4:3 Anamorphic Q's

Hi guys
Trying to create a 4:3 anamorphic clip, the footage is shot 4:3.
When I capture the footage in either 4:3 or 4:3 anamorphic it still needs to be slightly enlarged to prevent pillarboxing.
I am after the 4:3 letterbox effect, (not true widescreen).
Is there a setting that I need to uncheck or something to make the clip fill the entire 4:3 wide image (obviously also cutting top and bottom)?
Thanks in advance!

"And you can realign the footage for better placement"...
wow, an actual advantage to using this filter.
I find it even better to put an inverted mask on a slug to lay over the top of all the clips. That way I can turn off the entire masking track for quicker editing, I don't need to paste the filter to all my clips, and I can still slide the clips around behind the mask.
If you really want a letterboxed 4:3 sequence (why would you need one??) you might find it simpler to work in an anamorphic sequence - only scaling is necessary, no filters or masks, and then edit the anamorphic sequence into a 4:3 sequence, which will automatically letterbox it.
Hope this helps -
Max Average

Similar Messages

What are the ideal specs for a DigiBeta master tape when authoring a "widescreen anamorphic" 16:9 SD DVD (original aspect ratio is 14:9)?

I just received the masters for a new SD DVD. I would like to author a "widescreen anamorphic" SD DVD horizontally squeezed widescreen image stored in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio DVD image frame. (On 4:3 displays, mattes should preserve the original aspect ratio. On 16:9 displays the image will fill the screen at the highest possible resolution.)
Below I've listed the specs of the Digi Beta master tapes the producers have sent to me for digitizing. I'd like to know this: What are the ideal specs for a DigiBeta master tape when authoring a widescreen anamorphic SD DVD, using material with an original aspect ratio of 14:9?
I've also listed my guesses below. Please let me know if my guesses are right. If not, please suggest alternatives (and if possible explain why.)
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF EXISTING MASTER:
Tape: DigiBeta
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.55 (14:9)
Vid Rate: 29.97 fps
Pixel Aspect: NTSC - CCIR 601
Frame Size: 720 x 480
Anamorphic: Full-Height Anamorphic (16:9 image displayed in letterboxed, non-distored 4:3)
Display Format: 4:3 Letterbox
MY GUESS AT IDEAL TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (for a DigiBeta, that is):
Tape: DigiBeta
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.55 (14:9)
Vid Rate: 29.97 fps
Pixel Aspect: Square
Frame Size: 720 x 540
Anamorphic: YES
Display Format: 16:9 Anamorphic (horizontally squeezed widescreen image)
Please feel free to ask for clarification or further information you need to answer my question.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Best, Noetical.
BTW, I can't wait for the day when everything has gone digital and we get digital intermediates instead of tapes to digitize!

Hi Nick...thanks for taking the time to reply to my question.
Nick Holmes wrote:
What you have there is a mess.
NTSC pixels are never square.
NTSC is 720x486, even when it is Anamorphic.
You shouldn't be using an already letterboxed master to make an Anamorphic version. Get the master that was made before the letterboxing stage.
When you make an Anamorphic DVD it should display as 16:9 full screen automatically on widescreen TVs.
The same DVD will automatically letterbox on 4:3 TVs.
Um yeah...duh. That's exactly what I was trying to explain in the preface of my question. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear...all these things you mention are the reasons I'm putting together a list of the technical specs of the DigiBeta I need so I can have them send that instead of the stupid letterboxed version.
Look, I'm sending this request to some intern at their offices in England, asking for a master with which I can make an Anamorphic DVD. They already sent me this master, which as you and I both agree is an idiotic asset to use for these purposes. As such, I was hoping for advice on a more precise way of requesting the master that I need than asking for "the master that was made before the letterboxing stage." Upon reflection, perhaps I'll just do that. If you or anyone else has a suggestion about something I should add to my request that would improve the odds of them sending the tape I need, please repond. Thank you!
BTW, It's been a long time since anyone has responded to something I've written or said as though I'm an idiot. I remember now that I don't really like it. (Moving along...)

Not able to import PAL DV Anamorphic (Crash)

Hi,
I don't seem to be able to import PAL DV Anamorphic (720x576i 16x9 .dv files) footage into a new event... FCP X just crashes when I try to do this.
Anybody got the same problem?
Thanks...

