Anamorphic to Non-Anamorphic

Hi
I filmed some footage in Widescreen format. Captured it in FCP using DV-PAL Anamorphic as my Easy Set-Up...
I want to be able to export the footage to WMV format so Windows users can see it on a standard PC monitor...obviously the final image is stretched when I view it on Quicktime or on Windows Media player beacuse FCP has condensed the image into 4:3. My question is..can I just uncheck the Anamorphic settings in the Browser and just do another export, or is it not as simple as that?
thanks Mike

You want to force the size... check your output settings to change the size to reflect a 16:9 setting.
CaptM

Similar Messages

Anamorphic or non-anamorphic?

I'm new to all this, so please forgive my ignorance.
I'm in the UK (PAL), filming using a Sony HDR XR-520VE, and trying to create a new project in PP CS4 for the first time. In the "Available Presets", I don't know whether I should choose 'anamorphic' or 'non-anamorphic', partly because I don't know in what format my Sony Handycam records! There's no answer in the user manual.
Ultimately, I wish to burn my project to BR, and watch the BR disk on a widescreen HD TV.
Which (anamorphic or non-amamorphic) should I choose?
Thanks in anticipation.

Thanks, Ann. But how do you know - is there an online resource (perhaps from Sony) which answers this (and perhaps other) questions?
Many thanks,
Mark

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.

ITunes Movies vs. non-anamorphic DVD: which is better?

Here's how it is: I have the movie 2010 on DVD. It is widescreen, but only letterboxed - it's not anamorphic (i.e. it's not enhanced for 16x9 televisions). As a result, whenever I watch it, I have to zoom in on the image, which kills the quality pretty bad.
My question is, since 2010 is available to buy from iTunes (I'm intentionally ignoring the HD version since it's only available to rent, not buy, and I want to buy), should I buy that and throw away the DVD? Since the DVD is not anamorphic, and I have to zoom the image to watch it, would the iTunes version be of better or worse quality?
(since I can only assume that the iTunes version of this movie is 'anamorphic' in that sense - i.e. it doesn't need to be 'zoomed')

jeff@pixelrally wrote:
Problem solved: the USB-2 cable was the choke-point.
I was transferring the LR4 catalog to a jump drive using a USB-3 cable that had backwards-compatibility to USB-2...
I think he means, "I was using a USB2 cable or drive with a USB3 interface (or vice-versa)." This limits you to about 15-20 MB/sec write transfer speed (i.e. limited by USB2 file transfer speed and not the drive speed). USB3 external drives have about 50-60 MB write transfer speed, or about 3-4 times faster than a USB2 interface (or USB2 cable) transfer.
That would explain this: "ended up taking an hour or so," and "Copying it to my newer machine went way faster: less than 20 minutes!"
60 / 20 = 3x

Non-anamorphic footage, do I anamorph it?

Quick question,
I'm just, literally, about to begin importing 19 episodes of a TV show so we can place them on DVD. The show was "SD widescreen" as the leader on the DVCAM tapes says, but it's not anamorphic. When I import a test clip in a widescreen timeline, I get a scrunched picture still with the black bars, so right now I'm inclined to just ingest in a regular 4:3 timeline and leave the black bars alone. However, to me, 16:9 is more pleasing and I like editing in it more, and I'd also like to do the best job I can here, which would be to make this true 16:9.
What's the easiest way to make something anamorphic? I tried cropping and then scaling, but I don't want to degrade the image by scaling it 133%. I'd also like to not need to export or really even render these approximately 19 hours of shows, but that may be asking too much. Is there, and if so what is, the easiest way to make footage already letterboxed to be true anamorphic not just 16:9 in a 4:3 frame.
Thank you all,
-Brian

Thanks Studio, that was exactly the experienced opinion I was looking for. Now I'm just hoping that my boss doesn't change his mind later on and decide he wants true widescreen DVDs. Definitely not going to web, so keeping it 4:3 it is.
Muchos gracias,
-Brian

How to fix anamorphic/non-anamorphic video

I have read on these discussions on several occasions people complaining that anamorphic clips sometimes do not show as
such, or vice-versa. Well, the newest (the 200th!) episode of MacBreak Studio gives the answer to this (and other) issues.
So I thought I'd share.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58aVv6CQIlI&feature=em-subs_digest

Unfortunately it only works on standard definition media. For some reason that escapes me anamorphic HD such as 1440x1080 does not have this option.

Help - NTSC Anamorphic to PAL Anamorphic ...?

