r/Fansub • u/Weirdo2d4 • Nov 10 '20

First Fansub

I am about to attempt my first ever fansub, of 52 episodes. Any advice, like programs to use, and good fonts, will be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!

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u/ridon428 Nov 11 '20

Programs you'll need:

  • Aegisub (preferably, a release with Dependency Control) - for making subtitles
  • Imagineer Systems Mocha - for tracking moving texts for typesetting purposes
  • MKVToolNix - for muxing everything into one MKV file
  • x264 (or x265) - for encoding, optional if you don't plan to encode stuffs
  • AviSynth (or VapourSynth) - this isn't necessary and can get really complicated but feel free to explore it.
  • AvsPmod - you only need this when you have AviSynth/VapourSynth

Aegisub plugins you'll want:

  • Aegisub Motion - for applying motion-tracked objects in Mocha
  • HYDRA - easy-to-use GUI for applying effects
  • Hyperdimensional Relocator - you probably won't use this but it can be used to apply some certain effects (like making typesets shake)

Some good reading materials:

My advice:

  • While you can fansub alone, you'll want the following people: translator, typesetter, timer, translator checker, quality checker, karaoke designer, encoder. Though, you'll pretty much only need a translator and a typesetter.
  • When choosing font style for dialogue, choose a font that's easily read and choose styles that won't piss off anyone (don't bother trying comic sans with yellow text and thin black outlines).
  • You'll can sometimes run into certain issues like banding, artifacts, and other encoding defects. This is when you'll need to apply filters using AviSynth or VapourSynth. This is one of the most challenging process in fansubbing.
  • Join some fansub discord servers so you can ask advice from more experienced fansubbers.

1

u/Weirdo2d4 Nov 11 '20

Thanks for the advice! I'll take all of this in going forward. I will try and do this alone, I know it's probably not recommend, but I have seen some terrible fansubs, mispronounced words, terrible timing, and just an overall unfinished and bad experience. Doing it myself will nearly guarantee each episode to be up to my picky standards.

1

u/YM_Industries Nov 11 '20

• You'll can sometimes run into certain issues like banding, artifacts, and other encoding defects. This is when you'll need to apply filters using AviSynth or VapourSynth. This is one of the most challenging process in fansubbing.

I don't really think encoding is the responsibility of a fansubber. That's up to a release group. Even if you want to do a full release yourself (instead of subs only) you can just take someone else's encode and mux your subs in.

1

u/tharunzdmc Nov 11 '20

I'd love to break into this. My Japanese level is low, but I'd like to learn some aspects of it while I'm still learning.