Introducing Spot 4.3
What Spot 4.3 is and What Spot 4.3 is Not
2
The bad news
2
The good news
2
New Features in Spot 4.3
2
Floating audio waveform display
2
Editing changes
2
Recut and Master Recut
3
Split a file into multiple smaller files
3
Spot Bitmap Stream
3
High Definition Video
4
Delete video format flag
4
Close video file
4
Improved comment handling
4
File export enhancements
5
Characters per line indicator
5
User Interface Changes in Spot 4.3
6
Changes to the subtitle edit area
6
Changes to the main Spot screen
7
Fixes for Known Issues
8
Spot 4.3 Data Files
8
Reference
9
Keyboard shortcuts by key
Keyboard shortcuts by function
9
12
2
Introducing Spot 4.3
What Spot 4.3 is and What Spot 4.3 is Not
The bad news:
Spot 4.3 is not a radically different version of Spot crammed full of dozens of ground-breaking, just-can’t-livewithout features.
The good news:
Spot 4.3 is not a radically different version of Spot crammed full of dozens of ground-breaking, just-can’t-livewithout features.
No, that’s not a reminder of Notebook’s now defunct double-paste bug, nor is it the obvious contradiction it
appears to be. While you’ll find some new features in Spot 4.3, most of the development work over the last 15
months has focused on stability and ease of use; if we had included a host of new tools in this new release, we
might also have included a host of new bugs. What we’ve done instead is concentrate on fixing the known issues
in version 4.2, redesigning sections of the user interface to make it more intuitive to use, and updating the core
of the program to make it as future-proof as possible.
But as most people will want to know what’s new first anyway, here’s a small list of...
New Features in Spot 4.3
Floating audio waveform display
The audio waveform can be displayed inside its own window (Video, Setup, Audio or right-click the open
waveform display and select Float Waveform from the dropdown menu).
Floating the waveform window means you can size the display
any way you want, drag it around the screen and position it
where it suits you best. A narrower window (similar to the one
shown left) should make the start of speech easier to spot and
will impress your friends no end.
Editing changes
Text can be dragged and dropped within the subtitle edit area
(Tools, Options, Text Editing); the swap subtitle lines feature
makes a welcome return (Edit, Special, Swap Lines or Ctrl+F2).
Auto recut has an option for offsetting the in cue only (Tools, Options, Text Editing, Apply auto recut to in cue
only). Grabbing a subtitle’s out cue can now create a new subtitle and automatically add the correct cues (Tools,
Options, Text Editing, Add cues and default duration if cues are empty). Note that Tools, Options, Text Editing,
Page down after grabbing out cue must first be selected for this to work.
Note that to protect a document, text and cue editing, subtitle insertion and other editing functions can be
disabled via the Disable window (Edit, Disable).
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
3
Introducing Spot 4.3
Recut and Master Recut
The Recut and Master Recut dialogs have now been merged into one single module: Cues, Offset or Ctrl+J.
Split a file into multiple smaller files
Previous version of Spot could only split a file into two parts. Now you can split a file into as many smaller files as
you like (File, Split). And who said subtitling couldn’t be fun?
When selecting split points (by clicking the box to the left of each subtitle), bear in mind that a selected subtitle
will become the first subtitle in the new file. In the screen shot above, for example, four new subtitle files will be
created starting at subtitle 1, subtitle 87, subtitle 215 and subtitle 414.
Spot Bitmap Stream
As well as creating standard four-colour bitmap streams for the most popular DVD authoring systems (Tools,
Bitmap Export), Spot now has its own proprietary bitmap format.
All bitmaps in a Spot bitmap stream employ a 32-bit colour depth, which means that up to 65,000 colours can be
used to draw the subtitle. Either standard Windows or ClearType anti-aliasing can be applied to text, resulting in
smoothly rendered and easy-to-read subtitles.
