Need help with Encore subtitles

[nacho_tononi]

I am having trouble when trying to import .txt subtitles in Adobe Encore CS6.

First of all, i save my .srt file as .txt UTF-8. However, when I import it, it says it doesn't find any text lines

[Stan Jones]

Paste in the first 4 or 5 lines of your file here.

[nacho_tononi]

the file starts like this

2

00:01:13,873 --> 00:01:15,541

Come on, go, go, go.

3

00:01:17,110 --> 00:01:18,277

Move, move, move.

4

00:01:50,844 --> 00:01:51,844

<i>Get down! Get down!</i>

[Stan Jones]

See this:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/encore/cs/using/WSbaf9cd7d26a2eabfe807401038582db29-7ea2a.html

Their example looks like this for a  text script.

1 00;00;02;02 00;00;03;15 The cat never came back.

Yours should look more like this.

2 00:01:13,873 00:01:15,541 Come on, go, go, go.

However, see the section called "Timecode Format."

With the colons in yours, I assume you are PAL?

The commas in yours suggests your script is using "time format" instead of "time code." Encore does not handle time format and requires time code.

I don't know if Encore will handle the italics notation. Let us know.

[nacho_tononi]

i tried writing it like you said but indeed, it didn't work.

1 00;00;12;713 00;00;14;704 EN 1992, EL EJÉRCITO SERBIO INVADIÓ BOSNIA.

2 00;00;14;815 00;00;16;874 COMENZÓ UNA GUERRA CON GRANDES MASACRES DE CIVILES

3 00;00;16;984 00;00;19;384 EN NOMBRE DE LA LIMPIEZA ÉTNICA.

4 00;00;35;702 00;00;38;000 MÁS DE 200.000 MUERTES EN EL GENOCIDIO.

5 00;00;38;071 00;00;41;598 MÁS QUE EN CUALQUIER OTRO CONFLICTO EUROPEO DESDE LA SEGUNDA GUERRA MUNDIAL.

6 00;01;08;835 00;01;11;099 EN 1995, INTERVINIERON LAS FUERZAS MILITARES DE EE.UU.

7 00;01;11;169 00;01;12;170 Y SUS ALIADOS DE OTAN.

So, i ended up downloading and doing what neil wilkes​ said. However, that program won't read .mp4 so i have to copy and paste the time code and words without visual reference. But hey.. it's something!

Once i finish editing and everything works, i'll let you know.

[Stan Jones · Accepted solution]

The 713 (milliseconds in the time format) is not correct for time code format.

From the very end of the Timecode Format section in the link above:

To convert Time format to timecode, you need to convert milliseconds (zzz) to frames (ff). The formula is:

NTSC: Frame # = (milliseconds x 29.97) ÷ 1000

PAL: Frame # = (milliseconds x 25) ÷ 1000

[neil wilkes]

I would recommend that you use the superb - and free - Subtitle Edit tool, as this will spit out what you need to import directly into Encore.

The trouble with writing a UTF-8 or any other text file is - as Stan points out - highly dependent on the correct formatting, and with UTF8 I could never get the tab/colon/space options correct. Subtitle Edit will handle the formatting for you - all you have to do is load the film, keep your existing UTF8 file open & copy/paste where needed