because the producers don’t know what kind of TV the viewers are going to use. For this type of widescreen, called anamorphic widescreen, the rectangular picture is horizontally squeezed into a square for delivery to the screen. The sides are pushed in, and this makes objects look taller and skinner until the picture is stretched back out. When played on a 16:9 screen, the picture will be stretched out again. When played on a 4:3 TV, it’s either zoomed-and-cropped or letterboxed, depending on the TV’s settings.

The key point to remember about anamorphic video is that it is stretchy. It is a widescreen 16:9 rectangle and should be treated as widescreen, but it is disguised as a 4:3 square, and sometimes you will see it in disguise.

How to determine if a file is true 4:3 or anamorphic

It’s tricky. This isn’t a numerical value that you can just look at on a deck. You actually have to watch the video to see if things “look right.” Look for spots with people, circular objects, and on-screen text. Is something that’s supposed to be round, like a planet or the sun, shaped more like an egg? Are all of the people suspiciously gaunt and scrawny? Probably anamorphic. Be sure to check the video in several places, because some people really do have kind of skinny faces.

Most importantly…ask for help! A second set of eyes is very important. Even if you do this all the time, you will start to second guess yourself and start thinking everything looks stretched or squeezed, even physical objects in real life. This is called anamorphic madness (not really, we just made that up).

Does aspect ratio affect closed captioning?
Not at all. The captions are drawn by the TV or player’s decoder, and it’s the decoder that determines the absolute placement of the caption text on screen. A caption file contains coordinates for where the captions should display on the grid, but the size and screen location of the grid are determined by the decoder. Most TVs draw the captions after any manipulation of the image.

Does aspect ratio affect subtitles?
It could! The producer has more control of where and how subtitles are placed. For anamorphic video, when the video is stretched into a rectangle, the subtitles may also be stretched causing them to look squat and blocky. Try using a narrow font so that when the video is stretched the subtitles will look normal. For letterbox video, many people like to put the subtitles in the black matte and not on the image. Normally, that is the best option but you always have to watch that the subtitles stay in title safe.

Hopefully we’ve answered a lot of questions about aspect ratio. Is there anything else you want to know or want to add? Leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

Tech Time: Aspect Ratio (Part 1)

Posted by Emma on February 16, 2011 at 9:26 am. Captioning, Subtitling, Techy

Part 1 of a two part series about aspect ratio. First, we’ll talk 4:3 and 16:9. What is the difference? What do those aspect ratios look like? Then, in Part 2, we’ll talk anamorphic aspect ratio and how aspect ratio affects captions and subtitles.

You’ve probably heard about aspect ratio before, even if that is not the term that was used. Who knows, you might even have been in an argument about widescreen versus pan and scan.

Aspect ratio is a number that describes how wide an image is compared to how tall the image is. It describes the shape of the image.

First, a little terminology clarification because it can get a little complicated…
1. 4:3 and 16:9 (occasionally 4×3 and 16×9) are the common notations and values for aspect ratio.

2. The ratio can also be expressed as a decimal rather than with a colon: 4:3 = 1.33, because 4 divided by 3 is approx 1.33.

3. Note that the size of an NTSC picture is generally said to be 720×480, which isn’t precisely 1.33. That’s because it’s measuring lines instead of square pixels, and we really don’t want to get into pixel aspect ratio yet. (Yikes!)

4:3 (Regular NTSC TV)

This is the aspect ratio you’re thinking of when you imagine an iconic TV, the square with the rounded corners. The image is almost as tall as it is wide. Until a few years ago, all American television looked like this.

Now most TV is produced in 16:9. If you watch a widescreen TV show on an old-school TV, it will either be letterboxed (see below) or the sides will be cut off. This depends on the settings on your TV or receiver and also what flags the broadcaster is transmitting. Most networks require that programs delivered in 16:9 HD respect 4:3 title safe, so text is in the center of the frame and not cut off for people using standard sets.

Letterboxed 4:3 (…or “I hate those black bars”)

Letterboxed video is still 4:3. The video itself is not actually widescreen. Lots of people get this wrong; even some software gets it wrong. Letterboxing is a way to simulate a widescreen picture on a 4:3 monitor. The actual active video is presented as a widescreen rectangle, and the rest of the space is filled up with black mattes on the top and bottom. But the overall image itself is still 4:3.

The mattes do not (we repeat do not) cover up any of the picture. You can confidently assure your grandma that the black bars are not stealing any television from her. Seriously, some people do get really upset about letterboxing, but not letterboxing is what takes picture away. When you buy a “full screen” DVD of a movie, if they still sell those, there won’t be any black bars, but the sides of the picture will be cut off (see the first image in this article) in order to make the rectangle into a square. Beautiful scenery and even whole characters can be excised this way. These zoom-and-cropped, pan-and-scan full-frame releases aren’t nearly as common as they used to be, but you’ll still see them from time to time.

16:9 (Widescreen)

This is a rectangle. If you have a TV that is a rectangle, congratulations, you will see the entire widescreen picture in full screen. A 4:3 picture will be either pillarboxed (see below) or stretched out in freaky ways. We can’t even tell you how many big fancy plasma TVs we’ve seen that have had their settings all wrong, including the aspect ratio. The tears, the sadness, the gnashing of teeth!

It is possible to have a 16:9 widescreen video that also has letterboxing—it means that the active picture is ultra-widescreen, like 2.35:1, and is being fit into a 16:9 aspect ratio. That isn’t usually relevant to standard definition, though; it generally happens when a very wide film is being shown on 16:9 HDTV.

