This workflow is particularly useful when working with foreign languages. The addition of subtitles makes it possible for an editor not familiar with the language to put together a film. This process can be applied to projects using full-resolution\/online versions of clips, or low-resolution\/offline versions (ProRes Proxy).<\/p>\n
Step 1:
\nCreate a new bin and sequence<\/h3>\n
A. In FCP, create a new bin in your project to keep copies of the clips to be translated and subtitled: File > New > Bin. Name the bin \u201cFor Translation.\u201d<\/p>\n
B. Create a new sequence in the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin:<\/p>\n 1. Choose a clip that needs to be translated from your project. Example: We named our clip \u201cInterview Clinic Director 03\u201d and named the sequence \u201cClinic Director 03.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n C. Overwrite-Edit the clip to be translated on to V1 and A1\/A2 at the very start of the new sequence in the timeline.<\/p>\n Tip: You can also export a clip directly from FCP without putting it in a sequence to be prepped, which will produce the same result: A sequence that includes the clip on V1 and the subtitle on V2. Creating the sequence now and prepping the clips is a best practice.<\/em><\/p>\n A. Insert the \u201cTimecode Reader\u201d filter on the sequence by selecting the timeline window with the appropriate sequence and choosing Effects > Video Filters > Video > Timecode Reader.<\/p>\n B. Tweak the filter\u2019s parameters and copy it to your \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin for use on other translations:<\/p>\n 1. Double-click the clip in video track 1 (V1) in the \u201cTimeline\u201d to load the clip into the \u201cViewer\u201d window. Tip: Having timecode \u201cburnt\u201d onto the video file can be very useful. It can serve as a reference to crosscheck when importing subtitles and when collaborating or sharing low-res (raw) clips from a project. The presence of timecode on a clip reminds people (including opinionated clients) that the clip is for reference only and not ready for general public distribution.<\/em><\/p>\n C. Do a rough mix of the audio in the sequence to ensure that the translator can hear the audio clearly. We isolated the mic on track A1 for the interviewee and kept the interviewer\u2019s mic on track A2, only at the open and close of the clip so we had context for the interview content.<\/p>\n A. Set In-and-Out points at the start and end of the clip in the sequence. The accuracy of the In-and-Out points is vital to having your subtitles sync to this clip later on:<\/p>\n 1. Click on the clip in the video track (V1) in the sequence. B. Export the sequence by selecting File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion:<\/p>\n 1. When the \u201cSave\u201d dialog appears, choose \u201cOptions\u201d from the lower-left corner of the box to open the \u201cMovie Settings\u201d dialog. – Video Settings –<\/strong> – Sound Settings –<\/strong> – Deselect<\/strong> \u201cPrepare for Internet streaming\u201d<\/p>\n Tip: There are modern video compression types such as H.264. As beautiful and compact as the newer compression codecs are, they are also processor intensive during playback. On some computers, especially older ones, this can adversely affect the performance of InqScribe, causing the video to skip or the audio to drop out. We found the Photo – JPEG compression to be more reliable, even on older PCs.<\/em><\/p>\n A. Create a sub-bin inside of your \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin and name it \u201cSubtitle Templates:\u201d<\/p>\n 1. Select the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin and control-click on the title and choose, \u201cNew Bin\u201d from the drop-down menu. B. Create a new sequence in the \u201cSubtitle Templates\u201d bin:<\/p>\n 1. Select the \u201cSubtitle Templates\u201d bin and control-click on the title and choose \u201cNew Sequence\u201d from the drop-down menu. C. Add a single Text Generator and adjust the text generator font, settings, etc.:<\/p>\n 1. In the \u201cBrowser\u201d window, click on the \u201cEffects\u201d tab. Here are some recommended settings:<\/strong><\/p>\n Font: Arial Narrow D. Overwrite-Edit the Outline Text video generator from the \u201cBrowser\u201d window into the very beginning of the sequence timeline.<\/p>\n InqScribe can export certain types of XML files that FCP 7 can display as subtitled text on top of your original video clip. But first, you need to define a template of the text for InqScribe in a format that matches your project. Refer to InqScribe’s detailed support document on creating a FCP 7 subtitle template<\/a> when troubleshooting any template issues.<\/p>\n A. Choose the subtitle template sequence located in the \u201cSubtitle Templates\u201d bin (\u201c1920x1080_23.98fps_Template01,\u201d in our example). Control-click on the title and choose \u201cExport > XML…\u201d from the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n B. Select \u201cApple XML Interchange Format, version 1\u201d in the export dialog box.<\/p>\n C. Click \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n D. If prompted, Save the project.<\/p>\n E. You\u2019ll then be prompted to save the XML file. For this example, lets call it \u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeTemplate.xml.