I used a Canon MXV40 long ago and captured the footage originally in iMovie 07. Later on I transferred the project into iMovie 11 without transcoding the original dv clips into aic format. It worked fine, though when these imovie project did not transfer well to FCPX.
I tried Jon's solution and rewrapped the original dv files using QT 7, after manually changing resolution to 1024x576. However, after importing manually the mov file into FCPX (and crashing once), the file suprisingly still showed up as 4x3.
Pèpel - I also tried to reconnect several files and searched everywhere for a way to do it. I believe now that it cannot be done.

Is there any way to stretch what was recorded as HD from the camera that became SD on FCE back to HD in the project. I have tried all settings and none seem to make any difference. Anamorphic doesn't seem to retain its setting when I set up a new sequenc.

i am using FCE4

yes, I recorded straight from camera to computer. The camera is a Sony HDRSR12 and it was set to wide screen it ran through a Canopus ADVC300 via firewire to the computer.
I burnt some to DVD and if you set the TV screen on widescreen it looked great. But for those still with SD it will be skinny.
So I am not sure how to get the footage into a widescreen format in a sequence as the anamorphic setting doesn't work for this footage.

How can I get an anamorph movie to widescreen in IDVD

Hi, I NEED URGENT HELP!
A friend of mine and I cut and created a movie on his PC with Premiere Pro 2.0. Now I need to create a high quality dvd from it but I can't get the anamorph data to play in widescreen on my IMac. neither in I Movie nor in IDVD. I tried and burned DVDs in both formats 4:3 and 16:9 but both times the film didn't convert to widescreen and on top the movies looked bad- really bad quality, even though the orignal data my friend gave me, is very high quality film resolution.
What do I need to do to convert the xxx.mov anamorph (16:9) into a widescreen IDVD?
My friend says the original material is: Mini DV, PAL 720x576 Pixel, anamorph (16:9)
Or in what form/size do I need the movies/data from him to make sure I can burn a widescreen dvd with it?
Please help!

I am not sure about SWF support in Acrobat 8.x, however, if it is supported, you will have to add it to the PDF after the PDF has been created. You can leave the space for it in your FrameMaker document and add it via the Mulimedia Tool.
I do know that SWF is fully supported in Acrobat 9.x, but in this case you will also have to add the SWF to the PDF after converting the FrameMaker document. To do this, marquee and area on the PDF using the Flash Tool; Tools > Multimedia > Flash Tool. You can also simply double click on the PDF with the Flash Tool. Support for SWF, and several other multimedia file types is much stronger in Acrobat 9.

Is there any way to export 2.35 Anamorphic source to a 16x9 letterboxed frame WITH timecode or text overlays?

I have been trying to export temp cuts of an anamorphic project (2.35:1) in a letterboxed 16:9 frame with timecode and text overlays and other Additional Video Effects. Converting the 2.35 to 16x9 has been a breeze with the Preserve Aspect Ratio option in Cropping & Padding . The problem is that the black bars that that puts in the 16:9 frame appear OVER any of the Additional Video Effects, thus covering them up.
E.g. if I select a Text Overlay and place it in the Center, I can see it just fine. But if I want it Upper Left, Title Safe, it is covered by the black space of the Letterboxing. So the Additional Video Effects are getting added, they are just getting covered by the letterboxing. You can even see the very edge of the text in the Title Safe position, peeking out from behind the letterboxing, which is, of course, frustrating .
Thus far it's been a two-step process: letterbox the anamorphic source, then add TC and other video effects in a second job.
So - is there any way to do this in ONE step? It would really help my anamorphic workflow.
(apologies for the lengthy question.)
[I'm using FCPX 10.1.3 & Compressor 4.1.3, in OSX 10.9.5 on Retina MBP, Late 2013, w/ NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB]

Thanks for the reply Russ.
Yes, I've considered adding titles and/or generators in the FCPX storyline, but this creates a need to render the entire timeline. As I'm juggling library locations and hard drive spaces I just didn't want to add a new render that will occupy a lot of space. It's also a bit of visual clultter for me, so my goal is to find the best workflow for adding this stuff on or after export.

