Skip to content

Applying Fade

We have learned about fade previously but we only learned about the tag. Now let us actually learn how we apply fade in a real sign. As you might have guessed by now, we also use an Aegisub script to add fade to the line.

Fadeworks

Fadeworks is the script made by unanimated whose purpose is to add fades as well as some other fading effects. So install it from dependency control and immediately bind it to a hotkey. I bind it to key F in subtitle grid.

Let us take a following example and see how we use the script Fadeworks to apply fade to this line.

One Pace - Drum Island Episode 05: 0:05:51.46
  1. The line must be timed such that it starts in the same frame as the text begins to appear and ends in the same frame as the text completely disappears.
  2. In the Video Box, go to the first frame of the line if it isn't already. Hotkey is Ctrl+1 if you forgot.
  3. Then press Right to step forward through each frame of video until the text fully appears.
  4. Enable the subtitle grid by clicking in the line you are trying to apply fade to and press the hotkey to run Fadeworks.
  5. Enable the checkbox Fade in to current frame and press Apply Fade button. This will add fade tag to line but only fade in.
  6. Then go to the last frame of the line. Ctrl+2 is the hotkey.
  7. Then press Left to step backward through each frame of video until the text fully appears.
  8. Run the Fadeworks script again. This time enable the checkbox Fade out from current frame and press Apply Fade button. This will add fade tag with fade out but doesn't change the fade in tag.

If you already know the fade in time and fade out time in milliseconds, you can directly input the values in Fadeworks and Edit Tags script

AutoFade

AutoFade is an Aegisub script written by me to automate the process of applying fade so that you don't have to step through the frames to find the exact frame/time when the text fades in or fades out. So get it from Dependency Control.

Note

This is an alternative to Fadeworks example shown above. Use this method or the other based on what works for you. Even if you use this method for adding fades, I still recommend you to keep Fadeworks around. It's a useful script.

  1. Time your sign.
  2. Determine if your sign has fade in, fade out or both.
  3. Play the video until you reach any frame in which there is neither fade in nor fade out.
  4. Hover over the Japanese sign, right click and choose "Copy coordinates to Clipboard".
  5. Open the script (while staying in the same video frame). The co-ordinate should have automatically be picked up and shown in the GUI. Then choose Fade in or Fade out or Both button depending on what you want.
  6. The script will automatically add appropriate fade to your text.

Fade to/from Color

Hoshikuzu Telepath - Episode 03: 0:00:02

Sometimes we will get signs like this where instead of fading to/from transparency, the sign will fade to/from color. Here, every part of the sign is black at the beginning and is slowly fading to it's original color.

Every step is just like before, but before hitting Apply Fade button, we enable the checkbox that says From: and then select color to fade from that color. However, if the text fades to a certain color, choose To: and select this color.

Even though the start color was pitch black, I sampled color from the first frame as an example. You can notice that both the black text, blue text and the white border all start from black and fade into their original color. In case you are keeping track of what automation scripts are doing like I told you, it's using \t tag to animate the color.

Letter by Letter

Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjo, Arui wa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen - Episode 01: 0:22:17

As you can see there is much work to be done in this sign but this is how you apply letter by letter using Fadeworks.

In the GUI of Fadeworks, you will also find a checkbox called Letter by letter using \ko. If you tick this and press Letter by Letter button, the effect will be slightly different.

The top one is when Letter by letter using \ko is enabled and bottom is when it is not. Do yo notice the difference? The top one appears abruptly like a letter stamped by a typewriter. The bottom one gradually fades into existence.