\u201d<\/p>\n In most cases, transcription work is performed by someone other than the filmmaker. The beauty of InqScribe is that it is so easy to use even people who have never subtitled or transcribed before can get the job done efficiently. By marking timecodes for each short phrase, the translator creates the subtitles in InqScribe as well.<\/p>\n It is best to keep the instructions to the translator as simple as possible; you want him\/her to focus on translating, not the technical issues. In the next step, the filmmaker will open the translator’s InqScribe file (.inqscr) and make any necessary adjustments. For our workflow, the exchange between translator and filmmaker looks like this:<\/p>\n A. The filmmaker sends the timecode burn-in reference movie and notes to the translator (in our example, the timecode burn-in reference video file that was exported in Step 3):<\/p>\n 1. Use a service like Google Drive or Dropbox instead of email to send the video files. B. The translator launches InqScribe, imports the timecode burn-in reference video, and sets the frame rate of the video (see details below).<\/p>\n C. The translator transcribes the video making sure to put timecode stamps after each short phrase. You want to break up the transcription into many pieces for the purpose of subtitles.<\/p>\n D. After the translator is finished transcribing the video clip, only the .inqscr translated file needs to be sent back to the filmmaker (this file is usually small enough to be attached to an email). Having the source .insqscr file allows you to make last minute tweaks and troubleshoot any exchange issues that may arise.<\/p>\n This step picks up after the initial transcription is complete, and assumes that the translator has delivered the completed transcript with plenty of timecode stamps to break up the text into small phrases for subtitles. The filmmaker will repeat many of the steps in InqScribe that the translator has done, just to ensure that everything is in order for the FCP XML export:<\/p>\n A. Launch InqScribe and open the transcript.<\/p>\n B. Be sure the frame rate matches your project:<\/p>\n 1. Select the \u201cTranscript Setting\u201d button on the top right of the InqScribe interface. C. Set the Media start time to match the timecode window burn on your video clip:<\/p>\n 1. Open the Media Source dialog: Media> Select Media Source. D. Match the timecode in the transcript to the video timecode. For example, if your transcript timecodes start 0:00:00.00, but the time stamp starts at 0:01:12.00, then you want to adjust the transcript’s timecodes to match your clip’s time.<\/p>\n 1. Open the \u201cTranscript Settings\u201d dialog: Transcript > Adjust Timecodes. NOTE: Unfortunately, FCP can run into problems if the timecode is greater than 12 hours (eg. 12:09:22:15). If the timecode is greater than 12 hours, apply steps C and D AFTER the transcript is exported<\/strong> as an FCP XML.<\/p>\n Tip: Before exporting an XML file, it\u2019s often a good idea to make sure that the timecodes provided by the translator are not out of sequence (this actually happens fairly often) by exporting as HTML first<\/a>. E. Export the FCP 7 XML:<\/p>\n 1. In InqScribe, select File > Export > Final Cut Pro XML to open the export dialog. Tip: Before leaving InqScribe, it\u2019s a good idea to also export a tab-delimited version of the transcript<\/a> with the proper timecode that is burnt into the timecode window. This can be matched against camera recorded timecode for referencing clips in the future. Again, if your timecode was greater than 12 hours, go back and set the timecode following steps C and D before exporting the tab-delimited version. A. Open your FCP project. 1. In the \u201cBrowser\u201d window, open the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin. 3. Title this bin \u201cSubtitles Temp.\u201d<\/p>\n C. Import the subtitles XML exported from InqScribe (created in Step 6):<\/p>\n 1. Choose File > Import > XML… and select the exported XML (\u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeExport.xml,\u201d in our example). NOTE: In FCP, the XML file exported from InqScribe is renamed automatically to the original template name with the word \u201cInqScribe\u201d at the end and placed in the main project window. For example: \u201c1920x1080_23.98fps_Template01_InqScribe.”<\/p>\n D. Rename this file to what it was when exported from InqScribe by selecting the filename in the FCP project and replacing with: \u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeExport.\u201d A. Open the subtitle sequence you placed in the \u201cSubtitles Temp\u201d bin by double-clicking the title (\u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeExport,\u201d in our example) and prep the subtitles to be copied and pasted onto your video clip sequence:<\/p>\n 1. With the subtitle sequence open, make sure the first frame of the subtitle is extended all the way to the very beginning of the sequence (this will ensure that the sequence stays in sync when copied).