Sublight is free Windows application for searching and downloading subtitles for your movies. It has very easy to use user interface and allows you to watch your subtitled movie with just few clicks. It is especially appropriate for inexperienced users, deaf users and of course for all users who don't want to lose their valuable time for manual searching.
1 - How to search and download subtitles with Sublight?¶
Here is basic demonstration of Sublight usage on how to download subtitle for your video file:
Step 1: click "Choose..." button which opens dialog for selecting your video file
Step 2: browse to folder where your video file is located and open file
Step 3: click "Search subtitles" button
Step 4: double click subtitle which suits you best (this will launch your video player and will automatically load selected subtitle)
-it is recommended that you choose subtitle which has tag "Subtitle is linked and synchronized" (if available)
-you can click with right mouse button for more options
1.1 - Auto search
- click "Subtitles search" tab, click "Choose..." button and select your video file for which you want to find subtitles
- if video title is detected you can click one of two buttons (optional):
- "This title is correct." (green check mark) or
- "This title is not correct." (if title is not correctly detected then please go to step "1.2 - Manual search")
- if video title is not detected then please go to step "1.2 - Manual search"
- click "Search subtitles" button
- double click subtitle from list and your video player should launch (subtitle will load automatically)
1.2 - Manual search
- click "Subtitles search" tab
- enter movie title (optionally you can also enter year, season and episode information)
- click "Search subtitles" button
- double click subtitle from list (subtitle will be saved to your local disk)
1.3 - Combination of Auto and Manual search¶
You can easily combine methods described at step 1.1 and 1.2. Additionally you can also refine your results by enabling "Filter results" option:
2 - Linked subtitles
Linked subtitles are subtitles which are connected with selected video by other Sublight users. They should be synchronized with file you selected.
Note:
- linked subtitles can be displayed only if you use auto search.
- only subtitles from primary source can be linked
2.1 Creating new link (when your movie is fully synchronized with selected subtitle)
When you use auto search and download (unlinked) subtitle you start to watch your movie. If you find out that subtitle is not synchronized with your video then return to Sublight and select another subtitle. When you discover subtitle that is synchronized with your video then right click on downloaded subtitle and select "Link subtitle with video file". With this you are helping other users to find synchronized subtitles more easily. For every valid link you also receive bonus points (you must be logged in for this).
2.2 Confirming synchronized subtitles
When you download linked subtitle and after watching movie you find out that subtitle was synchronized with video then please right click on subtitle and select option "Valid link".
2.3 Reporting unsynchronized subtitles
If linked subtitle is not synchronized with selected video file then please right click on subtitle and select option "Invalid link". System collects link reports and then automatically removes them (it also gives negative points to user who created link).
3 - Reporting bad subtitles
If you encounter bad subtitle, for example subtitle is for different movie or subtitle is machine translation, you can easily report it by right clicking on subtitle and selecting "Report subtitle" option:
Subtitle report wizard will open where you can accurately define what is wrong:
4 - User registration
4.1 - How to register new user?
Step 1: click application button in top left corner (blue button)
Step 2: in application menu select "Register new user..." option
New window will open where you must enter:
- your new username (it must be unique and not already in use)
- your new password (for security reasons you will have to enter it twice)
Email field is optional but recommended to enter. Email mechanism is used for resetting your forgotten password. If you don't enter email or use wrong email address you will not be able to reset your password in future.
Please note: your email will not be used for sending spam messages or giving it to third party. If you do not want to give us your email you can simply leave it blank because it is not mandatory field. There is no need to enter fake email addresses.
4.2 - How can I reset my forgotten password?
Please follow this instructions: How to reset forgotten password
5 - User points
Registered users have points which are automatically maintained by system. Users with positive points have higher priority service and faster subtitle download than anonymous users and users with negative points.
User points are updated by various actions. Here is current scoring system:
| Action | Points | Comment |
| Subtitle download | -1 | |
| Subtitle published | 3 points for every 30 unique subtitle downloads | see blog for details |
| Subtitle edited | 3 points for every 30 unique subtitle downloads | see blog for details |
| Subtitle deleted | -100 | |
| Movie link added | +5 | received after other users confirm link as valid |
| Movie link deleted | -10 | |
5.1 - How do I get points?