HD 1080i to SD DVD (anamorphic)

Hi there,
I've searched around and have surprisingly not found anyone with this question:
How do you go from 1080i to an anamorphic SD DVD?
What I have done is the following:
In FCP 5, create new sequence. There is not a sequence preset that offers 1920x1080, so I choose any preset and then change the settings in the sequence settings window. In sequence settings, I select "HDTV 1080i (16:9)" from the aspect ratio dropdwon menu. This provides me with my desired 1920x1080 frame size. I then use a "square" pixel aspect ratio and not anamorphic. So far so good.
However, then I want to use this HD footage to make an anamorphic SD DVD. My idea was to use an "NTSC DV Anamorphic" sequence (sequence settings: 720x480, 4:3 aspect ratio, NTSC CCIR 601 pixel aspect ratio and anamorphic checked) in FCP and nest my HD sequence into this sequence. Here's where the problem lies:
If I follow the sequence settings, 720x480 is not a 4:3 aspect ratio but is rather "NTSC DV 3:2". Thus I can't get the HD sequence to fit the 720x480 frame - I either have to crop the HD or squish it to fit the 720 frame or resize the HD so that there is a letterbox encoded into the file. I would like to avoid the latter option and simply have the HD fit the SD frame and then encode it as anamorphic. This, as we all know, will result in a letterboxed image on a 4:3 display and a fullscreen image on a 16:9 display.
How do you accomplish this?
The FCP HD Format manual says (in reference to upscaling, but the principles are the same):
[quote]
If the aspect ratios of the original and destination formats match (for example, 720 x 480 anamorphic footage upconverted to 1920 x 1080), you can simply scale the original video to the destination size.
[/quote]
How is 720x480 anamorphic the same aspect ratio as 1920x1080?! I don't get how to accomplish this is FCP.
In essence, my question is how do you go from HD 1080i to SD DVD and have the DVD be anamorphic all the while maintaining the full image (no croppping or distortion)??
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
skay
G5 - Dual 2Ghz / ATI Radeon 9600 (128MB) / Mac OS X (10.4.5)
G5 - Dual 2Ghz / ATI Radeon 9600 (128MB) / Mac OS X (10.4.5)

This may sound wrong, but 720x480 is a 4:3 ratio video stream (that is to say it is the right dimensions for MPEG-2 or DV that will be played to a 4:3 TV). Squish your 1920x1080 square pixels into the 720x480 non square pixels, and it will be anamorphic, and will play looking correct on a TV.

Any way to export anamorphic SD QT that will play back 16:9?

I haven't posted for a while because FCS2 has been working great. However one thing has been nagging me for quite a while and I wonder if it's a gap in my FCP education. When I work in SD 16:9 projects (either DV NTSC or DV50 Easy Setup), I often export to QuickTime Movie as "self-contained" .mov's before dealing with clients about output formats. However, because these are now 16:9 anamorphic clips, I can never get QuickTime Player to play them back at the Desktop level in the right aspect ratio.
Is there any way to flag the QT so that the QT Player can play it back properly?
For instance, if the next step is making a DVD, the same QT Movie can be imported into DVD Studio Pro, and all I have to do is to identify the track as "16:9 letterbox" and it'll play back in DVDSP in correct aspect ratio. Am I correct in thinking that the QuickTime Player still doesn't allow me to do something this simple after all these years?

That is strange ... I just ran the test again. Heres the steps I tested.
First, I created a DV PAL anamorphic sequence in FCP 5.1.4 (QT 7.4.1)
Then I added a 10 second color matte to the sequence (Video Generators>Matte>Color)
Finally I exported the timeline in using 3 different methods:
1) Export >Quicktime Movie w/Current Settings, Self Contained
2) Export >Quicktime Movie w/Current Settings, Recompress All Frames, Self Contained
3) Export >Quicktime Conversion >>Quicktime Movie >>>DV PAL, and specifying specifically that the aspect ratio was 16:9
Results:
1) Movie played 4:3 in QT Player ... enabled "Conform aperture to: Clean" and it played 16:9
2) Movie played 4:3 in QT Player ... enabled "Conform aperture to: Clean" and it played 16:9
3) Movie played 16:9 in QT Player ... "Conform aperture to: Clean" was enabled already
So I've just tried to see if I can force it NOT to work...
4) Export >Quicktime Conversion >>Quicktime Movie >>>DV PAL, and specifying specifically that the aspect ratio was 4:3
Result:
4) Movie played 4:3 in QT Player ... "Conform aperture to: Clean" was enabled already.
So the only way I can seem to make this not work is if I go out of my way to tell QT that its NOT anamorphic and that it really is 4:3 ... then QT Player takes me at my word.
Odd that you're not seeing this. I wonder if its version specific?
Andy

IDVD, playing my 16:9 (non anamorphic) movie as a squashed 4:3?

