X Productions: yell0w_f0x Edition

Karoke Lesson 4: In-depth Explanation of Template Lines + Hardsubbing

2009-02-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Now for the next lesson, a more in-depth look at template lines.

You may have noticed if you have experimented with the effects that you can do is that sometimes, the line moves with the syllable instead of the syllable only. This is due to the template line. Typing in "template line" in the effect field makes the syllable do the desired effect with respect to the entire line. (i.e.: the line moves sideways with the \fscx tag)

So say you wanted to make only the syllable move without affecting the line. This is where template modifiers come in. In "template line", the word 'line' is actually a template modifier.

So what are the different template modifiers? Here are some examples:

template syl - syl is the modifier, and instead of the effect affecting the entire line, it only affects the syllable.

Try this effect with a "template syl" modifier in the effect field and apply the karaoke template:

{\r\k$dur\t($start,$mid,\fscx130\fscy130)\($start,$mid,\fscx100\fscy100)}

What did you notice? Yes, the syllables are all bunched up in the center or to whichever alignment you assigned it in. To fix this, we need to set up its position properly.

{\r\k$dur\an5\pos($x,$y)\t($start,$mid,\fscx130\fscy130)\($start,$mid,\fscx100\fscy100)}

We added an alignment tag and the position tag. The pos($x,$y) will set each syllable to its respective position in the line. Now apply the karaoke template and see what happens. The syllables grow in place and return to normal but the line remains in its position without moving sidewards or upwards or downwards or whatsoever.

But wait, some of you might notice that there are somewhat big gaps in between each syllables. This can be fixed with resampling the screen resolution. Go to Subtitles > Resample Resoultion. A dialogue box should appear. Under resolution, click on "From Video" and click the OK button. This should be fixed now. Apply the karaoke template again and you should see that the syllables are now correctly placed.

Another template modifier is char.

template char - this time, instead of syllables, the effects will affect the character instead of the syllable.

Lets try with this example. First use "template syl" on this effect then use it with "template char" to see the difference between the two.

{\r\k$kdur\an5\pos($x,$y)\t($start,$end,\frz360)}

So what did you notice? Yes! Using syl, the syllable rotates 360 degrees (all characters together), but when using char, the characters rotate 360 degrees individually. The use of syl and char makes even more effects. Just experiment and you will discover new effects for the karaoke you're making. Have fun.

Next Time - Karaoke Lesson 5: More Template Modifiers

And for something extra, Hardsubbing.

There are various programs used for hardsubbing. But I use vdub or VirtualDub.

You can download it here: http://www.virtualdub.org/download.html

For applying the subtitles, I use a filter called VSFilter. You can get it here: http://www.dlldll.com/vsfilter.dll_download.html

This is a .dll file. Rename this .dll to .vdf and copy this into the Vdub plugins folder.

To apply the subs/karaoke effects into the video, open vdub. File > Open Video File... and choose the video in which you want the subs/karaoke to appear. Then go to Video > Filters... Click on Add.. in the new dialogue box and choose TextSub filter. Choose the .ass/.ssa file (the subs/karaoke) you want to add to the video. Now that the subs/karaoke have been added (you can check the output video to verify), go to File > Save as AVI... and just wait for the video to finish encoding. Oh, and don't forget to add some compression to the video unless you want a very large video size. Compression can be found under Video > Compression...

And there you have it.. XD

If you have questions, just comment here or something.

A Few Updates + Karaoke: Lesson 3

2009-02-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

First up: updates..

Shinsen has had me doing nothing for these past few weeks.. No new timing projects or anything.. And Kuroshitsuji 12 has been released. And again, I wasn't able to time it. Well, hopefully episode 13.. Or hopefully, just a new episode to time.

As for zorori-project, episode 32 is coming up so I'll have to get working on the karaoke effects for it..

And speaking of karaoke, here is the long awaited Karaoke Lesson 3: Template lines.. XD

Now that you have a basic timed karaoke, you will probably want to add a more appealing type of effect on it rather than have it simply change color. This is where template lines come in.

Sure, you can add the effects on the lines manually, but that costs time and too much effort will be wasted. And let's face it, if you make an error, it will be a hell of a job just looking for one mistake hidden in all those lines.

So what are template lines? These are simple codes which are used by the karatemplater to add group of effects to the karaoke.

First, lets start off with setting a line to be used as a template line. Important: The template line must always be the first lines of the project. It will not be read by the karatemplater if the template line is located in the center or the end.

First, insert a line before the start of the karaoke song. Then, check the comment box. Yes, this line is a comment. Then finally, in the effect field, type in "template line" and press the enter key.

Now that you have a template line, it is time to add the effect. a simple format of the effect would be: {[effects]}

Yes, its just as simple as that. Be sure that you have learned and mastered all the .ASS tags and know how they work and how they work with other tags. But, to refresh your memory, http://aegisub.cellosoft.com/docs/ASS_Tags , here it is again.