Future add-ons to Spot will use the SBS format as a basis for creating broadcast-quality subtitles for a wide range
of media, including HD TV, theatrical releases and MPEG-2 streams.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
4
Introducing Spot 4.3
High Definition Video
Talking of HD TV, Spot now supports all HD frame rates (23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 59.94, 60) and the video
window can accurately represent a 1280x720 or 1920x1080 video signal.
When first opening a film, just select the correct standard from the Frame rate list and click the OK button.
Delete video format flag
Whenever you open a video, Spot creates a zero-length (empty) file in the same folder with an identical name,
added to which is a two or three-character extension denoting the format of the video. For example, if you open
the video Z:\DVD\Client\MyFilm.mpg and select 30 fps as the video format, Spot will create the zero-length file
Z:\DVD\Client\MyFilm.mpg.ndf.
Sometimes, though, you might accidentally select the wrong video format. If you do, you no longer have to hunt
around for the elusive video format file; instead, click the Open Video button on
the video toolbar and select Delete video format flag from the dropdown menu.
The next time you open the video, you’ll be prompted for the video format again.
Close video file
Just above Delete video format flag is another new menu item, Close video. No
prizes for guessing what that does.
Improved comment handling
The Manage Comments window (Subtitle, Comments or on the subtitle toolbar) has undergone a few minor
changes. Its menu-based design lets you print, delete, copy or save comments by using well-known shortcuts
rather than by clicking on buttons. You can also decide whether the dialog remains always on top or acts like a
standard window (Tools, Options, Customise).
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
5
Introducing Spot 4.3
The comment field for the current subtitle has two sizes (normal and large), as well as two font sizes (small and
large), and can contain an unlimited number of characters. Note that not all file formats support comments (e.g.
PAC files) and some of those that do are restricted to a certain number of characters.
Comment fields for the previous and next subtitles can be turned on or off by clicking Show Previous/Next
Comment Fields.
File export enhancements
Spruce Maestro text export (File, Export) now handles dynamic attribute switching and EBU/STL exports can
specifically target the Screen Subtitling Systems format (Tools, Options, Files, File Types. EBU). EBU files can also
be saved with zero-based numbering (Tools, Options, Files, File Types. EBU).
Characters per line indicator
The number of characters in lines one and two of the current subtitle is now displayed to the right of the current
subtitle number, as shown below.
Number of characters in line one
Number of characters in line two
This new featurette has been added for the benefit of subtitlers who are used to working with a fixed number of
characters per line (CPL). Another (and possibly better) approach is to use the Subtitle, Set a Fixed Number of
Characters Per Line tool, which ensures that more than e.g. 37 characters cannot be typed on one line.
Note also that the average CPL shown in the status bar at the bottom of the main screen only serves as an
indication and not a guarantee of the CPL when editing with a proportional font.
Other changes have been made to the subtitle edit area and the main Spot window. These are outlined in the
following section.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
6
Introducing Spot 4.3
User Interface Changes in Spot 4.3
Changes to the subtitle edit area
Three main changes have been made to the subtitle edit area:
It now has its own toolbar
The duration assistant has become part of the edit area
The reading speed indicator is colour-coded by default
Subtitle toolbar
From left to right: cut, copy, paste, align left, align centre, align right, italicise, insert subtitle, merge subtitles, delete
subtitle, split subtitle, splerge (split and merge) subtitle, add outline, change subtitle colour, grab in cue, grab out cue and
manage comments.
If you think the toolbar clutters up the screen and/or you know the shortcuts off by heart, you can hide it (Tools,
Options, Customise).
Duration assistant
Tools, Options, Customise also lets you change the colours used by the reading speed indicator, turn-off colour
coding and hide the one-second tick marks.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
7
Introducing Spot 4.3
Changes to the main Spot screen
Colour-coded previous/next cue fields
provide immediate readability feedback
Spot now uses the Tahoma font
for all labels, text boxes, etc.
Main toolbar is now used to access common
global tools and commands. Icons have been
redesigned to create a more user-friendly feel.
