What does frame gap mean when creating subtitles?
Thread poster: marijaflora
marijaflora
marijaflora
Australia
Local time: 18:46
Bosnian to English
+ ...
Nov 10, 2020

If frame gap refers to a gap between each subtitle line, why would anyone want this when often people talk in continuous sentences/paragraphs without any pauses in speech?

Also, do the gaps correlate with time periods? E.g., does a two frame gap mean two second gap?

Thank you


 
Kristopher Brame
Kristopher Brame  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:46
Member (2018)
German to English
+ ...
Frames are not the same as seconds Nov 10, 2020

You can check the properties of the video to see how many frames are in each second, but there are quite a few. So 2 frames just makes up a tiny bit of each second. A 2 frame gap between subtitles is actually really quick and isn't a problem for continuous speech. A 2 second gap would be a problem. Definitely don't do that.

Zibow Retailleau
Jules De Moor
Shila Hou
 
Jocelin Meunier
Jocelin Meunier  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 08:46
English to French
+ ...
To ease the reading Nov 10, 2020

Gaps are important in the sense that they allow a better reading. Let's say some character talks for a long time, how do you pack it all in one subtitle? The end result would be that half the screen is filled with text. So, long speeches need to be separated into several subtitles.
As Kristohper said, a frame is a short period, a fraction of a second. If this makes sense, imagine that a two-frame break is the equivalent of quickly taking your breath during a speech. It's the same in subtit
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Gaps are important in the sense that they allow a better reading. Let's say some character talks for a long time, how do you pack it all in one subtitle? The end result would be that half the screen is filled with text. So, long speeches need to be separated into several subtitles.
As Kristohper said, a frame is a short period, a fraction of a second. If this makes sense, imagine that a two-frame break is the equivalent of quickly taking your breath during a speech. It's the same in subtitling, we avoid subtitles that go for too long or are too bloated so that it's comfortable to read, and frame gaps are the tools we use to divide a speech.
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Kang Seok Lee
Monica Paolillo
Zibow Retailleau
Jules De Moor
Shila Hou
 
Monica Paolillo
Monica Paolillo
Italy
Local time: 08:46
English to Italian
+ ...
Agree with previous answers Nov 15, 2020

Hi, Jenny. It seems to me that you must be new to subtitling. As other colleagues explained, 2 frames are just a very tiny fraction for a second. Just do the maths: in PAL videos there are as many as 25 frames per second. In NTSC there are even more (29.97), so it's just an interval of two frames (imagine two pictures you take with your camera) between subs without which the reading would look too continuous and heavy on the eye.

Hope this is clear to you now.

For your
... See more
Hi, Jenny. It seems to me that you must be new to subtitling. As other colleagues explained, 2 frames are just a very tiny fraction for a second. Just do the maths: in PAL videos there are as many as 25 frames per second. In NTSC there are even more (29.97), so it's just an interval of two frames (imagine two pictures you take with your camera) between subs without which the reading would look too continuous and heavy on the eye.

Hope this is clear to you now.

For your information, frame gaps are just one of the many parameters you need to bear in mind in professional subtitling that have to do with:

- Accurate IN and OUT times, time to audio
– Frame rate management – Smart text condensation
– Speech rhythm compliance – Number of characters per line
– Number of lines per subtitle
– Frame interval between subtitles
– Minimum and maximum exposure
– Reading speed
– Syntax division
– Working around shot and scene changes
– Other individual aspects to consider based on the particular AV content

All of the above put together make sure subtitles are readable within their short exposure times and that's why subtitling should be left to professionals.
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Zibow Retailleau
Shila Hou
 
marijaflora
marijaflora
Australia
Local time: 18:46
Bosnian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you to all Nov 15, 2020

Thank you to everyone for your help.

 
freezone (X)
freezone (X)
United Arab Emirates
explained Nov 16, 2020

I was wondering the same thing. It was explained simply here. Thanks!

marijaflora
 


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What does frame gap mean when creating subtitles?







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