How to fansub, where to download the program?

[Yazakura]

I was wondering how to make fansubs. My friend told me there should be an icon on your comp that looks like a role of film, and I haven't come across it at all. If you have DVDS of what you want to edit the subtitles without messing them up, how do you do that? Is it even possible?

Thanks much for tutorials and advice!

[Scab]

As for the DVD stuff, go read the ZX encoding manual, it covers most of that.
As for the actual fansubbing, the Infusion Fansub Guide has the basics.
Aegisub has a nice intro to typesetting in its helpfile and LytHka has a timing guide up somewhere.
Search these forums for more info on the other positions and Doom9 for more on encoding.

[Soluzar]

Here is the absolute basics. It's not a tutorial, simply a discussion of the steps involved, for the simplest possible way to get the job done. This is not the best way, it is the simplest.

1) Forget everything your friend told you, since there's no single program that you use. There are several, and none of the ones I'd recommend you use fit the description your friend gave you. It's worth learning properly, from scratch.

2) Obtain your raw.

a) You can get raws using a Japanese p2p applications, such as WinNY or Share.

OR

b) You can also visit one of the raw distribution sites on the web.

OR

c) If you have a DVD, you can use DVD Decryptor to extract the video files from your disc, and use Gordian Knot to encode an AVI file from that source. Experienced encoders will sneer at the notion of using Gordian Knot, and with some justification, but since you don't seem to have any prior experience, it might work out for you. Visit http://www.doom9.org to learn more about encoding video files. The guide given in the post above mine describes the correct way to do things, if you have the patience to learn.

3) Translate your script. This will be the hardest step, unless you speak Japanese as fluently as a native. There's no shortcut to this one. You just have to watch the anime over and over again until you're certain that you've heard each line correctly, and understood the meaning.

4) Edit your script. Ideally you'd have someone else do this. It's a combination of sanity-checking your translations, and checking for grammar and spelling errors. This step can involve a fairly extensive rewording of the translated script, to make it sound less like a literal translation, and more like natural English.

5) Time your script. The next task is to make your translations match up to the spoken lines. You need to use a subtitle timing program in order to mark the start and end point of each line in your script. I like Aegisub but there are alternatives.

6) [OPTIONAL] Add karaoke and typesetting. You shouldn't plan to do this for your first project, but a lot of groups do it. You'd almost certainly need a specialist typesetter to work with you on this one. If you've seen the karaoke effects on the opening credits (OP) of fansubbed anime, and the captions for signs, and other on-screen text, then that's what a typesetter does.

7) Combine your subtitles with your video.

a) re-encode your video file using the textsub plugin to overlay your subtitles on the video file.

OR

b) Use MKVMergeGUI from MKVToolnix to create an MKV file with softsubs, which bypasses the need to re-encode your AVI file.

8) Release. You need to find a bittorrent tracker that you can upload to, and you will need to keep your file seeded until it has propagated through the bittorent swarm to at least a couple of other seeds.

Now, all the other member are probably ready to flame me for my horrendously oversimplified description of the process, but it will allow you to create a fansub, no matter how perfunctory. If you have translation skills, as well as a DVD source for the anime you want to sub, I'd suggest you consider looking for a group who would take you on. Encoding is a fine art, and a subtle science, and those who understand it properly are relatively rare. I'm not one of them, which is why I described the most basic and perfunctory means of creating a video file to work with.

I'd strongly advise you to worth with, at minimum, a skilled encoder, if you wish to go ahead with this project.

[Yazakura]

Thanks for the advice! Oh, and one more question: If you have your own DVD with the anime on it, will taking scenes from the DVD hurt the DVD'S capability to function correctly after using it on a DVD player?

Your replies are very much appreciated!

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by Yazakura

Thanks for the advice! Oh, and one more question: If you have your own DVD with the anime on it, will taking scenes from the DVD hurt the DVD'S capability to function correctly after using it on a DVD player?

Absolutely not. DVDs are a read-only medium. That means that unless you actually cause physical amage the disc, through carelessness, you won't affect the contents.

[Yazakura]

Originally Posted by Soluzar

Absolutely not. DVDs are a read-only medium. That means that unless you actually cause physical amage the disc, through carelessness, you won't affect the contents.

So, they're only damaged through carelessness and not by ripping files off them? And where do you find out if doing this is legall in your country, state, or province?

[LytHka]

If your country is a signatory to the Berne convention, then ripping DVD is illegal; fansubbing is illegal as well. The discussion ends here.

[Starks]

I disagree with step 7b...