Internal timecode display
has been enlarged
Main toolbar
From left to right: New file, open file (and recently used files), save file, print file, email file, find, replace, go to, Quick View,
rehearse, notebook, Script Manager, measurement converter, bitmap export, spell check, subtitle checks, save setting,
delete setting, additional settings properties, display settings, safe area, 4:3/16:9, float video, audio waveform, thumbnails,
sync subs to video
If you don’t like large icons in the toolbar, go to Tools, Options, Customise and deselect Show large icons in the
main toolbar. If you want a smaller timecode display, go to Tools, Options, Customise and deselect Large
timecode display. And if you hate the colour-coded cue fields, go to Tools, Options, Customise and deselect
Enable colour-coding for previous/next subtitles.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
8
Introducing Spot 4.3
Fixes for Known Issues
Over 25 known bugs of varying severity have been fixed in this release. These include:
Cannot delete or merge subtitles
The Ins key triggers two page downs when the “Page down to next subtitle after grabbing out cue”
option is selected
Video options window crashes when opened
Spell check via Microsoft Word causes argument exception
Video window disappears off the bottom of the screen on widescreen monitors with an aspect ratio
greater than 1.333
Spot forgets the last open and save folders
Ctrl+V causes clipboard data to be pasted twice in Notebook
The “Auto recut when paused” option is disabled
A full list of bugs and fixes for version 4.3 can be found at http://www.spotsoftware.nl/buglog.html.
Spot 4.3 Data Files
This latest version of Spot is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista™. As a result, all data files are now
kept in Root drive:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data\Spot Software\Spot. This means that
settings are stored on an individual basis for different user accounts: the most recently used file list will show
only the files that you have recently opened, for example, and any changes you make to various Spot options
will not affect another user who logs onto the same computer under a different account.
If you are upgrading from a previous version of Spot, you will need to manually copy over your data files to the
new location if you want to retain your current settings. Details of the files to copy are outlined below.
File name
What it contains
Arf.dat
AutoReplace entries
Datafont.dat
Client style settings
Dvdxpt.dat
Recently accessed DVD folders
Fonts.dat
Subtitle edit font information
Options.dat
Spot Options dialog
Spot.ini
Miscellaneous Spot .settings
In the future, many of these settings are likely to be grouped into one file.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
9
Introducing Spot 4.3
Reference
Keyboard shortcuts by key
Key
F1
Function
Help
F2
Align subtitle left, right or centre
Shift+F2
Ctrl+F2
Force current line left, right or centre
Swap lines
Shift+Ctrl+F2
Check for too many rows
F3
Italicise whole subtitle
Shift+Ctrl+F3
F4
Check for margin override
Spell check file
Ctrl+F4
Shift+F4
Shift+Ctrl+F4
Suggest spelling
Thesaurus
Check for invalid cues
