Import and export
SME data — speaker, color, positioning, and entry type — are preserved in the .scenecut project file. During import and export, Scene Cut does its best to carry this information across each format.
Automatic detection on import
When importing a subtitle file, Scene Cut automatically detects SME elements:
- Speaker prefix — an uppercase name followed by
:at the beginning of a line is recognized as a speaker (e.g.,MARC : Hello→ speaker "MARC", text "Hello") - Sound effects — text entirely enclosed in brackets
[...]or parentheses(...)is classified as a sound effect - Music — the presence of
♪or🎵classifies the entry as music - Colors — automatically detected from formats that support them (TTML, EBU-STL, DCP)
- Positioning — vertical position and horizontal alignment are read from compatible formats
Compatibility matrix
SME data by format
| Format | Speaker | Color | Horiz. align. | Vert. position | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBU-STL | Text prefix | Teletext (0x00–0x07) | JC code | VP byte (1-23) | Via notation |
| TTML / IMSC | Text prefix | tts:color | tts:textAlign | tts:origin (%) | Via notation |
| DCP Interop | Text prefix | Color ARGB | HAlign | VPosition (%) | Via notation |
| WebVTT | Text prefix | Not supported | align: | line:N% | Via notation |
| SRT | Text prefix | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Via notation |
| Burned-in video | Rendered in text | Rendered color | Rendered alignment | Rendered position | Via notation |
EBU-STL — Full native support
The EBU-STL format (Tech 3264) is the richest format for SME data. All fields are read and written natively:
Teletext colors — The Teletext color system maps exactly to the BBC/Ofcom palette. An important technical detail: color resets on every line break in the Teletext stream. Scene Cut handles this reapplication automatically.
Vertical position (VP) — The VP byte from the EBU-STL format is read and written directly (values 1 to 23). If the position is default (0), Scene Cut uses standard lines (21 for single-line, 20 for dual-line).
Alignment (JC) — The justification code is mapped directly: 01 = left, 02 = center, 03 = right.
Encoding — ISO 6937 encoding is fully supported, with correct handling of accented and special characters.
TTML and DCP — Proportional conversion
For TTML/IMSC and DCP Interop formats, positioning is expressed as percentages. Scene Cut automatically converts between the VP scale (1-23) and percentages:
- On export — the VP position is converted to a vertical percentage.
topandbottomregions are assigned based on the zone. - On import — percentages and position attributes (
VPosition,tts:origin) are converted to the nearest VP value.
TTML colors use the #RRGGBB format and DCP colors use 0xAARRGGBB — both are converted to the nearest BBC/Ofcom palette color.
WebVTT — Partial positioning
The WebVTT format supports alignment (align:left, align:right) and vertical positioning via the line:N% parameter. Colors are not natively supported.
- On export — alignment and vertical position are written if different from defaults
- On import —
alignandlineparameters are read and converted
SRT — Text only
The SRT format does not support any SME metadata. Identification relies solely on text conventions:
- Speaker prefix:
MARC : Text - Sound effects:
[Description] - Music:
♪ Title ♪
.scenecut project file. An SRT export followed by a reimport into Scene Cut restores colors, types, and speakers from the project file.Cross-format preservation
The strength of Scene Cut's SME module: metadata survives format conversions. An EBU-STL file imported with Teletext colors and VP positions can be re-exported to TTML with converted colors and positions — then reimported without loss.
This preservation is made possible by the .scenecut project file, which stores all SME data in its native form (color, VP, alignment, speaker, type), regardless of the chosen export format.