Not actually a guide, just a bunch of links to good guides for specific things. If you follow all of them, you should end up with some at least semi-decent fansubs.
Mostly oriented towards anime, but should apply to most things (with some exceptions).
Glossary - Most other stuff is relatively self-explanatory, or you’ll learn if you read the guides.
Windows: Shinon’s AegisubDC fork
Mac: wangqr’s fork
Linux: TSTools fork (AUR package), This PPA that builds git master (for ubuntu-based distros). Your distro’s package will probably be version 3.2.2, not a newer fork.
If you use 3.2.2, make sure to configure it correctly.
Upon starting up Aegisub the first time, you should change the following settings:
View > Options > Advanced > Video
libass.Restart Aegisub for the changes to fully take effect. Note that script settings may override the colourspace.
See this page for how to fix scripts made in the wrong colourspace.
Also see the encode.moe guide
Collectr’s Curmudgeonly Guide to Editing
Read WhyNot’s guide and follow what it says. It only covers one style of timing, but it goes into detail about it.
Then read unanimated’s timing guide (all of it). It doesn’t go into as much detail, but covers a bit more stuff.
I personally do a weird mix of with TPP and without. Just try stuff out and see what works for you.
Don’t just blindly trust the timing post-processor! Do a QC pass and fix any mistakes it may have made.
You should generate your own keyframes, or things will be fucked.
There’s a nice batch script that comes with all the stuff you need. I believe you just drag your video onto it, but I haven’t personally tested it as I don’t use windows.
get ffmpeg
get scxvid-standalone - you’ll need to compile it on not-windows, but this takes like a second so isn’t really an issue.
run ffmpeg -i $video -f yuv4mpegpipe -vf scale=640:360 -pix_fmt yuv420p -vsync drop - | scxvid $video_keyframes.log ($video is the path to your video)
If it misses keyframes, try removing the -vf scale=640:360 bit. It’ll take longer, but should be more accurate.
unanimated’s typesetting guide
Typesetting in Adobe Illustrator
Motion tracking with Aegisub-Motion, and how to track things in mocha, or in blender
Subtitle Appearance Analysis Part 1: The Font
Subtitle Appearance Analysis Part 2: Font Size
Remember,
TL;DR: Just steal GJM-Main and have done.
completely optional, but writing your own scripts for repetitive tasks can save you a lot of time in the long run.
read lyger’s guide, skim unanimated’s extra stuff, RTFM, and google anything you don’t know.
prior knowledge of programming is helpful.
You can also use MoonScript, but figuring that out is left as an exercise for the reader.