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[byropoint]

White with black outline is the way to go, no need for silly colors.

 

[Syriel]

Thanks for the protip. I actually didn't realize it was an option under account options.

Even more fun. Different regions have different defaults due to different local standards.

Account settings override programmed defaults though.

 

[CassSept]

I've only seen yellow subtitles in Tarantino films, must be an Anerican thing.

Though when I watched The Island in the theaters white subtitles were a terrible idea with half the film taking płace in sterile, white environments.

 

[blame space]

does anyone else turn on subtitles for everything they watch?

sometimes you catch spelling mistakes and you can tell when an actor ad-libbed or forgot their lines in sitcoms.

 

[peaceiscloser]

does anyone else turn on subtitles for everything they watch?

sometimes you catch spelling mistakes and you can tell when an actor ad-libbed or forgot their lines in sitcoms.

I find a lot of TV/movies nearly unwatchable without subtitles. Subbed Anime is a powerful drug, man

 

[Typographenia]

Different looks work better for different content. It's not a matter of one being generally superior as it is just finding a solution that works. I've enjoyed some films playing more with their subtitles in recent years like John Wick and the Fast and Furious films.

 

[Nokterian]

Yellow subtitles are shit

This right here...prefer white subtitles because yellow makes me blind.

 

[ZackieChan]

I grew up with subtitles that looks like this so this is the way I prefer them.

Black bars with white text.

In Soviet Russia, subtitles subtitle you

 

[Cerity]

Could be a lot worse than white/yellow, I remember a bunch of anime subs from around 2005 that used stylised fonts for their subs.

 

[dity]

White with black outline.

This is the good stuff.

 

[moniker]

Yellow subs are hideous.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Is Nana that forehead fetish anime?

 

[Timedog]

Just put a fucking black stroke around the letters, subtitle makers. You could make it subtle with transparency and feathering. I can't watch the anime Paprika because of this even though I own it!

The solution is so easy!

 

[strafer]

I have green subtitles on netflix

 

[davepoobond]

Because the movie might have particular colors that get ruined when you have big yellow floating words on top of it distracting you from the actual movie and instead you are reading

 

[Hoo-doo]

Yellow subtitles are the worst. Goddamn.

Makes me feel like i'm watching a 1980's VHS.

 

[Jack The Nipper]

Just need white with size options. A little bigger won't hurt anyone. Larger size options should be standard

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Yellow text is horrible.

White text with a black outline is the most likely to work, and my preferred style.

 

[Laieon]

White with black outline.

Yep, this is always the best option imo.

 

[SeanTSC]

Ugh, Yellow sucks. In fact it sucks so much that if something has Yellow subtitles I will immediately stop watching it and just find another source.

 

[Rosenskjold]

I believe the correct question is: "Why do they make yellow subtitles?"

 

[Gentle Rodriguez]

Yep, this is always the best option imo.

Well the text doesn't need to be white per se to be able to be read on any color, just that the text color and the outline color can't be similar.

 

[Danielsan]

Yellow subtitles are a crime against humanity.

 

[RoadHazard]

I hate yellow subtitles, looks terrible. They stand out too much. Luckily you can change the global subtitle color in your Netflix account settings, and it takes effect on all devices. White subtitles everywhere, thank you!

 

[ISOM]

I've never had an issue with white subtitles, and I think yellow would be too distracting.

 

[The Silver]

yellow? we going back to the days of bootleg VHS anime?

 

[RoadHazard]

I grew up with subtitles that looks like this so this is the way I prefer them.

Black bars with white text.

I did too (Swedish TV), but I don't think it looks good. White with black outline or shadow, thanks.

 

[Einchy]

What letters with a thin black outline are the best.

Yellow subtitles can go fuck themselves, they're ugly as sin.

 

[hobblygobbly]

I like subtitles that have white text with a black background (or with some transparency) like some have posted already. It's easier to read for me since I have terrible eyesight (don't have perfect vision even with corrective measures).

Might not be the best looking but it's the most practical I think. Otherwise just white text with black borders is the best for presentation while also still being pretty good for readability.

 

[Prophet Steve]

I prefer white with a black outline, it is a lot less jarring than yellow to me.

 

[One Foul Note]

I generally prefer white subtitles, as long as they are bordered correctly. Yellow (and most other coloured subs) are just too invasive on the colour choices in the scene while white is at least neutral so the impact is minimized.

 

[Einchy]

Yellow subs are the comic sans of the sub color world.

 

[Pandy]

Yellow ones feel real classic

Yeah, I think of it as a retro effect as much as the 'VHS tracking' effect.

 

[jts]

OP is correct. Yellow is the best, yes.

 

[co1onel]

Personally I like it when the subs use subtle colors that match the show's color scheme. As long as the text has a dark outline, it should be easily visible on any background. Bright yellow is definitely ugly though.

I don't like black borders around the subs either, they obscure too much of the video.

 

[Mik2121]

Depends on the shade of yellow.

If it's something bright like this:

It's terribly ugly. However if it's something subdued like this:

Or with a different shade that goes into a slightly darker orangeish like this:

Then I'm totally cool with it, and in some instances it's even better than white.

 

[Chariot]

I have literally never seen yellow subtitles in a real-world setting. It's always white. And as said above, they always have a black outline. I see no problem.

Not very old, aye. Use to be very common. I am glad that they used to. White with black outline is the way to go. Everything else, even a slightly unusualy font is irritating me.

 

[MilkLizard]

You can change them here OP
https://www.netflix.com/SubtitlePreferences

 

[JumpCancel]

Yellow subs make me want to commit suicide. Vile.

White with a black outline makes everyone happy. Shame it isn't a standard. I have a penchant for subtitles in all my media (I like reading along for some reason) and as soon as yellow subs appear i have to turn them off.

TR 2013 did this.

 

[eXistor]

White is best when used with a slim black outline. Yellow is ugly, but I think it works for B-movies, it adds to the cheesiness

/edit: this is how it is on Dutch TV, I think these are perfect.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I prefer white text, but regardless all subtitles should have either a black outline or a small translucent grey box. It's amazing how many films get this wrong.

 

[dity]

IIRC yellow subtitles were just that way because it was the easiest kind of subtitle for every DVD player made to render. Something to do with "vobsub" rendering or whatever. At least I remmber being given that explanation in some video eons ago.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

I grew up with subtitles that looks like this so this is the way I prefer them.

Black bars with white text.

Me too, though not in pseudo-Swedish.

 

[AppleSeason]

When I created my Netflix account back in October it had yellow subtitles by default. Changed them to white inmmediately.


Oddly, the thing with low res DVD subtitles only seems to apply to R1 Us DVD's I have imported. Most EU stuff I have watched looks pretty nice.

 

[Oppo]

I have literally never seen yellow subtitles in a real-world setting. It's always white. And as said above, they always have a black outline. I see no problem.

you should watch The Godfather movies. they're great.

I noticed that Apple TV Netflix uses white subs while PS4 Netflix uses yellow subs.

 

[Caayn]

White is best when used with a slim black outline. Yellow is ugly, but I think it works for B-movies, it adds to the cheesiness

/edit: this is how it is on Dutch TV, I think these are perfect.

Agreed, love these.

Yellow subtitles are a huge turn-off for me. Luckily good subtitle makers know what they're doing and implement the white with a slim black border.

 

[mclem]

One true subtitles, Ceefax Page 888.

 

[Ullus]

I quite like the default Kodi font, not too small, or too big, just perfect.

 

[John Kowalski]

 

[plasmawave]

Yellow subtitles are gross.

Another thing I hate is when they show 2 characters' dialogue at once.