Subtitle Edit Beginners Guide for Sinhala: Step-by-Step Workflow

Quick Answer: Subtitle Edit is a free, open-source tool for editing subtitle files. To work with Sinhala subtitles: open your SRT file, verify UTF-8 encoding, check character rendering for broken diacritics, run Tools > Fix common errors to catch timing issues, adjust timing manually or with bulk tools, and save as UTF-8. Subtitle Edit handles Sinhala Unicode correctly when encoding is proper, making it ideal for post-translation cleanup.

Why Use Subtitle Edit?

Subtitle Edit is the most widely used free subtitle editor, and for good reason. It handles complex Unicode scripts like Sinhala correctly, provides powerful timing adjustment tools, and includes a Fix common errors tool that catches common problems.

After translating your English subtitles to Sinhala with SriSubs, you'll often need to:

• Fix timing issues (drift, duration, overlaps)
• Check for broken Unicode characters
• Adjust line breaks for better readability
• Verify encoding before export

Subtitle Edit excels at all of these tasks. Version 5 has native builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

For an overview of timing rules you should apply during editing, see the reading speed limits in our guide to 5 common mistakes when subtitling in Sinhala.

Downloading and Installing Subtitle Edit

Windows

1. Open the official releases page (github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit/releases)
2. Download the latest stable version
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts
4. Launch Subtitle Edit from your Start menu

macOS

Download the macOS .dmg (Apple Silicon or Intel) from the same releases page and drag Subtitle Edit into Applications.

Menu names in this guide are from Subtitle Edit 5.2.

Linux

Download the Linux .tar.gz or Flatpak build from the same releases page.

Opening Your Sinhala SRT File

Step 1: Open the File

1. Launch Subtitle Edit
2. Click File > Open (or press Ctrl + O)
3. Navigate to your Sinhala SRT file
4. Select the file and click Open

Subtitle Edit loads the file and displays the subtitle list in the main window. Each cue shows:

• Index number
• Start time
• End time
• Text content

Step 2: Verify Encoding

Immediately after opening, check the encoding status:

1. Look at the status bar at the bottom of the window
2. It should display UTF-8 or Unicode (UTF-8)
3. If it shows ANSI, Windows-1252, or anything else, your file has incorrect encoding

Fixing encoding issues:

1. Click File > Save As
2. In the "Save as type" dropdown, select Unicode (UTF-8)
3. Click Save
4. Re-open the file to verify encoding is now UTF-8

For detailed encoding troubleshooting, see our guide on fixing broken Sinhala characters.

Step 3: Check Character Rendering

With the file open, visually inspect the Sinhala text:

• Correct rendering: Letters appear connected, diacritics positioned correctly (e.g., කොම්බුව before consonants)
• Broken rendering: Question marks, squares, or detached diacritics

If you see broken characters, the issue is almost always encoding, not Subtitle Edit. Re-save as UTF-8 and reload the file.

Subtitle Edit Interface Overview

The main Subtitle Edit window consists of several key areas:

Subtitle List (Left Panel)

• Lists all cues with index, timing, and text
• Click any row to select that cue
• Double-click to edit the text directly
• Right-click for context menu options

Waveform Display (Top Right)

• Shows audio waveform for your video (if video file is loaded)
• Drag the red playhead to navigate
• Click waveform to set cue start/end times
• Useful for precise timing adjustments

Video Preview (Bottom Right)

• Plays the associated video file
• Shows subtitles overlaid in real-time
• Use to verify sync and rendering

Toolbar (Top)

• Common actions: open, save, play, pause, adjust timing

Running Fix Common Errors

Subtitle Edit's Fix common errors tool detects and fixes common problems:

Running the Check

1. Click Tools > Fix common errors (or press Ctrl + Shift + F)
2. Choose the rules to apply and click Go to apply fixes
3. A list of proposed fixes appears

Common Issues Detected

Fixing Issues

1. Review each proposed fix and uncheck any you don't want
2. Click Apply selected fixes
3. Edit anything the tool can't fix automatically
4. Click Refresh available fixes to re-scan
5. Repeat until no issues remain, then click Done

For Sinhala subtitles, pay special attention to:

