How to Use MovieCaptioner

Editing Your Captions

At any point while you're transcribing, you can stop your video either by clicking on the Stop button (same button as the Start button) and edit your captions. To edit your captions click on any caption in the caption list on the right and edit directly in the list. Save the text area below the movie for new captions only to avoid adding captions where they don't belong. You may edit both the timecode and the captions by selecting them and typing right in the list. Be very careful to keep the formatting of the timecode. Timecode is always HH:MM:SS.ss. There will always be a decimal in the timecode between the seconds and hundredths of seconds, and note that the timecodes are always displayed in hundredths of a second no matter what you have selected in the Preferences window for the frame rate. The correct frames will be calculated when you export your final caption file. Once you're done editing, hit your Return or Enter key to confirm the change to the text or timecode.


These two short videos will give you a good idea how to edit your captions in MovieCaptioner.

Editing Your Captions - Part 1

This video describes how to use the editing buttons at the bottom of the MovieCaptioner interface to give you more flexibility on how you want your captions to display.

Editing Your Captions - Part 2

Editing Your Captions - Part 2
In this video we take a look at how to change the text properties of the captions you've already transcribed. We also look at the background properties and the options available for those as well. Be sure to click The Change Selected Caption or Change All Captions or your text properties won't change!

text properties for font, size, style, and color If you need to change the font, size, style, or color of the text, make those selections in the Text Properties area under the movie and click the correct button whether you want to change that particular caption or several selected captions (Change Selected Caption(s)), or if you want to change them all (Change All Captions button). Changes to the text properties will not take place if you don't click one of those buttons. The settings will only be used for new captions. You won't need to click either of those buttons if you are in the process of transcribing as the settings will be used automatically while transcribing.

Editing buttons

editing buttons

There are a series of editing buttons below the caption list that allow you to insert and delete captions, and to manipulate the length of captions by either splitting, combining, or otherwise redistributing portions of a caption to another caption. These functions can also be accessed under the Edit menu.

The Insert Caption button allows you to add a caption anywhere in the video. To use it, select a caption that you want the new one to come before and hit the Insert Caption button. A blank caption will be added just before the caption you had selected at a timecode somewhere between your selected caption and the one that was before it. You can fine tune the timecode manually if you wish. You may also add text to this new caption by typing directly over the blank caption. This button is particularly helpful if you have a caption that you want to expire after a certain period of time. A blank caption will make the previous caption disappear.

Part of the efficiency of transcribing in MovieCaptioner is the fact that you don't need to add end times for each caption. The next caption always overwrites the previous one and if you want no caption there, you can just insert a blank caption.

The Remove Caption does exactly what you think. Any caption (or series of captions) can be removed by selecting them and clicking the Remove Caption button.

To use the Split Caption button, place your cursor somewhere within the caption where you want it to be broken and then click the Split Caption button. It will add a new caption after the one you selected with everything to the right of where your cursor was placed. Timecode should be somewhere between the old caption and the one that comes after the new one. It can be manually changed.

The Merge Captions button allows you to combine two captions. Just select the caption you want to be the first part and the caption following it will be deleted and its text will be added to the caption you have selected.

The Split to Previous button works similar to the Split Caption except that wherever you place the cursor, all the text to the left of the cursor will be added to the end of the previous caption.

The Split to Next button works just the opposite way. Everything to the right of your cursor will be moved to the beginning of the next caption.

Cue Next button After you're done editing, if you want to go back to transcribing new captions, you will need to click the Cue Next button prior to clicking the Start button again. This is so that MovieCaptioner can cue up the video playhead to the correct time after the last caption you recorded in your list. If you don't click this button, it could start the movie at the timecode of the last caption you selected or edited. You will need to use this button after previewing your captions as well, so that it's ready to go when you click the Start button.


Next Up...Previewing Your Captions »»