Timing: the basics
A subtitle should appear as someone starts speaking and leave as they stop. The waveform shows where the speech is, so timing is mostly lining each subtitle up with the sound.
What the waveform shows
The bars under the video are the sound. Loud parts rise, silence stays flat. Speech shows up as clusters of tall bars with gaps between sentences, so you can see where each phrase begins and ends without listening again. Keep the sound on screen while you time.
Where a subtitle starts and ends
A subtitle belongs on screen while its words are spoken:
- Start just before the first word, so the eye reaches the text as the voice arrives.
- End just after the last word, so the text doesn't vanish while the person is still speaking.
- Stay long enough to read. A short line can go quickly; a long one needs more time. The quality check flags lines that are too fast for their length.
- Don't overlap the next subtitle unless the two people really talk over each other.
Snapping does the rough work
Dragging by hand is slower than it looks. Snapping pulls an edge onto a target when it gets close:
- Neighbours. A subtitle meets the next one exactly, with no gap and no overlap. Good for back-and-forth dialogue.
- Frames. The edge lands on a video frame, the precision most broadcast specs ask for.
- Seconds. A rough grid for a first pass.
- Scenes. A subtitle doesn't hang over a cut.
Change the target as the job changes: seconds for a first pass, frames for the final check.
The keypad finishes it
When an edge is close but not exact, nudge it. Each press moves by one step. The 7 and 1 keys move the start, the 9 and 3 keys move the end, and the 5 key selects the subtitle under the playhead.
Undo freely
A whole drag, or a nudge key held down, is a single step back. If a change is wrong, press Ctrl+Z and try again.
Common mistakes
- Starting late. The first word is missed because the subtitle appears after the speaker has begun.
- Ending late. The next speaker starts while the previous line is still up, and two lines compete on screen.
- Dragging into a neighbour. A neighbour glued to that edge moves with it, so check the one beside it.
- Crossing a cut. A line that runs over a shot change looks wrong. Snap to scenes to catch it.
Next steps
Once the rough timing is right, check reading speed and line length, then read the timing reference for every shortcut and snap setting.