SubtitleMedic

Remove SDH from Subtitles

Subtitles full of [door slams] and (sighs)? Load the file, choose what to take out, check every line in the preview and download subtitles with only the dialogue.

Processed in your browserNo sign-up.srt, .vtt, .ass, .sbv, .sub

How to remove SDH from subtitles

  1. Open your subtitle file

    Drop one file into the box above, or click to browse: .srt, .vtt, .ass, .sbv or .sub. It’s read by your browser and never uploaded.

  2. Choose what to remove

    Square brackets, parentheses and music lines are on from the start. Turn on “Speaker names” if the file writes who is talking in capitals.

  3. Check the preview and download

    Every line of the file is listed. Changed lines show the old text struck through above the new one, and removed lines say why they go. Tick “Only changed lines” to review just those.

What counts as SDH

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing carry everything a viewer who can’t hear the soundtrack needs. That is helpful when you need it and distracting when you don’t: a quiet scene fills up with [wind howling], (sighs) and ♪ soft piano music ♪. Releases often come only in this form, tagged SDH, HI or CC. This tool turns them back into plain dialogue subtitles.

Descriptions in square brackets. [door slams], [MUSIC PLAYING], [speaking French]. Anything between a [ and the next ] is taken out, also when the description runs over two rows.

Descriptions in parentheses. (sighs), (laughing), (phone rings). The same rule, for files that use round brackets instead.

Music lines. A row with a ♪ or ♫ on it, or wrapped in # marks the old way, is a song lyric. The whole row goes.

Speaker names. JOHN: Sit down. becomes Sit down. Only names written in capitals are matched, also after a dialogue dash, so Note: bring the keys and 10:30 are left alone.

What happens to the lines around it

Taking a description out can leave very little behind, and the tool cleans that up too.

A subtitle with nothing left is removed. If a block only said [thunder], there is nothing to show, so the block goes and the others keep their times. In SubRip files the numbers are written again in order.

A row with nothing left is removed. In a two-row subtitle such as - [chuckles] over - Where are you headed?, the first row disappears and the second stays as it is.

Tags stay paired. When a description sat inside italics, the empty pair of tags goes with it. When italics started on a removed row and ended on the next, the opening tag moves to the row that stays.

Nothing else is rewritten. A line the tool takes nothing from is saved exactly as it was: its spacing, its tags and its punctuation, including a subtitle that is only ....

Tips

Brackets left over? An opening bracket without a closing one is not a description the tool can be sure of, so it stays. Search the preview for it and fix that line in a text editor.

Tags and ad lines too? This page only removes descriptions. Subtitle Cleaner also takes out credit lines and stray spaces, and Remove Formatting from Subtitles strips colour and font tags.

Need the words as text? Clean the file here first, then run it through Convert SRT to TXT for a transcript without the sound descriptions.

Frequently asked questions

What does SDH mean in subtitles?

SDH stands for subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Besides the dialogue they describe sounds, music and who is speaking, usually in square brackets, parentheses or capitals. Files marked HI or CC are the same kind.

How do I remove the text in brackets from an SRT file?

Open the file in the tool. Descriptions in square brackets and in parentheses are taken out straight away, and a subtitle that held nothing else is removed. Check the preview, then download the file.

Will it delete real dialogue?

Only text inside brackets, rows marked as lyrics and, when you turn it on, names in capitals before a colon are touched. Every line is listed in the preview with the old text struck through, so you can see each removal before you save.

Why is the speaker names switch off at first?

A word in capitals before a colon is usually a name, but it can also be part of what is said, such as a warning sign read aloud. Turn the switch on and look at the changed lines to be sure.

Does the timing of the other lines change?

No. The lines that stay keep their start and end times exactly, and the file is saved in the format it came in. In an SRT file the lines are numbered again from one.

Are my subtitle files uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read and cleaned by JavaScript in this browser tab. It never leaves your device, and the tool keeps working if you go offline after the page has loaded.

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