• Lines too long: Sinhala often exceeds 40 characters; split or rephrase
• Duration too short: Sinhala needs longer display time; extend end time
• Overlapping subtitles: Fix gaps immediately, as they cause playback issues

Manual Editing Workflow

Editing Text Content

To edit the Sinhala text of a subtitle:

1. Double-click the text in the subtitle list
2. Edit directly in the cell
3. Press Enter to save changes and move to the next cue
4. Or click outside the cell to save

Tips for Sinhala text editing:

• Use your OS's Sinhala IME (input method editor)
• Verify diacritics position correctly after editing
• If text appears garbled, check your IME output encoding

Adjusting Timing Manually

To change start or end times:

1. Click the time value you want to change
2. Type the new time in HH:MM:SS,mmm format
3. Press Enter to save

Time format rules:

• Hours: 2 digits (00-23)
• Minutes: 2 digits (00-59)
• Seconds: 2 digits (00-59)
• Milliseconds: 3 digits (000-999)
• Separator: comma for SRT (e.g., 00:01:23,456)

Splitting and Merging Cues

Split a cue:

1. Select the cue and place the text cursor where you want to split
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + V (split line at cursor position)
3. Subtitle Edit creates two cues from one

Merge cues:

1. Select two consecutive cues
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + M (merge selected lines)
3. Subtitle Edit combines them into one cue with timing covering both

When to split: When a single cue exceeds 40 characters or contains multiple complete sentences.

When to merge: When consecutive cues are very short and could be combined without exceeding limits.

Bulk Timing Adjustments

Subtitle Edit provides powerful tools for adjusting timing across multiple cues at once.

Adjust All Times (Offset Correction)

Use this when all subtitles are consistently early or late by a fixed amount:

1. Click Synchronization > Adjust all times (or press Ctrl + Shift + A)
2. Enter the offset duration (e.g., 2.500 seconds)
3. Click Show earlier or Show later

When to use:

• Video has a different intro than your subtitle file
• You extracted subtitles from a different video version
• Constant sync offset throughout the file

Change Frame Rate

Use this when converting between frame rates (e.g., 25 fps PAL to 23.976 fps film):

1. Click Synchronization > Change frame rate
2. Set From frame rate to the source rate
3. Set To frame rate to the target rate
4. Click Convert

When to use:

• Subtitles timed for PAL broadcast (25 fps) but playing on film (23.976 fps)
• Converting between different video standards
• Progressive speed drift indicates frame rate mismatch

For detailed frame rate math, see our guide on how to sync out-of-sync Sinhala subtitles.

Speed Up or Slow Down

Use this to globally adjust playback speed without changing frame rate:

1. Click Synchronization > Change speed
2. Enter a percentage (e.g., 96% for 4% slower, 104% for 4% faster)
3. Click Apply

When to use:

• Subtitles drift progressively at a constant rate
• Converting between slightly different playback speeds
• Fine-tuning after frame rate conversion

Working with Video Files

Subtitle Edit can load video files alongside subtitles for visual timing verification.

Loading a Video

1. Click Video > Open video
2. Select your video file (MP4, MKV, AVI, etc.)
3. Subtitle Edit loads the video in the preview panel

Using Waveform Display

The waveform display shows audio visualization:

1. Open a video with Video > Open video
2. The waveform panel shows that video's audio (Subtitle Edit may first ask to generate waveform data)
3. Click on the waveform to jump to that point in the video
4. Drag the red playhead to scrub through audio

Benefits of waveform editing:

• See exactly where speech begins and ends
• Set precise start/end times based on audio
• Identify silence gaps for cue boundaries
• Sync subtitles to speech rhythm

Point Sync

Point sync lets you set two reference points and interpolate timing for the entire file:

1. Load your video file
2. Find a clear dialogue line near the start of the video
3. Click Synchronization > Point sync
4. Click Set sync point at the correct frame
5. Find a second dialogue line near the end
6. Click Set sync point again
7. Click OK

Subtitle Edit recalculates all timing based on these two reference points.