I exported a movie from FCP using quicktime conversion with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (1024 x 576). It is not anamorphic.
When i make a DVD using iDVD widescreen 16:9 [or 4:3] is squashes the film into an anamorphic image. Kinda weird because if it was anamorphic to begin with then it would make the image even more skinny. I went to the 'help' tab and it told me to do exactly what i had already done (i.e "select 1024 x 576 when exporting from FCP").
Please help...! I got a deadline fast approaching and i am sure this is simple for someone out there.

Did you follow these instructions completely? iDVD: DV widescreen 16:9 workflow from Final Cut Pro at http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2179
Of course, the actual content put on a DVD is anamorphically squeezed to fit on a standard definition disc. The content SHOULD be un-squeezed on playback.

Correct workflow for HDV to anamorphic SD DVD?

My current workflow amounts to building HD videos in Final Cut Express 4 (FCE), exporting HD MOV files for use in Encore CS3 to create standard DVDs.
To be clear (correct my verbiage if I'm wrong) when I say HD this is what I'm working with:
1920 x 1080
Interlaced
29.97 fps
Originally, before I got an HDTV, I would simply drop the finished HD timeline into an SD timeline in FCE, and create the DVD using these movie files. On a typical CRT 4:3 television, this actually works okay. But once I got my HDTV and watched how the 4:3 picture was simply placed in the middle of the screen, I realized I was doing this the wrong way.
Ultimately, I want to create the DVD so the video adjusts to the width of the screen, where the black bars you see aren't actually embedded in the video itself. Is this called an "anamorphic" DVD?
I've done my best to do this on my own, but any movement in the final videos on the DVDs contain horrible jaggedness, as if you were watching interlaced video on a computer monitor, even if I'm watching it on a CRT 4:3 television.
Here is what I'm doing:
Export 1920x1080 MOV
Import MOV into Encore CS3 project
Transcode Settings:
Format: MPEG2-DVD
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 (1.200)
When I'm in the transcode settings panel, in the output preview window, I can see the jaggedness and can't get rid of it by changing any settings. If I change the PAR selection to "Standard 4.3 (0.900)" it gets better, but again I don't think this is what I want to do.
Can anyone see the problem in my workflow? Should I be exporting something different from FCE?
Thanks in advance.

Ann -- Thank you for the response. After digging a bit deeper into this forum, I found the HDV --> SD DVD Workflow? thread and it gave me this idea as well.
I created a project using "DV - NTSC > Widescreen 48 kHz" as the timeline preset. I was able to drag the final HD 1920x1080 MOV that I created in Final Cut Express onto that timeline. Then, I used the Adobe Media Encoder to export MPEG-2 files, which gave me many more options that the same step in Encore.
A while back, Apple removed the ability for Quicktime to export MPEG-2 files, for some reason, and I was never happy with that. I'm excited to see that Premiere Pro is able to do this, so I might start migrating over to Premiere Pro now. I just needed the right kick in the butt to get around to it, I guess.
I'd still like to hear any other suggestions, though. Thanks.

Anamorphic PAL DV to H.264 (Pal 16:9)

Hi all,
First I'll confess to being a noob to video editiing etc. and have the following issue:
*The Setup:*
Recording = MacPro (OS 10.6.3), capturing into Final Cut Pro via a ADVC300 Firewire unit. This Set to capture DV PAL 48k Anamorphic.
Playback = Mac Mini connected to Sony EX503 via DVI>HDMI converter. (Sound out put through optical).
*The Process:*
Basically new to Final Cut & Compressor so appologize for ignorance.
Basic premise is this I initial record programs on our SKY HD box. The ones we want to keep I capture on the MacPro via the ADVC300. Edit out all the adverts etc in FCP. Then Export out the edited DV stream (as DV video).
Then Drop the edited DV stream into compressor and compress with the following settings:
Name: Untitled QuickTime Movie 1
Description: No description
File Extension: mov
Estimated size: unknown
Audio Encoder
IMA 4:1, Stereo (L R), 48.000 kHz
Video Encoder
Format: QT
Width: 720
Height: 576
Pixel aspect ratio: PAL CCIR 601 (16:9)
Crop: None
Padding: None
Frame rate: 25
Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
Codec Type: H.264
Multi-pass: On, frame reorder: On
Pixel depth: 24
Spatial quality: 100
Min. Spatial quality: 25
Key frame interval: 25
Temporal quality: 50
Min. temporal quality: 25
I then copy onto the mac mini and play back on the TV via Front Row.
*The Problem:*
Recording is fine as is editing and outputing the edited DV stream to a QT file. However when I drag onto compressor and compress with the included settings to create my small play back file is were the problem lies. The final H.264 file plays fine in quicktime player (looking wide screen), both on the MacPro and Mini. However when played through Front Row the aspect ratio is a 4:3 (but slightly smaller in the frame) image instead of 16:9.
Now the original capture by FCP is a DV - PAL, 720 x 576 (768 x 576), which looks squashed.
After editing and saving from FCP the new edited stream is DV - PAL, 720 x 576 (1024 x 576), and displays 16:9 in quicktime.
However after compression the files is ; H.264, 720 x 576, Millions AAC, 2 channels, 48000 Hz and looks fine in quicktime play but not in Front Row. Incidentally the edited DV streams look fine in front row.
Any advice on what I need to do to make the final H.264 file a PAL 720x576 (16:9) which displays correctly through Front Row.
Thanks
Steve
By the way the only thing that has seemed to work is using apples 'apple tv' settings for SD anamorphic but this works on the NTSC 480 lines (which means loosing rez) or 'Apple TV' HD 720 (16:9) but this looks too pixelated.
Message was edited by: Cacus

