Make subtitles easier to read

Default subtitles are small, thin and white — fine on a laptop at arm’s length, hopeless on a bright scene or across a room.

Size and position first

Text sized for a monitor is too small on a television. Step the size up and, if the lines sit over on-screen text or a letterboxed edge, move them vertically until they sit clear of the picture.

Making them readable on any scene

White text disappears against snow, sand and daylight. An outline keeps every letter defined whatever is behind it, and a solid backing box guarantees legibility on the brightest scene. Colour helps too — yellow is easier on the eye than white for long viewing.

Style it before you cast

When casting, subtitles are drawn into the picture before it leaves the PC. That means the styling you set is what appears on the television — so size them for the room, not the desk, before you press cast.

Sizing for the distance you actually sit at

The default size is chosen for a monitor at arm’s length. Across a living room it is too small, and on a laptop on your knees it can be larger than it needs to be. Set it for where you actually watch — and if you cast to a television, set it before you start, because the styling is drawn into the picture and cannot be changed once the film is on the TV.

Outline, shadow or a solid box?

Each solves the same problem differently. An outline keeps every letter defined against any background and is the best default. A shadow is subtler and works on mostly dark films. A solid backing box guarantees legibility on the brightest scenes — snow, sand, daylight — at the cost of covering part of the picture. Use one, not all three; combined they look muddy.

When a file brings its own styling

Some subtitle formats carry their own fonts, colours and positions, chosen by whoever made them. Sometimes that is better than anything you would set; often it is a small yellow font that suited a different screen. Style override tells AIX Player to ignore what the file specifies and use your settings instead, which is the fastest way to make every film consistent.

Worth knowing