What it checks
A subtitle with more lines than the profile allows produces one issue for that subtitle.
How it is measured
CueNorm counts the lines of the subtitle as parsed from the source file: explicit line breaks (\N in ASS, new lines in SRT, <br/> in TTML, the line separator in EBU-STL) start a new line. Automatic wrapping by a player is not simulated.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
max |
positive integer | Maximum number of lines per subtitle |
Example
With max: 2, this subtitle is reported as 3 lines (max 2).:
I told you already.
We are not going back.
Not tonight.
The profiles shipped with CueNorm declare this rule as an error: a subtitle with too many lines hides the picture and often breaks the destination's layout. A profile that tolerates extra lines declares the rule again with severity: warning; the file is then delivered with the extra lines (in EBU-STL, the subtitle is raised by one line height per extra line).
How to fix
- Merge short lines when the result respects the characters-per-line limit. When the profile allows it, the
REFLOWtransformation does this automatically, without rewriting any word: three short lines become two whenever the text fits. - Split the subtitle into two consecutive subtitles, keeping each on screen long enough to be read.
- Condense the text.