I've also used Quicktime Pro, Export and it's still slow ...
/Reine

HELP!! Audio Out of Sync in Anamorphic Capture... Any Help Appreciated

I've been having problems with the audio drifting when I capture anamorphic footage for longer than 10 minute segments. I've captured 4:3 NTSC DV tape to see if it was my GL2 and I also hooked up my camera to a monitor to playback the tape but the audio was in sync all the way through for both tests. Only capturing the anamorphic footage results in audio drifts regardless of any capture settings.

I am fairly new to iDVD 6 and iMovie HD (widescreen), but I an currently assembling a highlight DVD for my daughter's softball team. We are in mid season. I had been creating separate movies (per game). I extracted audio and/or added sound and video effects to some of the movies clips. Alas not only do the extracted (original audio) and added audio (outdoor cheer) disappear but also the video special effects (slow motion) are not maintained in widescreen but are pillarboxed when copied/pasted.
At any rate, I am have now created a compilation iMovie and will be dumping new footage into it as we go. Editing the compilation, as well as editing separate "save as" individual game movies.
I only had 2-3 clips that had been audio manipulated and shared those back to my video camera and then reimported from camera back to the compilation project. The extracted audio with separate tracks are now a single audio clip but at least I have audio during those clips.
To end this ramble, knowing the limitations of messing with audio and trying to cut and paste to different movies I will now create duplicate movies with a master having no audio enhancements.
Dave
Thanks, Len
I hadn't thought about this option. It seems like a
lot of work. I wish there was an easier way. I have
archived ("Shared" to full dv quality) to DVD-ROM
discs all the raw .dv clips AFTER extracting the
audio, hoping that I could use these clips to
assemble custom DVD-Videos in the future, without
having to "Extract Audio" a second time. The .dv
clips all play perfectly with the audio synced in
Quicktime. Of course, the clip's audio was in sync
before the "Extract Audio" was applied. This sync
problem ONLY rears it's ugly head with iDVD Video
discs (don't know about DVD Pro). Thanks again for
the suggestion.
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