I have NTSC footage which I export with the settings below and which work fine.
My question is about PAL export. What settings do I used for PAL
in terms of frame rate, canvas size etc etc...?
Unfortunately I have no PAL monitor so can't test it. :s

You need to convert from NTSC standard to PAL.
The cheapest way is using Compressor, take a look at the article below:
http://www.macworld.com/article/49306/2006/02/marchcreate.html
However, a great solution is [Nattress|http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconvers ion.htm]

Anamorphic/WS to QT

Hello, good folks,
I am trying to export an anamorphic sequence (in Final Cut Pro ) to a separate QT file ... without stretching or black bars. But I'm having no luck.
Simply put, I want a compressed video file (QT) 320x180 that I can e-mail or post. I know how to compress, so that's not the problem.
No matter how I export, FCP always builds the external QT file with black bars, stretching the anamorphic content.
I have tried going to a full-res intermediate QT file (which has black bars and stretching) and then compressing (QT Pro) into a smaller file. Which creates the dreaded black bars and stretching.
I have also tried compressing right from FCP, also creating the black bars and stretching.
Some particulars:
The video was shot anamorphic (16:9). It was captured as anamorphic. And it was edited with the anamorphic preference setting.
Clearly I am doing something wrong.
Any ideas/tips/support articles I should be reading?
Many thanks in advance.
John
G4 933 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

This is what happened: I imported the video correctly ... but I started editing it before I changed the global project audio and video setting to anamorphic. I did change it to anamorphic, but apparently, once you have started, the project does not convert it to anamorphic.
Yes, Easy Setups - or the adjustment of default sequence settings - affect the project from that point forward (no changes are made retroactively). FCP leaves your existing material alone since, the theory goes, it allows you to work with multiple projects open, you may not want all your previous work to be 'adjusted.' It takes some time to get used to that but it does make sense -- I frequently jump between Anamorphic and non-Anamorphic Easy Setups in the course of an editing session.
Also, in the future, there is no need to trash your existing project. Provided all your clips were flagged/captured as Anamorphic, simply do this:
Alter your existing sequence to Anamorphic (your clips will now appear stretched)
Select all your clips (press Command-A)
Bring up the Remove Attributes dialog (control-click or press Option-Command-V) and select Distort from the left-hand side Video options, then click OK
The only caveat to this is that any freeze frames that you've created from the timeline will need to be recreated (since those were created as 4:3)
But here's the final question: I put a text (non motion) title over black, to kick off the whole video. But that video title/black refuses to be anything other than non-anamorphic (4:3?). The entire project is anamorphic now, but when I call up the text title function in the left screen, it comes up 4:3. Can't figure out how to change the titler to anamorphic, too, so I just left it out for this minor project.
What I'm taking away from this is that you did not even attempt to insert it into your timeline. If I'm correct in my interpretation, if you had tried placing it in your timeline, you'd see that FCP automatically corrects Generator clips (Title, Color Matte, Shapes, etc) for aspect ratio.
In the standard definition world, anamorphic and non-anamorphic material are the same pixel dimensions (720x480[6]), the difference is in how the pixels are shaped, the Pixel Aspect Ratio. When inserting Generator clips into a timeline, FCP simply adjusts the Pixel Aspect Ratio. In case it's a concern, since Generator clips are vector-based, there is no loss in quality.
Just to cement it, when opening from the Generator pop-up, clips always appear as 4:3.

QT files are not being played at the right height on laptop - why?

Hello eveyone,
The QT files imported in my MacBook pro are HQ but are being played 1280 x 405 (for the length of the screen, but not at the right height). I can't even play view them with the Actual file feature. The Movie Inspector tells me the clipes were shot normal (1920x1080) yet I can't se them properly.
I tried on a different MacBook pro and I have the same problem.
Does anybody know why? What should I do?
Thanks!