So now lets try a simple effect. Lets say, you want the syllable to change in size horizontally. Now what I'm going to use here is the transform tag \t. Again, the \t tag has the following properties: \t([time start],[time end],[ass tag]) the list of ASS tags that can be used with \t can also be found in the link above.

{\r\k$kdur\t($start,$end,\fscy150)}

Okay, explanation time. \r will reset the style to its original set style (it will not reset the style to the default arial and size 20 font style but rather to the style you set the karaoke on). \k$kdur will use the duration of the karaoke as the duration for the effect to last. And finally, \t($start,$end,\fscy150) will transform the syllable with a font scaling y-axis to 150 percent of its original size from the start of the duration to the end.

You might ask, what is it with the $. These are called in-line variables. They represent a value that is true within the line that the effect will be rendered in. Example: $start is the starting time of the duration of the karaoke syllable, while $end is obviously the ending time. For more info of these in-line variables, see this: http://aegisub.cellosoft.com/docs/Karaoke_Templater_Reference:_Inline_variables

Now that you have a code for the line, you are now ready to apply it. Click on Automation > Apply Karaoke Template

Now that the effects have been applied, you can now see the effects by playing it. The effect should be the syllable growing vertically in size.

Another example, this time, after growing, it will shrink back to its original size.

{\r\k$kdur\t($start,$mid,\fscy150)\t($mid,$end,\fscy100)}

Its the same effect, but this time, once it gets to the middle of the duration, it will shrink back to its original 100% size.

So now that you have learned template lines, feel free to experiment on what effects you can do. Maybe changing colors, rotating, fading. Feel free to ask question by posting a comment here.

P.S.: Note that when changing sizes, the lines kinda move with it. This will be covered in-depth in the next lesson.

Next lesson: And In-depth Explanation of Template Lines

(It covers the use of template modifiers)

I'm coming home

2009-01-25T00:34:00.000-08:00

Yupperz.. I'm going back to the Philippines in less than 24 hours.. XD

I'm gonna miss this cold winter season. T.T

But on the bright side, I'm gonna have DSL again. And, Kaiketsu Zorori 29 was released, and so episode 32 is just around the corner. That means work. Yay!! I get to work on making the Karaoke Effects for the new ending song. I can't wait. X3

And Kuroshitsuji 11 is also out. I didn't get to time it. T.T But I do hope to time episode 12..

But SHS made me time some Gunslinger Girl Il OVA 01.. It was rather interesting, but I wouldn't really know as I've never even watched GSG. |3

Timing WM03 + Kuroshitsuji Update

2009-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working on timing Wangan Midnight 03. Its been a while since I've been this busy. Last I recall was before christmas.

And for an update on Kuroshitsuji 11, apparently, according to the IRC channel, Pada, the translator of Kuro, was in an accident. So basically, this means that Kuroshitsuji will be delayed for an unknown period. So there you have it. X3

A New Project

2009-01-14T04:14:00.000-08:00

Ok. Its been a while since I last made a post in this blog.

So apparently, SHS has taken on a new project, or so I think, as they didn't really announce it on their site. Apparently, they just had me time Wangan Midnight Episodes 1 and 2. Basically, it's about cars and racing and stuff.

So there you have it. Another update.

BTW: If you haven't noticed, I put up a new video in my youtube channel. Its an AMV I made for the stepfile I had, namely Pekopon Shinryaku Ondo.

Happy New Year + Kuroshitsuji 10

2009-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

So.. another year passes by.. Happy New Year!!!

This is kinda a late update since i've finished timing Kuroshitsuji 10 ages ago.. But I still wanted to post the news..

Kuro 9 and Kuro 10 are out now, and I'm waiting to time Kuro 11 if i could..

Merry Christmas and Zenryoku Usagi

2008-12-25T04:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone...

Acru-fox asked me to fix the karaoke file i made for Zenryoku Usagi episode 13 this morning, and now, it has been released...

Check out the site for more info....

Full Metal Alchemist YouTube Vid

2008-12-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

I've just finished making the karaoke video for the 4th opening song+video of Full Metal Alchemist; Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation...

The lyrics were taken from animelyrics.com but I modified the english lyrics so that you can actually sing along to it.

Thanks goes to twistedfate213 @ LJ for Quality Check...

You can check it out from My YouTube Videos in the Sidebar or check out my Youtube Channel...

Kuroshitsuji 09 + Zenryoku Usagi

2008-12-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

I'm done timing Kuroshitsuji 09 but apparently, its release will kinda be a bit delayed. Check out the main site of Shinsen-subs for more information.