FCE4 and iDVD Anamorphic Ken Burns

I created a 60min movie in iMovie8 using three media: 1) NTSC Anamorphic DV from a Panasonic PV-GS80, 2) JPEG 2816x2112 stills from a Panasonic DMC-FX3, and 3) 848x480 motion JPEG video from the DMC-FX3. An iMovie 8 project in 16:9 aspect was burned to DVD by iDVD and viewed on a 16:9 LCD TV with no problems encountered and pretty decent quality.
However, frustrated by the lack of basic features in iMovie, I purchased FCE4 after speaking with an Apple rep at Best Buy who assured me that it could import iMovie8 projects. Although I was carrying a disc with my iMovie project, I wasn't allowed to verify this in the store. Unfortunately, Apple's claim that iMovie8 projects can be imported into FCE4 is grossly misleading at best. They say "With iMovie ’08, putting together a great movie is as quick as drag and drop. When you want to add professional polish to your project, simply export to Final Cut Express 4 and edit like a pro." In fact, contrary to the FCE4 manual, iMovie8 projects cannot simply be opened: Incompatible files. Apple tech support told me iMovie8 projects must first be exported as XML.
The truth is that iMovie8 projects must be tediously recreated for FCE4 because it can't use MP3 audio files (must recapture from CD's), it doesn't recognize transitions (must recreate Ken Burns effects from scratch), and DV NTSC video clips are captured by iMovie8 at a mysteriously bloated 6.4 MBps rate rather than the 3.6MBps they should be (must recapture all DV). Apple must retract its claims or fix its products to enable upwards migration.
Nevertheless, having recreated 10 minutes worth of movie in ten days of experimentation and reading most of FCE's 1152-page manual, I have yet to produce acceptable output from FCE. Besides the frustrating discrepancies between the manual and actual FCE4 operation, my biggest problems have been to maintain the 16:9 aspect in iDVD, and to render still images (with modest Ken Burns motion) with any semblance of quality in the final output.
The FCE4 project settings are DV-NTSC Anamorphic 48KHz. Anamorphic video from the PV-GS80 is captured at 720x480pix, 29.97fps, DV/DVCPRO NTSC, 3.6MBps, 16-bit audio, NTSC pixels, Ana=Yes, Field=Lower (even). Stills are imported at 2816x2112pix, 29.97fps, Photo-JPEG, Square pix, Ana=No, Field=None. Motion JPEG is captured at 848x480pix, 30fps, Photo-JPEG, 1.6MBps, 8KHz x 8-bit audio, Square pix, Field=None.
All these media appear correctly in 16:9 aspect within FCE4. However, unlike iMovie8, when FCE4 exports as QTMovie, the movie is not recognized as anamorphic by iDVD, so it is burned in a horizontally compressed 4:3 aspect. Why are there no options or controls when exporting as QTMovie, which seems to be the only way to avoid unnecessary processing and image degradation?
Experimenting with FCE4's Export Using Quicktime Conversion, I was able to export the movie at 848x480, but at a huge cost in time for unnecessary transcoding and the resultant degradation in image quality.
Experimenting with the Anamorphicizer third-party software that this BBS recommends to solve the incompatibility between FCE and iDVD, I found that the anamorphic aspect is recognized properly by iDVD, but still images are now unacceptably stretched horizontally. This seems like a poor solution to a simple problem of incompatibility within Apple's own products.
Most recently I stumbled upon the observation that if a FCE4 sequence begins with a few frames of anamorphic DV from the Panasonic PV-GS80, this sequence can be exported as a QTMovie which iDVD will recognize as anamorphic, resulting in a DVD with the correct aspect. This doesn't always work, e.g. if the audio is removed from those few frames, or if their opacity is set to 0% to hide them. It reminds me of the Auto Conform feature in FCE4, but my Preference/Edit/AutoConform=Ask, and FCE4 has never asked. Furthermore, this works even if AutoConform=Never. Unfortunately, I don't want to start my movie with a DV clip but with a still, and this results in a 4:3 movie in iDVD. Furthermore, this "fix" doesn't seem to stick: after editing, the sequence can revert to 4:3 in iDVD for unknown reasons. I can find no mention of this behavior in the docs, and FCE4 shows no differences in properties between these sequences, so I don't know why it happens. Nevertheless, it seems preferable to Anamorphicizer, because still images are not stretched. Can anyone tell me why this happens so that I can control it predictably?
My biggest remaining issue is that FCE4 renders still images with Ken Burns slow pans and zooms unacceptably poorly. First, some images but not others seem to have gross interlace distortion throughout the clip, as if the JPEG were interlaced. It seems like this problem develops after editing even for stills that once looked OK. Adding the Deinterlace filter merely softens the distorted images. Oddly enough, adding the Deinterlace filter or the Shift Fields filter and then deselecting it seems to fix the problem. I've tried changing the Field Dominance setting on stills from None, but no help. Since the original JPEG is progressive, this seems like an FCE bug. How can I avoid this distortion in the first place?
Finally there is the issue that Ken Burns style pans and zooms create unacceptable aliasing and shimmering in the output, even if the motion is minimal. Easing zooms by changing Scale fast at first then slowing down doesn't help. Easing pans by changing in several steps (because the Center parameter can't have Bezier controls) makes the aliasing even more noticeable by changing the rate of shimmering in discrete steps. When still images contain significant detail and linear edges, there seems to be no level of Ken Burns motion that will result in a reasonable image on DVD. Why are these artifacts so much worse than with iMovie?
As a newcomer to FCE4, I am very disappointed in Apple's failure to ensure a reasonable migration path from iMovie. Perhaps they have forgotten how the basic "bait and switch" strategy is supposed to work! I hope someone here can help more than two hours of hold time with Apple Tech Support helped me. I would be interested in any recommendations for other vendors' products that produce better results with less aggravation. If not, I am about ready to get my money back for FCE4!