Many groups that softsub will still clean and reencode a raw before muxing into an MKV.

[Yazakura]

Does anyone know a computer friendly version of a program that allows you to rip directly from the DVD and save the files to your COMP?

Thanks much in advance, as always!

[Starks]

DVD Decrypter... We gave you this answer in the last topic.

[Yazakura]

Originally Posted by Starks

DVD Decrypter... We gave you this answer in the last topic.

Huh, I never noticed. Mybad? I checked google for it and the software wasn't available to download anymore.

[Starks]

Originally Posted by Yazakura

Huh, I never noticed. Mybad? I checked google for it and the software wasn't available to download anymore.

Cuz you ain't looking hard enough.

[Yazakura]

I was wondering if any of you fan subbers have experienced technical problems with your computers after downloading the needed software. You know, like if it takes longer to turn on your computer or your net browser becomes slower for this reason. In that regard, how safe is it to download the software? (Also for video capturing and editing the captured files.)

Thanks for answering this in advance!

[Eeknay]

It's nice that you're curious, but this is like twenty questions... you should try to keep it all in the original thread.

[Yazakura]

Originally Posted by Eeknay

It's nice that you're curious, but this is like twenty questions... you should try to keep it all in the original thread.

I didn't want to go off topic. But I'll watch when I post from now on, okay? Was there ever an in general Q and A thread here?

[Starks]

Originally Posted by Yazakura

I didn't want to go off topic. But I'll watch when I post from now on, okay? Was there ever an in general Q and A thread here?

Can you just stick to your original topic.

[TheFluff]

Originally Posted by LytHka

If your country is a signatory to the Berne convention, then ripping DVD is illegal; fansubbing is illegal as well. The discussion ends here.

Slightly incorrect: ripping a DVD to your harddrive (for your own purposes, not for distribution) is ONLY illegal in the US (because of the moronic anticircumvention laws). It's NOT illegal in the vast majority of the countries that are signatory to the Berne convention.

Of course, distributing any copyrighted content online without the copyright holder's permission is illegal mostly everywhere.

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by Starks

I disagree with step 7b...

Many groups that softsub will still clean and reencode a raw before muxing into an MKV.

Very true, and if you have the knowledge, that's the right way to go. The steps above are supposed to be the most basic ways of getting the job done, not an example of what I consider to be best practice. Since the topic creator doesn't seem to have any encoding knowledge, I thought that he might be keen on minimising that aspect of the process as much as possible. I don't mean any disrespect to softsub groups, but it is possible for a novice to avoid encoding altogether by using MKV files.

If we're talking about best practice, then even R2 DVD sourced raws will be the better for the skillfull application of filters. That falls entirely outside my own ability to advise the topic creator upon, though.

Originally Posted by Yakuza

So, they're only damaged through carelessness and not by ripping files off them?

That is correct, yes. The term "ripping" does seem to carry unnecessarily violent connotations, but it will not damage your DVD.

And where do you find out if doing this is legal in your country, state, or province?

Distributing fansubs or any other form of material protected by copyright is illegal in most parts of the world. There are only a small number of countries which are not signatories to the Berne Convention, as mentioned by LytHka. Of course, as Fluffy pointed out, that doesn't make it illegal to rip video from your DVDs for personal use, unless you happen to live in the USA.

All that said, the Japanese studios have tended to turn a blind eye to fansubs for some time now. There have been one or two notable exceptions, but in general, as long as you are proposing to fansub an anime which is not licensed for American distribution, there isn't much danger of legal repercussios. Naturally you should cease distribution if the anime becomes licensed at some future time.

[Yazakura]

If the fansub is just a parody and not meant to be taken seriously, would it matter that much to go ahead anyway? Other people do it and their videos don't get taken down, from all the ones that I've seen. Thanks for the advice!

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by Yazakura

If the fansub is just a parody and not meant to be taken seriously, would it matter that much to go ahead anyway? Other people do it and their videos don't get taken down, from all the ones that I've seen. Thanks for the advice!

I'm not sure if you're asking about legality or community acceptance. It's still illegal to do even a parody sub, but as you have said, fansubs are ignored by the copyright owners most of the time. There's a lot less work involved in creating a parody sub, since you don't need to translate, or check your translation. That said, I wouldn't expect too many downloads either. I suppose the other ones you've seen are the Dattebayo ones? They're the only group I can think of that regularly put out parodies. You'll need to find somewhere to host it, and I suggest you make the filename reflect the fact that it's a parody very clearly, otherwise you could end up with some very upset leechers.