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The script for Moetan Volume 4 is done. It contains episodes 5.5, 6, and 7. I used the scripts of Lolidan for episodes 6 and 7 and Morally Bankrupt Translations for episode 5.5. Episode 5.5 is a recap episode that describes the characters and reviews all the previous Moetan Corner segments up to that episode. There’s nothing really special in the recap.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2	Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4	Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8	Screenshot 9

The script for Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- Volume 1 is finally done. It contains episode 1 only. I used the script from the online video at FUNimation for this release. I changed the positions of the signs and the colors of the subtitles to match the styles found in my other scripts. I also added the romaji for the opening and ending. Everything else should be the same as in the online video.

The timing of the script might be weird to some. There are a lot of times where lines would bleed over into the next scene. I’m not sure if FUNimation times their scripts that way or not. I didn’t fix them since I wanted to keep it as close as possible to the original.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2	Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4	Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8	Screenshot 9

The revised script for Tetsuwan Birdy Decode Volume 1 is now ready to be downloaded. It contains episode 1 only. I used the script of EMiNA Fansubs for this release. This is mainly a name fix for some of the characters. Also, a few lines were retimed to flow better with the scenes. There isn’t a huge difference between this revised script and the original.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Check out the screenshots from the earlier post to see the finished DVD.

The script for Strike Witches Volume 3 is finally done. It contains episodes 5 and 6. I used the scripts of Strike Subs for this release. I also included the script for the extras on the DVD which are the creditless endings being sung by the various voice actresses. This time the first one is done by the voice actresses of Lucchini and Shirley. The second one is by the voice actresses of Sanya and Eila.

This volume contains the uncensored episode 6. If you’re a Sanya fan, this is the episode you must see. You can check out the differences from the censored version from the various screenshots at Sankaku Complex and the abyss. The images in these links are very NSFW.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2	Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4	Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8	Screenshot 9

The revised script for Strike Witches OVA is now available. It has subtitles for the original promotional video and now also the video about the Strike Witches’ base. I used the script from Nekomimi Fansub for the new part.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2	Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4	Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8	Screenshot 9

The script for Tetsuwan Birdy Decode Volume 2 is finally done. It contains episodes 2 and 3. I used the scripts of EMiNA Fansubs for this release. It took me longer than I expected since I had to retime all the lines and add new lead-ins and lead-outs to them. I also fixed the names of a few characters.

Expect a huge delay for the next volume in this series. I need to catch up on other projects that I’m currently working on. Also, count on a revised script for volume 1 since I need to change the names in that one too.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2	Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4	Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8	Screenshot 9

The fade effect is used to apply a transitional effect on subtitles. It changes the contrast but not the color of subtitles. A common use of the fade effect allows subtitles to fade in or fade out with a scene. An example of this is seen here. This fade out effect was made with Muxman with help from Aegisub for the subtitles and timing. This tutorial will show you how to create these fade effects.

Software used

Aegisub

Avisynth 2.5

DGIndex

Muxman Professional

Notepad

Procedure

Download the latest Avisynth 2.5 and install it. Also, download the latest DGIndex which is part of the DGMPGDec package and extract its contents to a directory. Now demux your DVD with PgcDemux. Start DGIndex, select File > Open, and select the video file (m2v file) that was created when you demuxed your DVD. You should see some video on the screen. Next, select File > Save Project and type in a name for the index file (d2v file). Wait a few minutes for the program to index the video file. Finally, close DGIndex when the indicator on the time line reaches the end.

DGIndex after Opening a Video File

Now, we need to create a script file for Avisynth. Start Notepad and copy the text below into it. Replace the “…” with the path to the location of the file. Save the text file with the file extension “avs”.

LoadPlugin(“...\DGDecode.dll”)
MPEG2Source(“...\VideoFile.d2v”)

Avisynth Script File for This Tutorial

Start Aegisub and load your subtitle script. Load your Avisynth script file (avs file) as your video file through the menu Video > Open Video. Next, select the line number that you want to apply the fade effect. For a fade in, the subtitle will go from being transparent to opaque. A fade out is the opposite as it goes from opaque to transparent. Decide which effect(s) you want to use on that subtitle.

Fade Out in Aegisub

First, switch the display to Frame instead of Time. With the line still selected, advance the video one frame at a time until you see the video start to fade out or become transparent. Remember that frame number. Move the video forward and backward to verify that you have selected the correct frame. Now subtract the current frame from the End Time in frames of that line. The difference will be the duration of the fade out in frames. Write down this number for the fade out unless you want to repeat the whole process again. I usually write it as a comment on the same line number in Aegisub.

Determining the Duration of a Fade Out in Aegisub

In the example above, the fade out in the video begins at frame 138. The current line ends at frame 151. Subtract 138 from 151, which is 13, to get the duration of the fade out. I also put 13 frames for the fade out as a comment by putting my note between the curly brackets.

Fade In in Aegisub

First, switch the display to Frame instead of Time. With the line still selected, advance the video one frame at a time until the video becomes entirely solid and no other transparencies are visible. Remember that frame number. Move the video forward and backward to verify that you have selected the correct frame. Now subtract the Start Time in frames of that line from the current frame. The difference will be the duration of the fade in in frames. Write down this number for the fade in unless you want to repeat the whole process again. I usually write it as a comment on the same line number in Aegisub.

Determining the Duration of a Fade In in Aegisub

In the example above, the fade in in the video stops at frame 126. The current line starts at frame 112. Subtract 112 from 126, which is 14, to get the duration of the fade in. I also put 14 frames for the fade in as a comment by putting my note between the curly brackets.

