Entry types
In SME subtitling, each subtitle is not just spoken text — it can also represent a sound, music, or a voice-over. Scene Cut lets you classify each entry by type to structure accessible subtitling.
The four types
| Type | Usage | Notation | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dialogue | Speech from an identified character | Free text with speaker prefix | message |
| Sound effect | Non-verbal sound relevant to understanding | In brackets: [Door slams] | speaker.wave.2 |
| Music | Diegetic or significant background music | With marker: ♪ Song title ♪ | music.note |
| Narrator | Voice-over, off-screen narration | Free text | mic |
Changing an entry's type
Three methods are available:
- The
Kkey — cycles through types (dialogue, sound effect, music, narrator). This is the fastest method for keyboard-driven work. - The dropdown menu — visible on each entry in edit mode, next to the speaker field. Displayed in orange for non-dialogue types to make them visually distinct.
- The application menu — via the SME menu, which lists all four types with their shortcuts.
Automatic marker correction
Quick fix (Cmd + K) also handles SME markers. When applied to an entry with SME mode active:
- A music entry without a
♪marker is automatically wrapped:Title→♪ Title ♪ - A sound effect entry without brackets is wrapped:
Door slams→[Door slams] - Conversely, if the text contains brackets or
♪markers but the type is still dialogue, the type is automatically corrected
This correction also works with global fix via the Tools menu and with Autofit.
Batch actions
When multiple subtitles are selected, the selection toolbar and the timeline toolbar both offer a type picker that applies the change to the entire selection. The operation is undoable with Cmd + Z.
Best practices
Sound effects — describe what the viewer needs to understand, not the exact sound. Prefer [Gunshot] over [BANG]. Place the text in brackets and use the sound effect type so SME validation can check consistency.
Music — use ♪ or 🎵 markers to frame the text. Scene Cut checks for their presence on music-type entries and flags missing markers.
Narrator — reserved for voice-overs and off-screen narration. Do not confuse with dialogue where the speaker is simply unknown — in that case, use the dialogue type without a speaker (a validation indicator will remind you to assign one).