Format guide
Advanced SubStation Alpha (ASS / SSA)
The format anime, fansubs and karaoke scripts use when SRT can't keep up. Full styling, positioning and effects.
What is ASS?
ASS (and its predecessor SSA) was designed for typesetting-quality subtitles in the anime fansub community. Each cue can specify font, size, primary/secondary/outline/shadow colours, alignment, layer, position, and per-syllable karaoke highlighting via {\k} tags. It is the only subtitle format that can express broadcast-grade typography and complex on-screen effects.
Common use cases
- Anime fansubs and theatrical-quality typesetting
- Karaoke video productions (per-syllable colour fills)
- Multi-track subtitles with overlapping styled cues
Example file
[Script Info] ScriptType: v4.00+ [V4+ Styles] Format: Name, Fontname, Fontsize, PrimaryColour Style: Default,Arial,32,&H00FFFFFF [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Text Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.34,0:00:18.91,Default,First subtitle line
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