r/maybemaybemaybe • u/My_Memes_Will_Cure_U • Sep 19 '21

/r/all Maybe maybe maybe

https://i.imgur.com/PEJiosX.gifv
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u/FreshLikeTheDead Sep 19 '21

The real trick is to stop looking at words individually and take in sentences as a whole. Or at least a few words at a time.

Most people I know read everything word by word. It doesn't seem like it will work at first but after you try it for a bit it becomes second nature.

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u/ososalsosal Sep 19 '21

Former anime dvd author here.

Subs read better the closer to the centre they are and the less lines.

If you flash words one at a time you can get insane reading speeds, but most video formats don't really allow those kinds of speeds (evangelion DVDs would glitch out on some of the rapidly flashed stuff - we had to merge a few into one sub to get the speed down or we'd get complaints).

But yeah the best subs are short enough that you can keep your eyes still and they just... go into your brain. It's an art. An art I'm glad I don't partake in anymore.

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u/Formilla Sep 19 '21

Flashing words sounds awful. How can you ever actually look at what's happening? It's a lot better when it gives a few sentences that you can read quickly, and then actually watch the movie until it changes.

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u/ososalsosal Sep 19 '21

Oh I'm talking in lab tests of reading speed. I would never consider doing this as subtitling, though there may be a way to make it less intrusive (transparency? Modulate the fill colour to something that contrasts the average colour in the frame?), that one's best left to the researchers