Table of Contents
Every ELAN project consists of at least two files: one (or more) media file(s), and one annotation file.
*.mpg
,
*.mov
etc.)
*.wav
)
The video file allows you to view the video and listen to the sound. If you want to
view the waveform as well, you need to create an additional *.wav
file through a conversion program that converts the audio data from one
*.mp(e)g
file into a *.wav
format. In the case
of multiple video files, the audio of the first selected video file is played. The
kind
and number of supported video formats depend upon the media framework you are using.
If
your media framework supports a format, the same goes for ELAN.
The following media frameworks are known to work:
*.mov
files (i.e., Cinepak-Quicktime-Movies) it is
important that these are self-contained files, i.e., the video information needs
to be contained within the *.mov
file itself. If this is
not the case, ELAN will not be able to display the file.
*.eaf
, “EUDICO
Annotation Format”)
*.txt
)
*.cha
)
*.trs
)
All information (e.g., the tier setup, the time alignment, the annotations) is saved to the annotation file only – never to the media file(s).
Take care when editing a media file. Afterwards you probably will want to resynchronize its alignment with the corresponding the annotations, as described in Synchronizing video files.
Although it's not compulsory it is a good practice to use a common name for media files and the annotation file. So, it is recommended to use a.eaf next to a.mpg and a.wav.
Imported Shoebox files (*.txt
) also do not need to have the same
name as their media files, and they can be located in different directories. All imported
files can alternatively be saved as ELAN files (*.eaf
).
All annotation files (*.eaf
) can be exported as text,
Shoebox/Toolbox and CHAT files.