Automation / Karaoke Templater / Tutorial 1

Welcome to the first tutorial in using Karaoke Templater to create karaoke effects. We'll start out with something simple and then continue on to more advanced effects throughout the series.

Finding Karaoke Templater

You can run Karaoke Templater in two different ways. For now we'll just concentrate on one of them.

Look under the Automation menu in Aegisub.

You should see the option called Apply karaoke template, though it will be unavailable. This is what you'll select to use the "templates" we'll be writing throughout these tutorials. Right now it's unavailable because you haven't entered any templates. We'll get to that in a moment.

If you don't have the Apply karaoke template option, your Aegisub installation is either incomplete or damaged. You need to repair your installation in that case, to be able to use Karaoke Templater.

But there is something else to make sure of first.

Getting timed karaoke

Karaoke Templater can do many things for you, but it can't guess the lyrics for your song, or how they're synchronised with the music. You'll have to time the lyrics yourself, or get someone else to do it. You can learn how to time karaoke at the Karaoke Timing Tutorial.

We'll call song lyrics with basic karaoke timing (\k timing), but no other special effects, for timed karaoke. When an effect has been applied to the karaoke we'll call it styled karaoke.

If you don't have any song to work with here are two lines from a song. You can select them in your browser, select EditCopy, then go to Aegisub and select EditPaste, to get them into Aegisub.

Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.85,0:00:09.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,{\k97}shi{\k41}ta{\k0} {\k20}no{\k10} {\k30}u{\k80}e{\k53} {\k23}a{\k21}ma{\k39}ku{\k7}  {\k24}to{\k24}ke{\k31}ru{\k0} {\k37}wa{\k23}ta{\k92}gu{\k69}mo
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.28,0:00:16.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,{\k79}ki{\k61}su{\k0} {\k9}o{\k0} {\k37}shi{\k98}te{\k40}  {\k23}ku{\k25}ro{\k40}i{\k0} {\k28}tsu{\k19}ba{\k51}sa{\k0} {\k11}no{\k0} {\k34}shi{\k138}ta

Either way you have some karaoke timed lyrics now, so we can start.

Load a video

You don't need to load any audio, but it can be a good idea to have some video open. If you don't have any video files ready you can use, select VideoUse dummy video and just say OK. It's not a very interesting video you will get, but it will show you how the subtitles and the effect we're creating will look.

Writing a k-replacer style template

Now we have everything else set up it's time to make the actual template. First, here's how to add it. The explanation of what every part means will follow.

  1. Select the very first subtitle line in the file.
  2. Select SubtitlesInsert LinesBefore Current to get a new line before it. This will become our karaoke template line. It doesn't need to be first, but it usually makes it easier to keep track of for yourself.
  3. Make sure the newly created line has the same style as your timed karaoke.
  4. Click the Comment check box for the new line. It should change colour in the subtitle grid.
  5. Find the Effect field, it's to the right of the Style and Actor fields. Put the text "template line" into it. (Without the quotes!) Press the Enter key on your keyboard to save the Effect field.
  6. Finally, enter this text for the main text of your template line. Finish off with Enter again. {\r\t($start,$mid,\fscy120)\t($mid,$end,\fscy100)}

Insert a screenshot of how it should look after the steps.

Now look at the Automation menu again. If you made the template line correctly, Apply karaoke template will now be available. If it isn't review the steps above again.

Select Apply karaoke templates and watch Karaoke Templater do its work.

Another screenshot, this time after applying templates.

If you have a video open you can view the effect right now, inside Aegisub.

Also notice how the template line was left in place, and the timed karaoke was changed to comment lines and had karaoke filled into their Effect fields. Karaoke Templater preserves your timed karaoke in the styled karaoke so you won't lose it. But it also has another function…

Extending the effect a bit

Continuing right on from above, now try doing this:

  1. Change the text of the template line to: {\r\k$kdur\t($start,$end,\1c&H00FF00&)\t($start,$mid,\fscy120)\t($mid,$end,\fscy100)}
  2. Apply templates again

More screenshot

Karaoke Templater re-used the commented out timed karaoke and changed the styled karaoke to match the new effect instead. You can also try changing the commented out timed karaoke and apply templates again.

Like this, you can work gradually on your effect and preview it as you go.

So what does it all mean?

To finish off this first part of the tutorial, here's what each part means. This is not the full explanation of everything, but it should be plenty for now.

With this knowledge, you should already be able to create lots of effects. You may also want to refer to the page on ASS override tags.

You can also continue to the next tutorial, where we'll look at how to do math with variables to get more variation.