Adding Text to QuickTime Video

Question

Level 1

25 points

Adding Text to QuickTime Video

After some frustration, I finally figured out how to acceptably add text from a text file to a QuickTime [Player 7] video on a Mac (for purpose of captioning for deaf viewers), but I have a question and a problem.

Rundown:

Step 1, add the text: Text file must be plain .txt. Each return (paragraph) breaks the text (timing). Open your video in QuickTime Player 7. From the File menu, choose Open File and pick your text file. It will open as a movie. Command-A to select-all, command-C to copy. In your video, select all. From the Edit menu, choose Add To Selection & Scale. Your text will appear in a tiny black box at the top left.

Step 2, format size & position: Command-J opens Video Properties. Click on your Text Track. At the bottom, click on the Visual Settings tab. In the right box of the Scaled Size option, type something like 200. In the Offset portion, type something like 250 and 500. (I imagine how this looks will depend on the size and aspect-ratio of your video.)

Step 3, make transparent: In the left side, there is a drop-down menu for Transparency. Change it to Blend. Drag the percentage as you want.

Step 4 [optional], change size of black box: Uncheck 'Preserve Aspect Ratio'. Put in something like 700 and 250 for a wide short box. (However, this squashes the text a bit... maybe there's a better way to do this?)

Question:

Can I change color and font?

Problem:

Apostrophes render to [,Äô] minus brackets. How can I keep my apostrophes as apostrophes? (Simple fix = remove apostrophes, but I would rather not, as it is not as easy to read.)

Thanks much,

~Ignolopi

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Sep 2, 2011 11:07 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Sep 2, 2011 11:25 AM in response to Ignolopi

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42643-en explains some of the options.

Export the opened .txt file choosing "with descriptors" to edit the file in any plain text editor.

http://homepage.mac.com/kkirkster/Lemon_Trees/Lemon_Tree.mov

Don't click on the link as it will probably open using QuickTime X. Right click (Control click) and "copy" it.

Open QuickTime Player 7.6.6 and then "Open URL" and paste the link.

Reply

Answer 2

Ignolopi Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 21, 2011 1:31 PM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks for the link to the Apple info doc, that was helpful.

I gave in and tried it with all the desciptors, they do give a lot more control.

So for those who want to know: to start, open your .txt file with QuickTime Player 7. Then choose Export and set it to Text to Text. That will add in the basic descriptors, which you can then edit with TextEdit.

Here's what my text file looked like (shortened):

{QTtext}{font:Geneva}{plain}{size:20}{textColor: 65535, 65535, 65535}{backColor: 0, 0, 0}{justify:center}{timeScale:30}{textBox:200, 200, 40, 300}{width:700}{height:130}{timeStamps:absolute}{language:0}{textEncoding:0}

[00:00:02.00]

Hello! Let's learn how to... and so forth...

[00:06:04.00]

On the left side...and so forth....

[00:06:15.00]

-end

It's not too hard to set up the text file. To get the timing, I just watched the video and paused when I wanted the text to change, and marked the time in the text file.

To add the text file to the movie, you open it with QuickTime, select all and copy, then in the movie Add To Selection & Scale. It will position the text box according to what is specified in the text file, and change the text according to the time markers.

So, though tedious, it seemed to be doing things right... up until I finished. Then I had 3 problems:

1. The timing, which had been spot-on (because of the desciptors), went off. i.e. in the first part of the project, if that text was supposed to go at 00:03:20.00 it went at that point; then later in the project if it was supposed to go at 00:05:30.00 it would actually come on 2 seconds later. Not sure why.

2. There was a descriptor for making the text go away, but that didn't work. I tried {doNotDisplay:off} and {doNotDisplay:on} but couldn't get either to do anything. (I wanted the text to disappear for the last 5 seconds of video.)

3. Then I tried to save the project... and the saved project, or exported project, or whatever, had no text. There was a text box, but no text. (I did try saving as self-contained.) If I opened the movie in QuickTime Player 7 it would have the text. But in QuickTime Player 10 or QuickLook or after converting the project there would only be the box, no text.

I'd like to know how to fix these problems... but I already moved on and am creating the text track in LiveType to add to my project. Once you set up a project with LiveType all you have to do is get the timing right, which is no more than you have to do in QuickTime using the desciptors in the text file. (If LiveType is an option for you.)

Thanks,

~Ignolopi

Reply