Decision and verification worksheet
Creator Lane | Reviewed October 24, 2026
https://creatorlanehq.com/blog/subtitle-offset-vs-timing-drift

SUBTITLE OFFSET VS TIMING DRIFT: DIAGNOSE BEFORE YOU SHIFT EVERYTHING
Original Creator Lane decision worksheet | 2026-10-24

TASK
Audience / project:
Required outcome:
Current workflow and its specific limitation:
Options actually available without a new purchase:
Source material and permission:

DECISION QUESTIONS
How do you identify a constant offset?
Your evidence / answer:
Unresolved detail / owner:

What indicates gradual timing drift?
Your evidence / answer:
Unresolved detail / owner:

What indicates a cut or version mismatch?
Your evidence / answer:
Unresolved detail / owner:

How can point synchronization help?
Your evidence / answer:
Unresolved detail / owner:

What should be checked after repair?
Your evidence / answer:
Unresolved detail / owner:


PRACTICE BRIEF
Measure three cue errors and write them down: early, middle and late. If all are about one second, test a one-second correction on a copy. If the errors differ, investigate drift or an edit mismatch first. Recheck the same three points plus one between them before accepting the repair.

ACCEPTANCE CHECKS
[ ] Measure multiple points
Evidence:
[ ] Confirm the video version
Evidence:
[ ] Repair a copy and review intermediate cues
Evidence:

RESULT LOG
Option / exact version / account or interface:
Date / source URLs checked:
Input / settings / output version:
What was actually tested (leave blank if not tested):
Accepted results / failures / correction time:
Actual charges, if any (do not estimate as measured):
Privacy / permissions / delivery checks:
Decision and main limitation:
Next action / owner:
Recheck trigger:

REFERENCES
Subtitle Edit point synchronization: https://github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit/blob/main/docs/features/point-sync.md
Subtitle Edit official repository: https://github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit
W3C caption guidance: https://www.w3.org/WAI/media/av/captions/

You may adapt this original worksheet for personal and client work. Third-party materials retain their own licences.