<\/p>\n 2. Create a new video layer by control-clicking on the far left-hand column in the \u201cTimeline\u201d window above the \u201cV1\u201d label in this sequence and choose \u201cAdd Track\u201d from the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n B. Place the selected subtitle slides on top of the video clip sequence:<\/p>\n 1. Open the video sequence to be subtitled from the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin in Step 1. In our example, the sequence \u201cInterview Clinic Director 03\u201d is located in the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin. C. With the \u201cTimecode Reader\u201d filter still active on the original video clip in video track 1 of your sequence (V1), you can cross-reference the timecode with the timecode marks in your original InqScribe transcription to make sure that everything matches.<\/p>\n D. Once you have everything lined up in the sequence, you can hide the \u201cTimecode Reader\u201d filter:<\/p>\n 1. Double click the clip in video track 1 (V1) in the \u201cTimeline\u201d window to load the clip in the \u201cViewer\u201d window. E. For each additional clip\/interview that you need subtitled, you can repeat most of the steps above, re-using the XML template created in Step 3.<\/p>\n Once your subtitled sequence is completed in FCP, you can play through the sequence, tweak the subtitles and drop markers to designate \u201cSubclips\u201d that you want to highlight within the clip to organize the content. When ready, you can mark In and Out points from segments of this sequence and edit them into your main edit sequence as you begin to build your film.<\/p>\n As stated earlier, this tutorial is based on an on-line\/full-resolution workflow. If you plan on using an off-line workflow (such as logging and capturing offline RT first and then converting to a higher ProRes later) the workflow is the same, except you will need to conform the sequence to the full <\/em>resolution media. The beauty of this FCP\/InqScribe workflow is that it relies on FCP\u2019s text generator, which will rebuild the subtitles to match the resolution of whatever FCP sequence you copy and paste them into (no re-exporting from InqScribe\/FCP required).<\/p>\n Read more about:<\/strong> \u2022 FCP7 Offline\/Online workflows<\/a>.<\/p>\n For additional support on using InqScribe and Final Cut Pro, review the FCP section of the InqScribe online user guide<\/a> and the FCP section of the InqScribe Knowledge Base<\/a>.<\/p>\n Good subtitle work is subtle and done in a way that doesn’t distract from the emotion of the story. Here are a few tips to turn you into a subtitling master in FCP:<\/p>\n Hey Chad, do you like these subtitles? The timing and cadence of subtitles is an art in and of itself and goes hand-in-hand with the video edit. Because of this, the final touches on your subtitles will most likely be done back in FCP as your film editing and post-production process unfolds. As other elements are added (SFX, music, etc.), you may need to finesse the duration of one title, break another into shorter ones, or stack lines on top of each other. That\u2019s really the beauty of this system: Once the titles are in FCP you can edit the text and duration without any loss in quality to the text or the video.<\/p>\n I certainly hope this tutorial has been helpful. As always, there are many different workflows and methods to get the job done. Regardless of method, I hope this tutorial has impressed upon you the importance of taking the time to be organized during each step of any workflow. As beginning filmmakers, you will be required to wear multiple hats (director, editor, producer, etc.) and staying organized is the only way to efficiently balance all of these tasks, especially as your projects get bigger.<\/p>\n![\"InqScribe](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-c0yYEPyCMJM\/UquL9_VZ20I\/AAAAAAAAAO4\/GPvSl8JJNsg\/w751-h648-no\/ScreenShotInqscribe_01AB.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. Select the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin and then choose File > New > Sequence.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n <\/em><\/p>\nStep 2:
\nPrep the sequence for export<\/h3>\n
\n2. Choose the \u201cFilters\u201d tab in the viewer window for filter settings. We chose these \u201cTimecode Reader\u201d settings: \u201cSize\u201d = 12, \u201cCenter\u201d = 0 – 468.5.
\n3. Apply the filter by dragging it from the viewer into your \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3:
\nExport the sequence into a low-resolution clip for transcription<\/h3>\n
\n2. With the clip selected, choose Mark > Mark Selection.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. Settings will largely be dependent on the native format of the video you are editing in FCP. In our example, the native format is 1080p 23.98fps – audio at 48khz. To downsize from this widescreen aspect ratio we used these settings:<\/p>\n
\nCompression Type: Photo – JPEG
\nDepth: Color
\nFrame Rate: \u201cCurrent\u201d fps
\nQuality: Medium
\nVideo Size > Dimensions: Custom 320×180<\/p>\n
\nFormat: Linear PCM
\nChannels: Mono
\nRate 48.000 kHz
\nRender Quality: Normal
\nLinear PCM Settings – Sample Size: 16 bits (Little Endian)<\/p>\nStep 4:
\nCreate subtitle template and organize bins and sequences<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n2. Select the new bin and name it \u201cSubtitle Templates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n2. Open the \u201cSubtitle Templates\u201d bin and rename this new sequence using the same name as the <\/a>format of your project. In our example: \u201c1920x1080_23.98fps_Template01.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n2. Open the \u201cVideo Generator\u201d folder by clicking on the disclosure triangle.