You can get points by:
- publishing new subtitles
- editing existing subtitles
- linking subtitles with movies
- by recommending Sublight to your friends via Referral Bonus Program
- purchasing points via PayPal (points are low cost, 100 points for example are just 1 EUR)
- other contribution (please contact us)
5.2 - Subtitle download restrictions
Anonymous users and registered users with negative points can have some download restrictions:
- download can be denied (if downloading same subtitle multiple times)
- download is not instant (lower priortiy download)
5.3 - Monitoring user points
If you would like to see recent changes of your points click "Profile/User info/User Log":
Note:
- this option is available only for registered users (registration is free and simple)
6 - Publishing subtitles
6.1 - Publishing new subtitle
Publishing new subtitle is easy. Just fill all required fields (marked with red rectangle in picture below).
Subtitles can be publishing in text or compressed format (.rar and .zip).
Note:
- this option is available only for registered users (registration is free and simple)
6.2 - Editing published subtitle details (correcting mistakes)
If you made a mistake when publishing subtitle (for example you entered wrong episode number) you can easily correct it. Just double click on subtitle to open subtitle properties, edit fields (you can edit only fields marked with blue rectangle) and click "Save" button.
Note:
- only subtitle publishers (and administrators) can edit their subtitles
7 - Keyboard Shortcuts
Global- F1 - displays help page
- ALT + HOME - opens Sublight homepage
- CTRL + SHIFT + D - opens debug window
- ESC - closes notification message (Sublight 3.3 and newer)
Subtitles search page- SHIFT + "Search subtitles" button - search subtitles from all available sources
- selected subtitle + F4 - subtitle properties
- selected subtitle + F6 - subtitle preview
- selected subtitle + CTRL + N - displays .NFO (movie information)
- CTRL + SPACE - suggests movie title (textbox "Title" in "Criteria for manual search")
View page- selected subtitle + F4 - subtitle properties
- selected subtitle + F6 - subtitle preview
- selected subtitle + CTRL + N - displays .NFO (movie information)
8 - External Libraries and Contributors¶
9 - Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- What are system requirements for running Sublight?
- Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / Windows 7
- Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0 or later
- network connection
- How can I reset my forgotten password?
- When is my Sublight username deleted?
- if you do not login for one year or more
- if you register multiple accounts
- if you are not following rules and ignoring administrator warnings
- How do I publish subtitles for movie on multiple discs?
- Subtitles for movies on multiple discs must be published by single publish. If multiple subtitles are compressed in single archive (zip or rar) then simply select this archive. If subtitles are in text format (sub, srt, ...) then select first subtitle, in next line select second subtitle, etc. If you do not follow these rules and you publish subtitles one by one your subtitles will be deleted and you will receive negative points.
- Can I delete my subtitles?
- Yes, you can delete your subtitle in 30 days after publishing, but you will receive negative points (because you received contribution points for publishing).
- Which subtitle databases are officially supported?
- What is primary database?
- Primary database is Sublight's native database which offers you functions like:
- viewing subtitle details
- previewing subtitles
- linking subtitles with movies
- voting/reporting
- publishing subtitles
- editing subtitles
- etc.
- Sublight also supports secondary subtitle databases via its plugin framework but offers you less functionality:
- searching and downloading subtitles (direct download plugin)
- searching and indirect downloading subtitles via web browser (indirect download plugin)''
- Some subtitles have disabled "Play video with subtitle" option. Why is that?
- This is true for some plugins which do not allow direct subtitle download. You must select "Download subtitle" option from context menu which will open your internet browser and navigate you to download URL.
- Can I get Sublight source code?
- Will you port Sublight to Linux?
- This is currently not planned.
- Can I get source code of built-in plugins?
- Can I develop my own client?
- Yes. Please contact us to receive API key.
- Sublight does not start. What can I do?
- Do you have installed Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0 or later?
- Your setup file could be corrupt. Uninstall Sublight, download it again (Get Sublight) and install it.
- I would like to translate Sublight to new language. How can I do that?
- I have found a bug. What can I do?
- Please contact us and we will fix it as soon as possible.