I'm also done with doing karaoke timing and karaoke effects for the opening and ending songs of Zenryoku Usagi. Don't forget to check it out once the episode is released. :3

Edit: Check it out now.. Zenryoku Usagi

Kuroshitsuji 08 Released

2008-12-13T02:36:00.000-08:00

Kuroshitsuji 08 is released and available for download from shinsen-subs' main site already.. This episode was timed by yell0w_f0x, which is me, and Vincent, the Boss...

New YouTube Video

2008-12-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

I recently uploaded one of my karaoke videos in youtube.

Here's a link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhLX_wyKft0

Its the second opening song to Hunter x Hunter..

Title is Taiyou wa Yoru no Kagayaku (The Sun Also Shines At Night)

by Wino.. It can also be found on the My YouTube Videos widget on

the sidebar...

I'm also working on another video, Rewrite, which is the

4th opening song of Full Metal Alchemist by Asian

Kung-fu Generation..

I'm also working on a karaoke project for Zorori-Project.

It's for the opening and ending songs of Zenryoku Usagi

I'll be done with it soon as I have finished doing the opening

song to it.

Kuroshitsuji 8

2008-12-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

Just finished timing Kuroshitsuji Episode 08 for Shinsen-subs..

Its the continuation of the Demon Dog Story. Apparently, the 4 useless servants of Ciel Phantomhive play a bit of a larger role in this episode..

Anyways, I'm planning on taking on timing episode 09 if no one else grabs it by tomorrow.

Kaiketsu Zorori Episode 22

2008-12-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

Its been a while.. Well, here it is.. My karaoke effects for the Anime Kaiketsu Zorori..

This is episode 22 of the series..

http://www.crunchyroll.com/media-495566/Kaiketsu-Zorori-Episode-22.html

I did the opening song, the insert suppoko song, and the ending song for this episode.

You could also download this from the main site::

http://zorori-project.niceboard.net/

Karaoke: Lesson 2

2008-11-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

Lesson 2: Making karaoke easier

You just learned the basics of the karaoke tags, and after practicing a bit with a song, you kind it hard and time consuming to listen to the song and to make the estimations for the [duration] of the tag.

And easier way to do this is to use the Audio section of Aegisub. Use spectrum mode to make it easier to distinguish between syllables.

Just click on the karaoke button to enter karaoke mode. Use the Split button to split the words into syllables and and drag the yellow dotted lines to adjust the syllable's duration. When finished, click on the Commit Button to commit all changes.

That concludes Lesson 2. Next Lesson: Template Lines

For questions and other stuff, just comment on this post.

Karaoke: Lesson 1

2008-11-20T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I shall explain and give out some tips and pointers in making karaoke files. I assume that you are using Aegisub with Automation 4.0.

LESSON 1: The Basics of \k

To make make a karaoke from the given line, we use the {\k[duration]} tag. The [duration] is the time in centiseconds. \k is used to change the color of the text from secondary to its primary color. For more info about ASS tags, check out http://aegisub.cellosoft.com/docs/ASS_Tags

Example, we have a line composed to the following words "yume o miru" without the quotation marks. To make a karaoke that changes the font color from red(default) to white(default) for a specific time, we use the {\k} tag

{\k20}yu{\k30}me {\k20}o {\k25}mi{\k50}ru

As you can see, this means that the syllables will change colors within the specified duration. "yu" will change its color then wait for 20 centiseconds before going to the next syllable. "me" will change its color then wait 30 centiseconds before going to the next syllable and so on.

There are also other tags used that is a variation of the original {\k[duration]} tag. These are the {\kf[duration]}, {\K[duration]}, and {\ko[duration]}. \kf and \K are the same. Instead of change the color instantaneously, they change the color from the leftmost edge of the syllable to the rightmost edge for the duration. \ko is the same as \k only that instead of the fill color, the outline color is changed.

That concludes lesson 1 for creating karaoke. Next Lesson: Making karaoke easier

Stepmania

2008-11-20T06:10:00.000-08:00

I've got some stepfiles I made for Stepmania. They can be found at www.benaistyle.com

Here's what I have so far:

Naruto Shippuuden OP4: Closer - Joe Inuoe
Bleach OP9: Velonica - Aqua Timez
Kuroshitsuji ED1: I'm Alive - BECCA
Kaiketsu Zorori ED2: Owari no Uta
Keroro Gunsou ED2: Pekopon Shinryaku Ondo - Ondo Girl meets Keroro Shoutai

I'm gonna add more soon, that is when I get the time.

But feel free to make some requests if you like.

Just comment here if you've got requests you'd like to make.

I'll try to get to them as soon as I can.

Shinsen-subs Timer

2008-11-20T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm one of the new timers for Shinsen-subs.

I'm already done with my first task and I'm hoping to do more work.

Irashaimase

2008-11-20T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yo..

This serves as my first post to my blog. I don't really think that I'll be able to keep this blog updated, but I'll try my best. I'll be using this blog to post my stuff (e.g.: wallpapers, videos, pictures, etc.)