Just because an image is 16:9 does not mean it is high definition. Standard definition video can also be 16:9, almost always anamorphic…

Pillarboxed 16:9

Pillarboxed video is when a 4:3 video displayed on a 16:9 screen. In order to display the video in its correct proportions, black bars are added to along the side of the frame. Pillarboxing will be used instead of displaying a stretched video. And just like a letterboxed video, the black mattes do not cover up any of the picture.

Whew, got all that? Any questions? In Part 2 we’ll discuss anamorphic video and how aspect ratio affects captions and subtitles.


2011 Maxblog Goals

Posted by Emma on January 5, 2011 at 9:29 am. Techy

2010 went by very quickly so we wanted to take a moment to really set some maxblog goals for 2011. We publicly proclaim a few of our resolutions in the hope that it’ll light a fire under our arse and help us “get there.” Resolutions are different for everyone and we always find it so inspirational to hear what other people are trying to achieve. So if you’re up for sharing, we’d really love to hear what all of you are aiming for in 2011.

1. Find balance. We do not want to fall in the trap of only blogging about a few topics. Our number one goal is to find a solid balance between guest blogs, our tech blogs, our advocacy for accessibility and our staff blogs. We’ve been at it for a year, we’re no longer completely new at this.

2. Monthly Consumer Advisor Board guest blogs. Many of our favorite blog posts of 2010 came from our friends and advisors. This year we will continue our monthly CAB guest blog posts. We want to continue to share the knowledge and stories of our advisors while giving them another platform in the accessibility community.

3. YouTube public domain movie. We had  great year in 2010 and we want to keep that momentum going in 2011. Our goal is very lofty but we want to put a new public domain video on YouTube each month. Our videos will have audio description, English captions and Spanish captions. If you have any movie favorites that you want to see on our YouTube page, give us a shout and let us know.

4. Document real life at our offices. Many times we’ve flat out forgotten to take pictures of many important things that have happened in our offices. So this year we want to be better about taking pictures and posting them frequently to Facebook for everyone to see. It’s hard to top a great memory, but it’s nice to have something to actually look back on, too.

5. Start adding quizzes and polls to get to know our readers. Lastly, we want you to be inspired by the content we are creating. The only way we can create better content is to know what you think and what you like. We’ll be creating polls and quizzes this year to get your feedback. We’re going to work hard this year to really soak what our readers tell us. It’s such valuable feedback!

The CaptionMax Reflection List

Posted by Emma on December 29, 2010 at 9:42 am. Audio Description, Captioning, Subtitling, Techy

Picture of a rock totem in front of a calm body of water at sunset.

Kate’s latest blog inspired us to reflect on some of the things that we’ve tried and learned this year at CaptionMax.  We are so proud of the staff for working so incredibly hard to send the best captions, translation, and audio description out the door!  When we look back at all that we’ve done we feel more rejuvenated and excited for what next year will hold.  In January, we’ll share some of our blogging goals for 2011 with everyone. Year two is sure to be filled with lots of fun projects, both big & small, and we would love to hear your feedback.  But first, to start it off right, let’s look at some of our accomplishments in 2010.

CaptionMax’s 2010 Social Media Reflection List
We are proud that we…
- Won grants for more description (we are so excited to be able keep our describers busy)
-  Reached out to supporters of description
-  Shared our accessibility efforts with MN Representative Keith Ellison
-  Created a video explaining description
-  Posted more fully-described public domain videos on our YouTube page
-  Created custom videos about our company and about how to caption for YouTube
-  Launched our facebook page and included more staff updates and quizzes (seriously, isn’t our captioning trivia the best?)

Alright. Enough with the pat on the back.  There’s a lot to do next year and we can’t wait to share our plans with you!

Fun Word Friday!

Posted by Emma on October 29, 2010 at 8:00 am. Fun Word Friday, Techy

Hi all. It’s that time of the week again! This week, we want to leave you with some fun “techy” words relating to pixel aspect ratio. Read the blog by Corey if you some more details.

What is a pixel? It is the smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a CRT screen. It’s really just a way of breaking down a picture into the smallest piece. Typically, the more pixels the better the resolution.

What does aspect ratio mean? It is the ratio of the width of the image to its height. In video, the most common aspect ratios are standard 4:3 (1.33:1) and widescreen 16:9 (1.78:1).

What is masking? It occurs when a director adds black bars to the top/bottom of the video in post-production. These black bars typically cover up booms or mics. It changes the ratio to 1.66:1.

What is pan and scan? It’s a way of adjusting widescreen movies so they can be shown on standard TV screens. It tends to cut out a large majority of the image.

What is letterbox? The process of transferring widescreen video to a standard screen while preserving the aspect ratio. The video has black bars above and below it.

Facebook: We’re On It!

Posted by Emma on October 20, 2010 at 9:00 am. Facebook, Techy

Where can you find CaptionMax? Just about everywhere. We’re on TV, on this website, on YouTube & Hulu, on our Twitter feed, and now on Facebook!

A snapshot of CaptionMax's Facebook page

Yes, we have started our very own facebook page, a place to call home and a way to communicate more easily with our many friends and fans. We want to kickoff our facebook page by giving you, our friends, the inside scoop and details.

Our Facebook Mission: This is where we can find and connect with the people we know. It is our tool for connecting our staff to our clients, advocating for accessibility rights, and keeping our clients and friends up-to-date with the latest news in our industry. Most importantly, it is a platform to unwind and enjoy meeting new people.

We want to create a page that is interesting, fun, and informative.  We are planning lots of fun stuff: polls, discussions, photos and video! Check it out and see what you think. There will be postings at least once a week.

Our posts and content will be based on our mission and we can’t wait to communicate with everyone and get in the facebook game. Now, check out our page and send us a comment! We want to hear from you!

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