-
1. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
Mark Mapes Mar 26, 2014 10:02 PM (in response to Blogfox)Sounds like it could be a timebase mismatch between the caption source file and the sequence. What is the frame rate and dropness of each?
Also, in the Timeline, do you have the track containing the captions expanded so that you can see the caption blocks, like in this screenshot? This is the clearest way to see when the program thinks each caption line should start and end. If the timing when captions appear and disappear deviates by even a frame from what's shown on the caption track item, then we'll want to get a copy of your project and caption source.
-
2. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
Blogfox Mar 27, 2014 8:29 AM (in response to Mark Mapes)Hi Mark,
I appreciate the response. Both caption file and timeline are 29.97 df - I'm well used to seeing the gradual "drift" you get with a timebase error but this is something else. Plus I'd presume if there was a timebase mismatch that should be reflected in the in/out points listed in the "captions" tab, no?
I'm not actually seeing the caption block handles at all on my timeline. I did read in the "closed captioning" guide that they should be there, but I'm not seeing anything.
Here's my timeline at maxmimum zoom:
There should be at least two captions visible in that timeline section. And here's the matching section from the captions tab:
Weirdly if I click on that middle caption (that has the listed - correct - in point of "01:01:37:20") the source window jumps to 01:01:43:26 which is where the caption is displaying on the timeline. The program starts at 1hr, so this is less than two minutes in, which is far too soon for any timebase error (I know of) to have a six second discrepency.
In the interim I've also tried converting my .scc to some other Premiere Pro compatible formats (SMPTE Timed Text) but the same issues seem to persist.
-
3. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
Blogfox Mar 27, 2014 3:58 PM (in response to Blogfox)I'm increasingly convinced there's something wonky up with Premiere Pro. I've tried installing it clean on a separate computer, and saw the same issues. Then I tried setting up a different film and caption file entirely - and saw similar sync issues with two different projects.
Finally I started an entirely clean project, and imported *nothing* but a timed text caption file with only the first dozen captions from my project (there's no timebase in timed text, it's simple XML listing start times and durations in fractional seconds):
<p xml:id="p0" begin="00:00:04.230" dur="00:00:02.763" tts:textAlign="center">Hi Dan how's it going?</p> <p xml:id="p1" begin="00:00:07.066" dur="00:00:02.626" tts:textAlign="center">Fine Steve, thanks.</p> If I open the "captions" tab and play the source window already the captions are not playing at the proper point. From the above example the first caption should start at 00:00:04:06 in 29.97 - which is what the "captions" tab is listing as the "in" point, so PP is properly interpreting the file) but in the source window that caption displays at 05:08, and if I drop the caption file into a new, empty, timeline that caption displays at 01:01. If I start a new sequence with the matching video file and add the subtitle afterward - it still plays out at 1:01.
In none of these examples am I seeing any black "Caption handles".
I really don't have anything else that I can test out at this point. This is really frustrating as it just seems entirely broken with little rhyme or reason as to why.
-
4. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
Mark Mapes Mar 27, 2014 4:18 PM (in response to Blogfox)As far as being able to see the captions represented in the Timeline, your tracks are all minimized (the default height). You can increase track height several ways. I'll call out just one here: in the Timeline Display Options menu (the wrench icon), select Expand All Tracks. For more ways, search for "track height" on this page: http://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/adding-navigating-setting-keyframes.html
As for the timing issues you're experiencing, it's been several months since I worked on captions, and I've grown too rusty to be of much help. But I'll call this to the attention of a colleague who's still all over this stuff.
-
5. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
monstremoi Mar 27, 2014 4:33 PM (in response to Blogfox)Hello there -- Thanks for reporting the problem -- getting unstuck and getting the issue resolved is important.
I'd like to see the closed caption sidecar you are having the problem with -- do you mind sharing it?
Have you used this SCC sidecar before in earlier versions of PPRO? I'm guessing probably no, but I figured I'd ask.
Also, can you tell me where you got the sidecar from -- what application authored it?
Thanks again for the information!
-
6. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
Blogfox Mar 28, 2014 9:16 AM (in response to monstremoi)Hi Mark and monstremoi,
With all the fiddling I've been doing in raw captioning files the fact that I didn't just try increasing the hight of the track is completely rediculous. Lo and behold, there are the handles! Once I could actually see the captions in the track I noticed something interesting - that the .scc and .xml files are being interpreted quite differently.
If I take the same caption source file and output one xml and one scc and lay them on top of each other, this is what it looks like:
The XML is starting immediately at timecode 0, even though the first start time should be 4:06 (weirdly the scc is actually starting at the right time code in this test, something it's refused to do previously).
If I manually set the offset of the first caption by forwarding the xml caption track to 4:06 we get this:
*This* XML track seems to play out synchronous with the program albeit with some odd formatting (it doesn't appear to be reading any of the font positioning information from the timed text file, it's just playing everything top frame, justified left.
Already though up above you can see though that although the SCC stars at the right timecode, it's starting to drift out of sync less than 30 seconds in - which doesn't make any sense when both have been output from the same 29.97 timebase source.
Monstremoi - to answer you questions, no I've not done any captioning work in premiere pro previously. I actually didn't even know it was a feature until I read about the improvements in CC. Most of our captioning files come from Annotation Edit (zeitanker.com). If they're not prepared in AnnotationEdit / AnnotationTranscriber, we usually do some conversion work through it before outputting (usually to set offsets or whatever if we're adding presentation cards or something).
Happy to send you files to pull apart - although I'd rather not post them as a forum d/l link. Do you have an e-mail I can send them to?
-
7. Re: Closed Captioning not showing up at specified In / Out points
monstremoi Mar 28, 2014 9:35 AM (in response to Blogfox)Thank you so very much for the reply and the deails. Let me see if I can sum up here what I understand:
You are getting an SCC file from Annotation Edit
You're importing this SCC into PPRO
When you export this from PPRO 8.0 as a SCC you are seeing
- Clsoe dcaptions do not start a zero
- Closed captions in/ out points 'drifing' out of position in the exported SCC sidecar file
When you export this from PPRO 8.0 as a XML you are seeing
- Closed Captions not out of position
- Captions start at 'zero' / at the very beginning of the captioning clip
- Captions don't drift out of timing
-- But the formatting of the text in the XML is shoved to the left/ out of position
Detail of the XML closed caption sidecar starting at zero -- i.e. not having any frames in front of the start of the XML captions in the resulting exported sidecar -- I believe this is as designed. But I can check with a dev on that detail.
I'll see about sending you a private message here so we can arrainge you getting the source files to me so I can get at them.
Thanks so much, again, for the info and keeping up the exchange of info -- it makes a big difference.








