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Decorative text (fancy subs)
- Decorative text = stylized subtitles with design flair, used to emphasize key info or add fun
- Common styles: Stroke + drop shadow, 3D emboss, gradient fill, texture mapping
- Production tools: CapCut templates (fastest), Photoshop PNG imports, AE animated fancy text
- Design principle: Decorative text color must contrast with the frame (dark frames use bright text; bright frames use dark text + stroke)
- Layering: Bottom layer stroke/shadow + middle layer color fill + top layer highlight/gloss; aim for at least two layers
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Variety-show subtitle style
- Characteristics: Large font, high-saturation colors, exaggerated animations, paired with sound effects
- Common techniques: Text shake for emphasis, pulse scale, spinning entrance, emoji inserts
- Color rules: Different speakers get different colors; keywords pop in attention-grabbing colors (red/yellow)
- Placement rules: Don't block faces; stay within safe zones; vertical video subtitles go in the lower third
- Note: Variety-style subs suit entertainment / comedy / reaction content; don't overuse for educational or business content
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Scrolling comment-style subtitles
- Use cases: Reaction videos, curated comments, multi-person discussions, creating busy atmosphere
- Implementation: Multiple subtitle tracks scrolling right to left at varying speeds and vertical positions
- Color and size: Mimic Bilibili (Chinese video platform) danmaku style; mostly white, key comments in color or larger text
- Pacing: Don't use wall-to-wall scrolling text - dense bursts at key moments, breathing room elsewhere
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Multilingual subtitles
- SRT format: Most universal subtitle format; supported by virtually all platforms and players; plain text + timecodes
- ASS format: Supports rich styling (font/color/position/animation); commonly used for Bilibili uploads
- Bilingual layout: Primary language on top / secondary below; primary language in larger font
- Subtitle timing: Each line should last 1-5 seconds; appear 0.2-0.5 seconds early (so eyes can catch up)
- AI auto-subtitles + manual review: AI generates the draft saving 80% of time; then review line-by-line for typos and sentence breaks
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Subtitle typography aesthetics
- Font selection: For Chinese, use Source Han Sans / Alibaba PuHuiTi (free for commercial use); for titles, Zcool font series
- Font size guidelines: Vertical video body subtitles 30-36px, titles 48-64px; horizontal video body 24-30px, titles 36-48px
- Safe margins: Subtitles should not touch frame edges; maintain 10%-15% safe distance from borders
- Line spacing and letter spacing: Line height 1.2-1.5x; slightly wider letter spacing for breathing room
- Readability: Subtitles must be legible - use at least one of: semi-transparent backdrop bar, stroke, or drop shadow