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Typesetting

Typesetting is a term borrowed from the book publishing industry that is concerned primarily with the positioning, layout, and styling of fonts and printed text. In the context of fansubbing, this refers to the styling and positioning of subtitles. However, even among fansubbers, the term can have many interpretations, ranging from just the creation of signs to the complete management of a fansub's styling and aesthetics.

Fonts and Colors (Styling)

By the strict English definition of the word, typesetting refers first and foremost to the styling of the fonts and colors used in the anime series being fansubbed. This is often referred to as 'styling' in the credits of certain fansub groups. A good typeset will use a font that is easy to read and colors that provide adequate contrast to various backgrounds.

Signs

The appearence of subtitles for signs and notes in anime scenes typically belong to the domain of the typesetter. A person credited as the typesetter of an episode will undoubtedly have had created signs for the episode if signs were necessary. The concept of typesetting signs are unique to fansubbing in that commercial Anime DVDs do not come with such features. Signs exist where there are Japanese elements that are unspoken but instead represented as text on the screen such as boards, posters, or text written on paper in the anime. While most commercial DVDs leave these elements either untranslated or noted in a toptitle which more often than not obstructs the screen heavily and detracts from the viewing experience, fansubs yearn to not only translate signs but also match the original Japanese appearance. This is the holy grail of typesetting, and made possible only with the advent of ASS (advanced substation alpha), which is a powerful subtitling tool capable of adding various effects to a subtitle.

A good sign is one in which the viewer has difficulty telling whether it was originally part of the animation or later subbed in by the fansubber. At the very minimum, a sign will not cause unnecessary aggravation to the viewer.

Typesetting, when referred to in the sign-making aspect, is arguably one of the most difficult aspects of fansubbing because it requires a large amount of creativity and effort. There is no standard set of rules that can applied to each and every episode, as each episode has different signs and as such a completely different set of challenges.

this is avideo shows how to make style http://sharedzilla.com/en/get?id=154479

Karaoke Effects

It is becoming increasingly popular for typesetting to become linked to the concept of making karaoke effects. Most timers who work with karaoke also are typesetters as well, and may use various karaoke programs to create computer-generated karaoke effects.

Related Links

SSA Quick Reference Guide - reference list of SSA commands