\n3. Open the \u201cText\u201d tab by clicking on the disclosure triangle.
\n4. Double-click the “Outline Text” generator.
\n5. Choose the \u201cControls\u201d tab from the \u201cViewer\u201d window to set the characteristics.<\/p>\n
\nStyle: Plain
\nAlignment: Center
\nSize: 23
\nTracking: 3
\nLeading: 0
\nAspect: 1
\nLine Width: 50
\nLine Softness: 38
\nCenter: 0, 326 (You may need to adjust the center Y point depending on the size of your movie)
\nText Color: White
\nLine Color: Black<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 5:
\nSave the sequence<\/h3>\n
\n
\nStep 6:
\nExport the subtitle template sequence as an XML template for use in InqScribe<\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 7:
\nSend the file to the transcriptionist<\/h3>\n
\n2. If possible, send notes to the translator to provide some background on each clip, such as who the person is in relation to your film, an overview of the questions asked, the setting, etc.<\/p>\nStep 8:
\nExport FCP XML from InqScribe<\/h3>\n
\n2. Select the correct frame rate from the transcript settings dialog.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. In the dialog box, choose \u201cStart at Custom Time:\u201d from the \u201cTimecode\u201d drop-down, and type in the timecode that is burnt on the opening frame of your video file. This setting will ensure that any new timecode marks you put in will match your timecode.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. Choose the \u201cAdd\u201d option from the drop-down menu and enter the start time from your video clip’s timecode burn-in window into the timecode field. If your transcript timecode doesn’t starts at 0:00, then enter the difference between the transcript timecode and the clip’s timecode.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\n2. Click the \u201cLoad From File…\u201d button in the export dialog to choose the template file that was exported from FCP (\u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeTemplate.xml,\u201d in our example).
\n3. In the \u201cTarget\u201d field, rename the file so you can easily find it (\u201cClinicDirector_InqScribeExport.xml”). Click the \u201cExport\u201d button.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\nStep 9:
\nImport the Subtitles XML from InqScribe into FCP 7<\/h3>\n
\nB. Create a new sub bin in the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin of your project and title it \u201cSubtitles Temp.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n2. In the \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin control-click on an empty area in the far left column and choose \u201cNew Bin\u201d from the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. Leave the default settings and click \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nE. Drag the clip into your \u201cSubtitles Temp\u201d sub bin located in your \u201cFor Translation\u201d bin.<\/p>\nStep 10:
\nSync the original video clip to your subtitles<\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\n3. Select all of the subtitle slides by choosing Edit > Select All and click -drag them to video track 2 (V2). Be sure that all of the titles are selected and that the selection is kept in sync to the opening of the sequence (there should be no gap between the opening of the sequence and the start of the first subtitle).
\n4. With all of the titles still selected, choose Edit > Copy.<\/p>\n
\n2. Create a second video track on the video sequence by control-clicking on the far left-hand column in the \u201cTimeline\u201d window, above the track \u201cV1\u201d label and choose \u201cAdd Track\u201d from the drop-down menu.
\n3. Move the timeline play head to the beginning of the sequence in the \u201cTimeline\u201d window by selecting the \u201cTimeline\u201d window and choosing Mark > Go to > Beginning.
\n4. With the play head at the beginning of the sequence (to keep in sync) paste the subtitles by choosing Edit >Paste. The subtitles should insert on video track 2 (V2) above the video on (V1).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2. Choose the \u201cFilters\u201d tab in the viewer window and uncheck the box next to \u201cTimecode Reader.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 The process of using the \u201cMedia Tool\u201d in FCP7 to conform ProRes Proxy media to Full-res media in your project<\/a>. (PDF)<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
A final word about subtitles<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n-Yes, of course I do, Ben. Thanks for asking!<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/a><\/em>About the author<\/strong>
\nChad Braham is a media producer<\/a> with over 13 years of professional broadcast and multimedia experience. He freelances as a videographer, video editor, and audio producer on projects ranging from :30 TV spots to documentary films. When not spending his days and nights in a dark editing bay, Chad (for some reason) enjoys following the Chicago Cubs.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We occasionally feature guest bloggers who can offer insights into different workflows. For the beginning documentary filmmaker, managing…\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,3,9,13],"tags":[82,87,109,125,175,180,219,220],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.inquirium.net\/inqscribe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}