After determining the durations for the fade in and fade out effects on your subtitles, export the script in the ssa file type. Process it in MaestroSBT with your desired options (Timing, Styles, etc.) but set the rendering to the File Format Script of .sst (Scenarist) and Bitmaps to Windows BMP 4 bits (compressed). In Muxman Professional, load your video, audio, chapters, and subtitle files and set their properties (Language, Extension, Delay, etc.) as usual.

Muxman Professional Version

In the SubPictures section, select the stream you want to add the fade effect to and then click on the “manage” button. In the “Subpicture Multi-File Manager” window, double click on the subpicture that corresponds to the line number in Aegisub that you determined the number of frames earlier for the fade in, fade out, or both. In the “Subpicture Conversion Values” window, select Controls > Buttons / Highlights / Effects. The title of the window should change to “View Subs, Edit Effects, Edit Buttons”. Now, focus on the lower-right part of the window.

“View Subs, Edit Effects, Edit Buttons” Window

Fade Out in Muxman

Select “Fade” as the effect. Set the “to” to transparent by clicking on the down arrows. Notice the corresponding color in the subpicture in the preview will disappear when it has been set to transparent. Set the duration to number frames you determined earlier in Aegisub. Also, set the delay to the negative equivalent of the duration of frames since you want the effect to start the same number of frames before the end of that subpicture. Finally, click the “+Add” button. The fade effect you just created should now be in the included in the “Effect” dropdown box. Close the window and repeat for the other subpictures.

13 Frame Fade Out

The above example has the subpicture fading out from opaque to transparent. It starts 13 frames before the end and lasts for 13 frames. The fade out effect will end at the same time as the subpicture leaves the screen on the DVD.

Fade In in Muxman

First, set the “Initial color” to transparent by clicking on the down arrows. Notice the corresponding color in the subpicture in the preview will disappear when it has been set to transparent. Next, select “Fade” as the effect. Set the “to” to opaque by clicking on the up arrows. Notice the corresponding color in the subpicture in the preview will become opaque this time. Set the duration to number frames you determined earlier in Aegisub. Set the delay to 0 so that the effect starts as soon as the subpicture begins. Finally, click the “+Add” button. The fade effect you just created should now be in the included in the “Effect” dropdown box. Close the window and repeat for the other subpictures.

14 Frame Fade In

The above example has the subpicture fading in from transparent to opaque. The fade in effect will start as soon as the subpicture is displayed on the screen. It will last for 14 frames.

After closing the “View Subs, Edit Effects, Edit Buttons” window, on the “Subpicture Multi-File Manager” window, there should be an “E” after the subpicture name when an effect has been applied. Close this window and repeat the process of adding the fade effects to the other streams. Finally, start the muxing process after applying all your fade effects.

SubPicture Multi-File Manager after an Effect Has Been Applied

Enjoy having the fade in and fade out effects on your subtitles.

Notes

• Try not to use more than 20 frames for any fade effect as there are only 16 opacity levels in the DVD-Video specification. Slow fades will likely show some visible “stepping.”
• When applying both a fade in and fade out to the same subpicture, add the fade in effect first. Then add the fade out effect afterwards.

In the previous tutorial, finding the consecutive subtitles that would flicker was done manually by comparing the START and END times. This process of looking at the START and END times and changing the END times was tedious and time-consuming. There is a much faster and easier way to make these changes in the sst file. This tutorial will show you how to quicken the process.

Software used

Notepad

PHP

VAXVA SST Fix

Procedure

Download the latest VAXVA Studio and extract its contents. There are many different programs in this archive but the PHP and SCRIPT directories contain the software associated with this tutorial. The PHP directory contains the files to run PHP scripts. You can use this directory or download the Windows binary from the PHP website. The choice is yours to make. I recommend using this PHP directory to keep everything nice and simple. The SCRIPT directory contains the VAXVA SST Fix script that is written in PHP.

With Notepad, open the file VAXVA_SST.bat in the SCRIPT directory. Enter the location of php.exe in the second line after the equal sign. I decided to use the php.exe included in the PHP directory of VAXVA Studio. Since I extracted the archive to the root of my C: drive on my computer, the location would be C:\VAXVA_STUDIO\Tools\PHP\php.exe for me. Now save the file.

Location of php.exe in VAXVA_SST.bat

Begin the usual process of generating subtitles with MaestroSBT in the .sst (Scenarist) file format script. Instead of looking at the START and END times and changing the END times with Notepad, we are going to let the VAXVA SST Fix script do this automatically for us. There are two ways to run the VAXVA SST Fix script:

1. Copy VAXVA_SST.bat and VAXVA_SST.php to the directory that contains the sst file.
2. Copy the sst file to the directory that contains VAXVA_SST.bat and VAXVA_SST.php.

In either case, execute VAXVA_SST.bat and press any key for the program to continue. When the window closes, the process is now complete. It should have changed the END times to a “-“ for the consecutive subtitles that would flicker in the sst file. You can verify this by opening the sst file with Notepad.

Executing VAXVA_SST.bat

Enjoy all the time saved from this easy and fast method.

The script for Strike Witches Volume 2 is finally done. It contains episodes 3 and 4. I used the scripts of Strike Subs for this release. I also included the script for the extras on the DVD which are the creditless endings being sung by the various voice actresses. This time the first one is done by the voice actresses of Yoshika and Lynne. The second one is by the voice actresses of Yoshika and Barkhorn.

This volume also has the steam removed for episode 4. You can check out the differences from the various screenshots at Sankaku Complex and the abyss. The images in these links are NSFW.

The script is available on the Scripts page as usual. Here are a few screenshots from the finished DVD. Click on each for the full sized image.

Screenshot 1	Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3	Screenshot 4
Screenshot 5	Screenshot 6
Screenshot 7	Screenshot 8