"This will explain what you can do about this..."
I shouldn't be required to purchase QTPro just to fix the anamorphic bit in the movies exported by FCE, especially when iMovie8 sets the bit properly. Seems like an obvious FCE bug to me. Tom, any thoughts on why a segment with an anamorphic clip first is handled properly?
"Where are you seeing the image degradation? Are you looking at the output on a video monitor?"
I'm editing using a 21" ViewSonic LCD monitor, but then I burn DVD's to view on an LCD HDTV. The artifacts are apparent on both displays.
" Changing anamorphic values after the material has been edited into the sequence will result in image stretching."
I assume you mean setting the Anamorphic bit on my JPEG stills: I haven't done that. I'm saying that after using Anamorphicizer, some still images were definitely stretched horizontally. I created these by simply dragging a folder of JPEG images to the FCE browser. Other than setting the still duration default, I don't know what else I should do.
"If you add motion to the images interlacing will be introduced. "
I understand, but it is much worse on some images than others, so I'm trying to understand how I can minimize the ugliness of aliasing and shimmering. On some still images, FCE seems to me to have started with two mismatched frames, so that very exaggerated aliasing appears consistently throughout the clip, seemingly independent of the motion. I suspect data corruption in FCE, and I remember a warning in the manual about corruption being caused by copying sequences too many times, but can't find it now. Could this be my problem?
I've also found that even though FCE claims to be a reference editor, not touching the original files, there is a problem with handling portrait versus landscape JPEGS. After importing JPEGs, sometimes the FCE image matches the file in the Finder, and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, I have found that if I rotate the Finder file, Save it, then Rotate it back and Save again, FCE will finally get its version rotated correctly. This never works by only changing the source file one time: I must do it twice.
"If you're uncomfortable or unhappy with the application you might be better off using another one."
I am mostly disappointed that FCE seems to be so out of sync with other Apple apps, and perhaps buggier than many. My guess is that iMovie and FCE are on a collision course instead of a rational product relationship. I would be happy for any recommendations, because I feel that the time I've invested in learning to use this seemingly overly embellished software may not have been well spent. On the other hand, if someone can correct my misunderstandings, I will be very grateful.

Any way to re-capture logged clips to anamorphic setting?

Hello-
I have an FCP project with containing clips with a 16:9 aspect ratio captured with 4:3 aspect ratio setting. I'd like to recapture all of the logged clips using the anamorphic capture setting. However, all the capture information is embedded in the clips, so, even if I set the capture preference to anamorphic, the clips still come through as 4:3 when I attempt to re-batch capture.
Is there anyway to globally change the capture setting to anamorphic with clips that have already been captured at 4:3?
Thanks....

If you are talking about DV, there is absolutely no need to recapture. The difference between 4:3 and 16:9 DV is really in how FCP interpretes the pixels- they are both 720x480.
Go to the Browser and you can add a check mark in the ANAMORPHIC column. Voila, you now have anamorphic clips without recapturing.
x
edit: I'm slow slow slow. To elaborate on what Tallguy said, if you need to fix the aspect ratio of the clips you've already placed in a 16:9 timeline, select all the clips in the timeline, right (control) click and from the popup menu select: Remove Attributes>Video Attributes>Distort.

4:3 Anamorphic into iMovie 08 16:9 without cropping?

Help! I'm importing 16:9 video from a Panasonic Hard Disk Recorder into iMovie 08 via the S-Video input on a Canopus ADVC300. The picture arrives in 4:3 Anamorphic ratio (according to Canopus) but when I use iMovie to convert this back to 16:9 it crops the top and bottom of the picture. I've tried both 'Fit In Frame' and 'Crop' in Project Properties but neither give me the original 16:9 picture. What am I doing wrong?
Also, when importing 4:3 VHS tape I'm getting a rogue horizontal 'line' near the bottom of the picture which does not appear on the original tape. I've tried two Canopus converters and the same thing happens on both. Is there a problem or can I just crop this out?
Many thanks