When to use:

• Subtitles have progressive drift but frame rate is unknown
• Manual sync correction needed for complex timing issues
• Fine-tuning after bulk adjustments

Exporting and Saving

Saving Your Work

1. Click File > Save (or press Ctrl + S) to overwrite the original file
2. Or click File > Save As to create a new file
3. Ensure encoding is set to Unicode (UTF-8)
4. Click Save

Exporting to Different Formats

Subtitle Edit can save to various formats:

1. Click File > Save as
2. Select the target format (SRT, VTT, ASS, etc.)
3. Click Save

Common format conversions:

• SRT to VTT: For web embedding or YouTube
• SRT to ASS: For advanced styling in players that support it
• VTT to SRT: For better hardware player compatibility

For format comparisons, see our guide on SRT vs VTT subtitle formats.

Burning Subtitles into Video

Subtitle Edit can permanently embed subtitles into video:

1. Click Video > Generate video with burned-in subtitles
2. Select your video file
3. Choose output format and quality settings
4. Start the encode and wait for it to finish

Note: This creates a new video file with subtitles burned in. The original subtitle file remains unchanged. Use this when you need subtitles that cannot be turned off (e.g., for platforms that don't support external subtitle files).

Common Subtitle Edit Issues for Sinhala

Issue: Sinhala Text Shows as Question Marks

Cause: File is not UTF-8 encoded, or your system font lacks Sinhala support.

Fix:

1. Check encoding status in the bottom status bar
2. If not UTF-8, use File > Save As to re-save as UTF-8
3. Ensure your system has a Sinhala font installed (Noto Sans Sinhala, Iskoola Pota)
4. Restart Subtitle Edit and reload the file

Issue: Diacritics Appear Detached

Cause: Zero-width joiners missing or font rendering issue.

Fix:

1. Verify the Sinhala text uses proper Unicode sequences
2. Check if the issue persists across different fonts
3. If the text was translated by SriSubs, the sequences should be correct
4. The issue may be font-specific rather than file-specific

Issue: The Line Length Limit Doesn't Match Your Target

Cause: Subtitle Edit's default maximum is 43 characters per line, slightly above the 35–40 characters recommended for Sinhala.

Fix:

1. Open Options > Settings
2. Set the maximum characters per line to 40
3. Run Fix common errors again
4. Manually review remaining issues

Issue: Waveform Display Not Available

Cause: No video file loaded, or audio codec not supported.

Fix:

1. Load a video file using Video > Open video
2. If the video loads but waveform doesn't appear, the audio codec may not be supported
3. Convert the video to a more standard format (MP4 with AAC audio)
4. Try again with the converted file

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Subtitle Edit free?

Yes, Subtitle Edit is completely free and open-source, with native builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Can Subtitle Edit translate English to Sinhala?

No, Subtitle Edit is an editing tool, not a translator. Use SriSubs to translate English subtitles to spoken Sinhala, then use Subtitle Edit for timing adjustments and cleanup.

What's the difference between "Save" and "Export"?

Save writes the file in its current format (usually SRT). Save as lets you choose another format (VTT, ASS, etc.), while Export covers special outputs such as image-based subtitles. Burning subtitles into video is under Video > Generate video with burned-in subtitles.

Why does Subtitle Edit sometimes change my timestamps when I save?

Subtitle Edit may normalize timestamps (e.g., adding leading zeros) when saving. This is intentional and ensures consistent formatting. The actual timing values don't change, only their representation.

Can I use Subtitle Edit on a Chromebook?

There is no ChromeOS version. If your Chromebook supports Linux apps, you can try the Linux build; otherwise, use a web-based subtitle editor.

Summary Checklist

• Download and install Subtitle Edit (native builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
• Open your Sinhala SRT file and verify UTF-8 encoding
• Check character rendering for broken diacritics
• Load video file for visual timing verification if available
• Run Fix common errors (Ctrl + Shift + F) to catch timing issues
• Fix issues: adjust timing, split long lines, correct overlaps
• Use bulk tools (Adjust all times, Change frame rate) for global corrections
• Verify waveform display for precise audio-based timing
• Use point sync for progressive drift correction
• Save as UTF-8 before exporting
• Use Save as to choose the target format (SRT, VTT, etc.) for final use

For timing rules to apply during editing, see the timing section of our guide on how to sync out-of-sync Sinhala subtitles.

To generate Sinhala translations before editing, translate your subtitles with SriSubs.