Text Files

Alongside media assets, Stellar works with text files — the subtitle, caption, audio description, dubbing and metadata files that carry the timed text for a piece of media.

This page lists the text file formats Stellar supports, so you can check that a file will be accepted before you add it to a Task or Local Project.

Supported formats

Stellar supports the following text file formats:

Format	File extension	Typically used for
Aegisub ASS file	.ass	Subtitles, including styling and positioning information
Cavena 890	.890	Broadcast subtitles created in Cavena subtitling systems
Cavena CIP	.cip	Cavena subtitling files
EBU STL	.stl	Broadcast subtitle exchange (EBU subtitling data exchange format)
ESEF Audio Description	.esf	Audio description scripts
FPC	.fpc	Subtitle and caption data
IMSC Rosetta	.imscr	XML-based timed text subtitles
Lambdacap JPN	.cap	Japanese caption files
OOONA File	.ooona	Subtitle files created in OOONA tools
PAC	.pac	Broadcast subtitles
SRT File	.srt	Plain-text subtitles — the most widely used subtitle format
srtad Audio Description	.srtad	SRT-based audio description scripts
srtdub Dubbing file	.srtdub	SRT-based dubbing scripts
TTAL AD/Dub	.ttal	Audio description and dubbing scripts
YU Meta File	.yumeta	Metadata used within Stellar

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Formats by type of work

The same list, grouped by the kind of work each format is normally used for.

Subtitles and captions

• Aegisub ASS file (.ass)
• Cavena 890 (.890)
• Cavena CIP (.cip)
• EBU STL (.stl)
• FPC (.fpc)
• IMSC Rosetta (.imscr)
• Lambdacap JPN (.cap)
• OOONA File (.ooona)
• PAC (.pac)
• SRT File (.srt)

Audio description

• ESEF Audio Description (.esf)
• srtad Audio Description (.srtad)
• TTAL AD/Dub (.ttal)

Dubbing

• srtdub Dubbing file (.srtdub)
• TTAL AD/Dub (.ttal)

Metadata

• YU Meta File (.yumeta)

Choosing a format

A few points to keep in mind when deciding which format to work with:

• Check the delivery requirement first. If the finished file is being delivered to a broadcaster, platform or client, use the format they have asked for. Broadcast deliveries commonly specify EBU STL or PAC.
• Match the type of work. Audio description and dubbing scripts hold information that plain subtitle formats do not carry, so use a format intended for that work — for example TTAL AD/Dub, srtad or srtdub — rather than a standard subtitle format.
• Consider what the format can hold. Simpler formats such as SRT carry timings and text only. Richer formats such as Aegisub ASS and IMSC Rosetta can also carry styling and positioning, so converting from a richer format to a simpler one may not preserve every detail.
• Keep the original file. If you convert between formats, keep the original as well, so you can return to it if information is lost in the conversion.

If a file is not accepted

If a text file will not load, check the following:

1. The file extension is on the list above. Formats that are not listed are not supported.
2. The extension matches the file's actual format. Renaming a file does not convert it — a file renamed to .srt is still in its original format.
3. The file is complete and not corrupted. Try opening it in the application it was created in to confirm it is intact.
4. The file is the right type of text file for the work. For example, a dubbing script needs to be supplied in a dubbing format.

If the file still will not load, contact your Stellar administrator or support team, and include the file name, its extension, and the application it was created in.