F5
Ctrl+F5
Shift+Ctrl+F5
Go to subtitle number
Insert subtitle
Check for duration too short/long
F6
Adjust display settings
Shift+F6
Ctrl+F6
Preset display settings
Delete Subtitle
Shift+Ctrl+F6
F7
Shift+F7
Check for cues not set
Open video file
Full-screen video
Ctrl+F7
Shift+Ctrl+F7
F8
Merge current and next subtitle
Check for insufficient reading speed
Rehearse
Shift+F8
Ctrl+F8
Cue conversion
Split subtitle at insertion point
Shift+Ctrl+F8
Check for default interval override
F9
Run all checks
Shift+F9
Shift+Ctrl+F9
Continue checks from next subtitle
Check for empty subtitles
F11
Shift+F11
Grab in cue
Edit in cue
Ctrl+F11
Recalculate in cue
Shift+Ctrl+F11
F12
Delete in cue
Grab out cue
Shift+F12
Edit out cue
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
10
Introducing Spot 4.3
Ctrl+F12
Recalculate out cue
Shift+Ctrl+F12
Delete out cue
Ctrl+A
Select all
Ctrl+B
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+D
Toggle audio balance left, right, stereo
Copy
Bitmap export
Ctrl+E
Ctrl+F
Show subtitle margins
Find
Ctrl+G
Subtitle outline
Ctrl+H
Replace
Ctrl+I
Italicise single word
Ctrk+J
Offset cues
Ctrl+L
Ctrl+M
Ctrl+N
Toggle case
Measurement converter
New file
Ctrl+O
Ctrl+P
Ctrl+Q
Open file
Print
Quick View
Ctrl+R
Ctrl+S
Comments
Save file
Ctrl+T
Best fit
Ctrl+U
Ctrl+V
Find subtitle at current video position
Paste
Ctrl+W
Ctrl+X
Ctrl+Y
Windows play control
Cut
Delete line
Ctrl+Z
Page Up
Ctrl+Page uP
Undo
Move to previous subtitle
Move to start of file
Page Down
Ctrl+Page Down
Move to next subtitle
Move to end of file
Shift+Add
Increase in cue by one frame
Shift+Subtract
Decrease in cue by one frame
Ctrl+Add
Ctrl+Subtract
Increase out cue by one frame
Decrease out cue by one frame
Shift+Del
Ctrl+Del
Delete in and out cues
Delete word
Shift+Ctrl+Del
Delete all text in subtitle
Alt+Up
Move word up
Alt+Down
Move word down
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
11
Introducing Spot 4.3
Alt+Left
Select thumbnail left
Alt+Right
Select thumbnail right
Ctrl+Alt+Up
Move row up
Ctrl+Alt+Down
Ctrl+Alt+Right
Ctrl+Alt+Left
Move row down
Add indent
Remove indent
Ctrl+Alt+1
Ctrl+Alt+2
Align subtitle top of screen
Align subtitle middle of screen
Ctrl+Alt+3
Align subtitle bottom of screen
Ctrl+Enter
Grab in cue and lock last out cue
Alt+Backspace
Delete all cues forward of and including current subtitle
Backspace
Respot last subtitle
Shift+Esc
Shift+Alt+0
Shift+Alt+1
Hide mouse cursor
White subtitle text
Red subtitle text
Shift+Alt+2
Shift+Alt+3
Shift+Alt+4
Green subtitle text
Yellow subtitle text
Blue subtitle text
Shift+Alt+5
Shift+Alt+6
Magenta subtitle text
Cyan subtitle text
1
Go to last shot cut
2
Alt+2
Replay sequence
Replay sequence “forward”
3
4
5
Go to next shot cut
Frame back
Play/pause
6
7
8
Frame forward
Rewind
Replay from last play position
9
Enter / Shift+Enter
Fast forward
Jump to in cue / Grab in cue1
Ins / Shift+Ins
Jump to out cue / Grab out cue2
/
Go to start of digital video
*
Del
Go to end of digital video
Toggle shot cut marker
1
The default behaviour of the Enter and Shift+Enter keys is set under Video, Options.
2
The default behaviour of the Ins and Shift+Ins keys is set under Video, Options.
