Highlighting words as they are spoken

Roderic

I'm working on a story book for kids. One option is for the user have the book read to them. I can get the voice over created just fine, but is there a way to highlight each word as it is spoken? It seems that I'll have to create an actor for each word for the highlight effect, but is there an easy way to sync that with the spoken words?

Thanks in advance.

gyroscope

Hi Roderic, what you're after is possible. A tip: try to cut up the voiceover into relatively small chunks (not single words though, that'd be too much). Then PLENTY of Timers set to After! (The only way it can be done, I think, but if there's not much else going on in the scenes I can't see you having problems with fps). THen trial and error for the "afters" as to when the particular words are highlighted.

:-)

Roderic

Hmm, I was hoping there would be an easier way. :-) I was thinking of timers, but was hoping to avoid the task of so much trial and error.
Thanks!

old_kipper

I synced the hi lighted words by taking times in audacity and then using timers (as suggested by gyro above), to change the alpha of the word in question. Each was a separate actor. This also helps if you want to add synced animation as your cues will work off the timers. You will find that you will probably need two recordings of the text if you want the kids to play the word by touching it, as the rolling of words together in a spoken narration tends not always to leave clean edit points.

If you lay out the text and art in photoshop and save as a single layer guide png you can line up all the words with it and then disgard it after you have done the line up in GS.

Hope that helps.

Kipper

Roderic

Hey Old_Kipper, thanks for the suggestion. I'll try using audacity for the times.

Have you published a book with word highlighting? if so, can you send me the itunes link, I'd like to check it out.

Thanks.

RedlerTech

well, I'd create a text attribute called wordbeingsaid.

After time (USE LOTS OF TIMERS) change wordbeingsaid to whatever word.

When wordbeingsaid = is "I", move the highlighter actor to that x&y position or change the image to the word highlighted

In this case each "I" must be named a separate word being said

Matt

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old_kipper

I am working on group of things to be released latter in the year. The highlighting text reader is a fairly standard format, first done about 22 years ago, so there are lots of examples around. Good luck with your project and I'd be interested to know what your up to.

Kipper