SRT cleaner
Clean SDH, sound tags and speaker labels out of SRT files
Hearing-impaired subtitles carry [music], (laughs) and NARRATOR: labels that you do not want in a translation, a transcript or a lyric-free cut. Turn on the cleaner, drop a folder of SRT files, and get back only the dialogue, renumbered.
- Whole folders to one zip, subfolders kept
- Files never leave your device
- Try 3 files free; $19 once for unlimited
Drop subtitle files or a folder hereChoose subtitle files
SRT, WebVTT, ASS/SSA, MicroDVD, YouTube .sbv and TTML/DFXP (.ttml .dfxp .xml); any number of files. On phones, select several files instead of a folder.
Options auto encoding, no offset, clean SDH
Sample batch2 files
- harbour-sdh.srtReady, 1 warning
- Cleaner: 2 cues removed (only sound descriptions, labels or tags), 4 cues edited. Cues are renumbered from 1.
- harbour-sdh-2.srtReady, 1 warning
- Cleaner: 1 cue removed (only sound descriptions, labels or tags), 2 cues edited. Cues are renumbered from 1.
1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,000 The harbour opened in 1931. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,500 Anyone there? 3 00:00:08,700 --> 00:00:10,500 Row, row, row your boat 4 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:13,400
Converted in this tab. Nothing is uploaded.
Real output
An SDH-heavy SRT, before and after
This sample is typical of a broadcaster's hearing-impaired track. The result on the right was written by the cleaner on this page.
Before: harbour-sdh.srt
1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,000 [waves crashing] 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,000 NARRATOR: The harbour opened in 1931. 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,500 - (door creaks) - <i>Anyone there?</i> 4 00:00:08,700 --> 00:00:10,500 ♪ Row, row, row your boat ♪ 5 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:13,400 MAN 2: (whispering) We should head back before the tide. 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:14,800 [SIGHS]
After: harbour-sdh.srt
1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,000 The harbour opened in 1931. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,500 Anyone there? 3 00:00:08,700 --> 00:00:10,500 Row, row, row your boat 4 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:13,400 We should head back before the tide.
What the converter reports for this file:
- Cleaner: 2 cues removed (only sound descriptions, labels or tags), 4 cues edited. Cues are renumbered from 1.
What it removes
Exactly what the cleaner takes out
| In the file | After cleaning |
|---|---|
| [waves crashing], [SIGHS], [radio static] | Removed; a cue that held only this is removed |
| (laughs), (door creaks), (whispering) | Removed from the line; the rest of the line stays |
| NARRATOR: , MAN 2: , KEEPER: | The capital-letter label is removed, the words stay |
| ♪ Row, row, row your boat ♪ | The note symbols are removed and the lyric stays; a cue with only notes is removed |
| <i>, <b>, <u>, <font color=...>, {\an8} | Removed; the text inside stays |
| A dialogue dash left on a single line | Removed ("- Hello" becomes "Hello") |
| Cues left empty | Removed, and the remaining cues are renumbered from 1 |
| Lines of dialogue | Untouched |
Combine
One pass, several jobs
Works on a batch
The cleaner is an option on the converter, so a folder of episodes is cleaned in one go and comes back as one zip.
With a time offset
Shift every cue earlier or later by a number of milliseconds while you clean.
With any input and output
It also runs on VTT, ASS, MicroDVD, SBV and TTML input, and the output can be SRT, WebVTT, ASS, MicroDVD or plain text.
How to
How to clean a folder of SRT files
Drop the files or the folder
The cleaner is already switched on in the converter above. Drop your SRT files or a whole folder.
Read the summary under each file
Every file reports how many cues were removed and how many were edited, so you can see at a glance which tracks were SDH-heavy.
Save the zip
Choose SRT (or another output) and save. Cues are renumbered from 1 and the folder structure is kept.
Good to know
Where cleaning needs a second look
- Any text in square or round brackets up to 120 characters is treated as a sound description, including a real aside such as "(he said so)". Longer spans, and a bracket that opens in one cue and closes in the next, are left alone.
- A speaker label is recognised when it is in capital letters and followed by a colon, like "NARRATOR:". A label such as "Note:" is not touched.
- Sound descriptions written without brackets, such as a line of capitals saying "DOOR SLAMS", are not detected.
- Song lyrics next to music notes are kept; only the note symbols go.
FAQ
Questions
What is SDH?
Subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing. Besides dialogue they include sound descriptions like [music] or (laughs), speaker labels and music notes, which most other uses of a subtitle file do not want.
How do I remove [music] and (laughs) from an SRT?
Open the converter on this page, drop the file or folder, and keep the cleaner option on. Bracketed and parenthesised sound descriptions are removed, and cues that held only those are removed.
Does it renumber the cues?
Yes. After cleaning, the SRT is numbered from 1 with no gaps.
Does it work on a whole folder?
Yes. Free for 3 files per batch; Unlimited ($19 once) has no limit. Subfolders are kept inside the zip.
Does it remove HTML tags too?
Yes. Italic, bold, underline, font and similar tags, and ASS-style {\...} codes, are removed with the text inside kept. Without the cleaner, Captionry keeps italic, bold and underline.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Cleaning runs in your browser tab and your files are never sent to us or anyone else.
Related
More from Captionry
Converting more than 3 files at a time?
Unlimited removes the batch limit for $19 once, with no subscription.