The picture arrives in 4:3 Anamorphic ratio (according to Canopus) but when I use iMovie to convert this back to 16:9 it crops the top and bottom of the picture.
The first question is what you mean by, "The picture arrives in 4:3 Anamorphic ratio." Whether the source content was 4:3 or 16:9 in aspect ration, it should have been mapped to a 720x576 data matrix for PAL. The real question here is what is the "square" pixel equivalent of the encoded matrix -- is it 1024x576 (16:9) or 768x576 (4:3). If you open the captured file in the QT Player and check the "Inspector" window, you should be able to tell for sure. If the format line indicates the video is "DV, 720x576 (1024x576), Milions", both the "Normal Size" and "Current Size" read "1024x576", and the player display looks 16:9, then everything should be normal up to this point.
Now the question becomes, "What do you mean by use iMovie to convert this back to 16:9?" No "conversion" should be necessary. If the project is set to "16:9" (and not 3:2 or 4:3), then the preview window should be 16:9 (and not a "square" like 4:3 preview window). If it is, then the project is set for the proper aspect ratio.
Now we come to the question of "fit" versus "crop" mode. In the "fit" mode, your 16:9 clip (if it is properly flagged and tagged as a 16:9/1024x576 video) will just "fit" the preview display area. However, in the "crop" mode, the size and position of the "green frame box" will determine how much of your 1024x576 viewing are is actually displayed in the preview window. Thus, if the " frame box" is not set to the full size of your viewing area, top/bottom and left/right areas will be "cropped" from the preview window and what you see will depend on where within the "viewing area" this "green box" is actually positioned.
I've tried both 'Fit In Frame' and 'Crop' in Project Properties but neither give me the original 16:9 picture.
Unfortunately, we now reach a point where at least one of your original assertions must be false -- either the original file is not really 16:9 (or it is not properly tagged as such) or both "fit" and "crop" views cannot preview exactly the same. So it is back to my original questions regarding the "Inspector" values and how the file actually looks in the QT Player. Without this information, a specific cause of your problem cannot be determined.
Also, when importing 4:3 VHS tape I'm getting a rogue horizontal 'line' near the bottom of the picture which does not appear on the original tape.
This may or may not be a problem. It is normal that some of the horizontal lines are not displayed -- especially on an older analog TV when viewing VHS tapes -- just as the entire width of the analog screen overscan is not normally displayed. With digital TVs, more of the recorded display area is usually seen and may include what you describe. I do a lot of conversions of older TV shows from the 40's and 50's and frequently "trim out" such "blemishes" with or without rescaling the picture to its full dimensions in my work flow. This option is available in iMovie '08 by simply using that "crop" option mentioned above.

Anamorphic Footage on DVD...Final Cut Express 2.0.3 & iDVD 4.0.1

Hello again everyone,
My latest project involves 5 short QuickTime Movies edited together in one sequence in Final Cut Express 2.0.3. I am trying to now burn that sequence to DVD but I am having some "issues"...
Three of these QuickTIme Movies are DV PAL Anamorphic and the other two are DV PAL (not anamorphic) and all five have been edited into a DV PAL Anamorphic Sequence in Final Cut Express 2.0.3. This works great when viewed in the canvas.
What I have been trying to do next is export the whole sequence using File/Export/QuickTime Movie so I end up with one whole exported QuickTime Movie, containing the five other QuickTime Movies, that I can then import into iDVD 4.0.1.
The export works fine and I can import the new QuickTime Movie into a PAL iDVD 4.0.1 project but the footage looks 4:3 and not anamorphic.
When exported the QuickTime Movie does not seem to have preserved the pixel aspect ratio of my sequence (anamorphic)...
Can anyone please offer some advice here? What is the best way to export Anamorphic PAL sequences out of Final Cut Express 2.0.3 as QuickTime Movies that can then be imported into iDVD 4.0.1 (or DVD Studio Pro and other apps) with the correct pixel aspect ratio (Anamorphic PAL)?
Is this something that iDVD can't handle and needs to be done in DVD Studio Pro or do I need to change my export settings in Final Cut Express 2.0.3......or do I need to export it from Final Cut Pro instead?
Regards,
Justin Pamenter

I think iDVD 5 is the first version of iDVD to support anamophic. Sounds like you did the right stuff in FCE. You had the Easy Setup on anamorphic when you captured and when you created the anamorphic sequence.
Take a look at the iDVD forum or Google "iDVD Anamorphic".

4:3 Anamorphic Q's

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