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
12
Introducing Spot 4.3
Keyboard shortcuts by function
Subtitle functions
Key
Function
Ctrl+F5
Ctrl+F6
Insert subtitle
Delete Subtitle
Ctrl+F7
Merge current and next subtitle
Ctrl+F8
Ctrl+F9
Split subtitle at insertion point
Split current subtitle and merge with next
Ctrl+Q
Quick View
Page Up
Move to previous subtitle
Page Down
Ctrl+Page Up
Move to next subtitle
Move to first subtitle
Ctrl+Page Down
Ctrl+A
Move to last subtitle
Select all subtitles and view in Quick View
Text editing functions
Key
Function
F2
Align all text left, right or centre
Shift+F2
Ctrl+F2
Force current line left, right or centre
Swap lines
F3
Italicise whole subtitle
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+F
Copy
Find
Ctrl+G
Subtitle outline
Ctrl+H
Ctrl+I
Replace
Italicise single word
Ctrl+L
Ctrl+T
Toggle case
Best fit
Ctrl+V
Paste
Ctrl+X
Cut
Ctrl+Y
Ctrl+Z
Delete line
Undo
Ctrl+Del
Delete word
Shift+Ctrl+Del
Delete all text in subtitle
Alt+Up
Move word up
Alt+Down
Ctrl+Alt+Up
Move word down
Move row up
Ctrl+Alt+Down
Move row down
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
13
Introducing Spot 4.3
Ctrl+Alt+Right
Add indent
Ctrl+Alt+Left
Remove indent
Ctrl+Alt+1
Align text with top of screen
Ctrl+Alt+2
Ctrl+Alt+3
Shift+Esc
Align text with middle of screen
Align text with bottom of screen
Hide mouse cursor
Shift+Alt+0
Shift+Alt+1
White subtitle text
Red subtitle text
Shift+Alt+2
Green subtitle text
Shift+Alt+3
Yellow subtitle text
Shift+Alt+4
Blue subtitle text
Shift+Alt+5
Magenta subtitle text
Shift+Alt+6
Del
Cyan subtitle text
Toggle shot cut marker
Cue editing functions
Key
Shift+F8
F11
Function
Cue conversion
Grab in cue
Shift+F11
Edit in cue
Ctrl+F11
Shift+Ctrl+F11
Recalculate in cue
Delete in cue
F12
Shift+F12
Ctrl+F12
Grab out cue
Edit out cue
Recalculate out cue
Shift+Ctrl+F12
Ctrl+J
Ctrl+M
Delete out cue
Offset cues
Measurement converter
Shift+Add
Increase in cue by one frame
Shift+Subtract
Decrease in cue by one frame
Ctrl+Add
Increase out cue by one frame
Ctrl+Subtract
Decrease out cue by one frame
Shift+Del
Ctrl+Enter
Delete in and out cues
Grab in cue and lock last out cue
Alt+Backspace
Backspace
Delete all cues forward of and including current subtitle
Respot last subtitle
Enter / Shift+Enter
Jump to in cue / Grab in cue
Ins / Shift+Ins
Jump to out cue / Grab out cue
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
14
Introducing Spot 4.3
Video control
Key
Function
F7
Open video file
Shift+F7
Full-screen video
Ctrl+B
Toggle audio balance left, right, stereo
Ctrl+E
Show subtitle margins
Ctrl+U
Find subtitle at current video position
Ctrl+W
Windows play control
Alt+Left
Select thumbnail left
Alt+Right
Select thumbnail right
1
Go to last shot cut
2/Alt+2
3
Replay sequence/Replay sequence “forward”
Go to next shot cut
4
Frame back
5
Play/pause
6
7
Frame forward
Rewind
8
Replay from last play position
9
Fast forward
Enter / Shift+Enter
Jump to in cue / Grab in cue
Ins / Shift+Ins
/
*
Jump to out cue / Grab out cue
Go to start of digital video
Go to end of digital video
Del
Toggle shot cut marker
Proofing functions
Key
Shift+Ctrl+F2
Function
Check for too many rows
Shift+Ctrl+F3
Check for margin override
F4 / Ctrl+F4
Spell check file / Suggest spelling
Shift+F4
Thesaurus
Shift+Ctrl+F4
Check for invalid cues
Shift+Ctrl+F5
Shift+Ctrl+F6
Check for duration too short/long
Check for cues not set
Shift+Ctrl+F7
Shift+Ctrl+F8
F9
Check for insufficient reading speed
Check for default interval override
Run all checks
Shift+F9
Continue checks from next subtitle
Shift+Ctrl+F9
Check for empty subtitles
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland
15
Introducing Spot 4.3
File functions
Key
Function
F1
Ctrl+N
Help
New file
Ctrl+O
Open file
Ctrl+P
Ctrl+S
Print
Save file
Miscellaneous
Key
Function
F6
Adjust display settings
Shift+F6
F8
Preset display settings
Rehearse
Ctrl+D
Ctrl+R
Bitmap export
Manage comments
Copyright © 2007 Mark Raishbrook/Spot Software, Holland