Annotation Edit for Mac

User Reviews

• Perfect for my needs

  DraukaTorSeptember 22, 2014

  Pros

  Does exactly what I need

  Cons

  None to speak of

  Summary

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• Full Featured Subtitles and Captions

  xenowingJuly 11, 2010

  Pros

  Video preview and waveform display, so syncing can be very precise. You work from a proprietary project file. Exports to many formats. Seems to have many features for many workflows, which it should have for $250. :/

  Cons

  Doesn't automatically load the corresponding subtitle file. The interface has a bunch of buttons, which can be confusing, but they all have tooltips and I'm sure I'll get used to it. Displays original and new subs at the same time.

  Summary

  This app goes well beyond what I need. I was actually a bit shocked to see well developed it is. It's probably fair to describe this as a 'Pro' app, which you might imagine for the $250 price tag. The demo version will allow you to do 15 saves in a project, for a total of three days. Again, I'll have limited use so I can't speak for all of the features, but you'll be able to see if it's what you need with the demo. There's a small learning curve, but once you're rolling it's all good.

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• Terrific value for the professional

  Swift2December 11, 2009

  Pros

  This program does, for 250 Euros, what you have to pay $6,000 for in the Windows world. It has been the secret weapon for many professional directors and producers, and everyone from the media pro to the web media producer should take a serious look.

  Cons

  It is written in Germany, so at times the English of the menus is not easy to understand. It could have a more up-to-date manual, too. But the personal support is excellent.

  Summary

  This is a program that helps people produce original subtitles, and convert just about any format into any others. It works with anything from text formats to Blu-ray graphics, and does so with the Mac's clear edge in graphics and video. Do you have a set of subtitles to convert to Flash xml? Done. A set of closed-captions to turn into Blu-ray subtitles for the deaf? Done. Convert from PAL to NTSC drop? Done. I started using this program when it was much more limited because it was the best, quickest and most accurate program we could find -- and did I mention it's quite cheap? -- and it came through like a champ. Let's just say that many of the titles of movies you might see on Blu-ray came from this program. It could be more user-friendly. The manual is perfunctory, and the menus often seem translated from German, which, in fact, they are. But those who work in this field have had to struggle with some very high-priced software that is less adaptable and clever, and just as opaque. This is, in fact, a kind of Swiss Army knife for the captioner and subtitler, and it works flawlessly with Final Cut Pro and Quicktime, for less than a tenth of the price that you pay for the Windows equivalent.

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• Great job

  jimhassApril 22, 2009

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I make Blu-ray titles. We export EBU stl, and have been very pleased that the only adjustments necessary prior to final rendering have been to manually insert the "partial italics". We just finished a major project, and were very happy; but now, the new version would have saved us a couple of hours or more, by importing partial italics automatically. Thank you, Annotation Edit.

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• This version is a killer

  Swift2October 8, 2008

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />The one weakness that existed in Annotation was that it wouldn't italicize a single word in a Blu-ray title -- like a book title or a ship's name, or the like. This version fixes that. I can't think of a single feature now it doesn't have. Again, the production industry should definitely pay attention to this fast-rising application.

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• It's terrific at what it does

  jimhassApril 10, 2008

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />It is not a great piece of software for creating captions and subtitles. The great software that does that has two virtues: you create them using the keyboard about 99%, because speed is number one in the industry, and there can be no shifting from mouse to keyboard and back. The viewer interface is clunky here. And you want to preview what your sub looks like AS YOU DO IT! So, you listen, hit the "IN" key, or "New title", whatever. The timecode is automatic. You type. You start again, listen, and type again. And no interface that just gives you a list of text items will ever work. I agree with the comment that Sublime is better for creating titles, though it, too, has a long way to go. But what is just great about Annotation is its ability to convert from multiple formats and then to put that out in various formats, with professional and up-to-date specs. For Final Cut. You can embed scc captions. You can import EBU STL, supported by many professional systems, and retain almost all the formatting. You can export to many other systems aside from Final Cut, including a Blu-ray plugin for making 1080p subtitles that work with many professional pieces of software. Sublime makes easier to edit, and it has some preview. But, just as an example, it supports only NTSC drop and non-drop, and PAL. Not good enough in the media world that's changing so fast. The bottom line? They're different pieces of software. Annotation Edit excels at conversions and pro specs.

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• not intuitive at all, useless features

  hadieandreFebruary 24, 2008

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />This is not an intuitive piece of software to learn. -Mainly caused by the clutter of useless buttons. For example: "the turn on Apple remote control support". What is the remote control useful for while editing subtitles?? -The buttons are not discriptive, and not at logical places -The help manual makes it even more difficult: it doesn't make a distinction what is important to know and what not. -Sound is not always audible while using HDV footage -No drag and drop feature present in comparable software like Sublime While editing subtitles should really not be that difficult. I compared several now, for example Sublime is ,much easier to learn, and it's drag and drop feature makes it very versatile.

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• Very useful tool!

  mherzogDecember 18, 2006

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Excellent interface, workflow oriented for both: video subtitles and annotation. Ideal for international projects. A must for video professionals and archivers. Forget STL Edit! Do not hassle with DVD Studio or Avid subtitlers. Now we are waiting for MPEG7 Annotation ;-)

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