Actually, there is no problem with the original files.
Since I do not know how you came to this conclusion or if it is correct, my first thought is, "Show me the proof." I.e., post a captured image of the "Inspector" window for the player you are currently using. This will tell me which QT player you are using, whether the display is controlled by scaled dimension or aspect ratio settings, whether the file was encoded anamorphically or non-anamorphically, and whether the encoded aspect ratio matches the current display aspect ratio. It won't tell me the true aspect ratio of the video but a look at people and objects in a single video frame will normally disclose whether or not the display aspect is reasonably close or not.
If I import them in say Final Cut Pro, I can see them properly...so it's only the Quick Time on our laptops that display the clips wrong.
This isn't really helpful since FCP has settings that allow the user to both change and scale display dimensions and aspect ratios. QT 7 Pro will allow you re-scale the aspect ratio of a display but not alter its encoded aspect ratio while QT X will allow you to resize the display scale but only in reference to its encoded aspect ratio. Neither will allow you to display a file at dimensions greater than your current video card settings (i.e., where actual dimensions are greater than screen display resolutions for the encoded aspect ratio). In a similar manner, "fit" and "fill" option availability will also depend on the device/player and available screen resolutions/aspect ratiios which you have yet to indicate for either platform previously mentioned.
The full length of the screen, but not the full height... Do you have any advide on how to get the settings done? I looked into the QT settings and coulnd't find the right button/panel...
As previously stated, the first step is to determine if the files are being displayed correctly—i.e., at their correct aspect ratio for the allowable display space available for the current screen resolution available on the platforms being used for viewing. For instance, are you viewing in the full screen mode, or with menu bar being displayed and/or with the dock in or out of active display. These settings plus the video card screen resolulution will determine the maximum number of viewing pixels available fort the display height. Once the scale height is set by the QT player, then QT app will scale the display width to what it believes is correct display setting. If the aspect of the display is correct for the scaled height and width, then the file is being displayed correctly at the maximum display height available and there is nothing wrong and nothing to be corrected either in the file or the media player other than your desire to play a file at dimenensions larger than available for your display. (I.e., this is equivlent to saying you want to display a 52 inch diagonal picture on 32 inch HDTV—"it ain't gonna happen."
On the other hand, if the aspect ratio is incorrect for the maximum display height available for the app, system, and platform being used for viewing, then all of the other things I mentioned come into effect with regard to correcting the embedded display settings within the file.
Example: If i take an anamorphically encoded 1440x1080 (1920x1080) file and display it on my monitor set to a resolution of 2560x1440, then I can display the file at its "actual" display size (1920x1080) or even scale it to 2560x1440 (Full Screen Display mode) but if I reset my monitor to a 4:3 aspect resolution of 1600x1200, then I cannot play the file at its actual 1920x1080 display resolution since its width is limited to 1600 pixels and when the 16:9 aspect ratio is applied to the 1600 pixel display width, the display height is limited to 900 pixels in a "Fit to screen mode."
If your source file was recorded at 1920x1080, then the file's aspect ratio is 16:9 (1.78:1). However, your 1280x405 screen size implies that either the file is now being displayed in the "Fit" mode with a changed aspect ratio of 3.16:1 (1280x405) or that you are viewing the file in the "Fill" mode which chops off the top and bottom of your 1280x720 (1.78:1) display. (I.e., the "Fit" mode will scale the display at its current aspect to fit within the available display area and yet allow you see the entire display area as a "scaled view at the correct aspect while the "Fill" mode scales the video to fill your entire screen even if this means losing the top/bottom or left/right portions of the display area when the monitor resolution aspect ratio and video display ratio are not the same.)
Therefore, if your file is correctly formatted as you claim, use the "Command-F" QT shortcut to view the file at its largest available dimensions at the correct aspect ratio on any platform and using either the QT X or QT 7 player. (Don't forget to set the QT 7 "Full Screen" preference.)

Quicktime Pro 1080p codec for apple tv?

Anyone know if there's a Quicktime Pro codec yet that will take original 1080p content (like home movies shot on a 1080p camera) and encode it to M4V for Apple TV at 1080p? I think the "Export to Apple TV" in QTP-7 still encodes to 1280x720 doesn't it?
Thanks!!

Although QTKirk has provided the most generic answer that should provide useable file, here are some additional details:
I think the "Export to Apple TV" in QTP-7 still encodes to 1280x720 doesn't it?
Unfortunately, this is true. The current TV preset creates files targeted for use on multiple TV models which limits the maximum resolution available.
Anyone know if there's a Quicktime Pro codec yet that will take original 1080p content (like home movies shot on a 1080p camera) and encode it to M4V for Apple TV at 1080p?
Unfortunately, the only QT 7 Pro option that allowed the creation of a 1080 H.264/AAC M4V file was the old "Movie to H.264" option which was replaced by the current mobile device specific presets. You can, of cource create a 1080 H.264/AAC MOV file using the "Movie to QuickTime Movie" method described by QTKirk or create a 1080 H.264/AAC MP4 file using the "Movie to MPEG-4" option and then either change the file extension manually (works with most apps that don't really check the file container type) or actually remux the data to a real M4V file container.
On the other hand, there are other, non-QT 7 Pro options available. I personally prefer the free HandBrake option here. It has separate presets for TV (720p24, 540p30), TV2 (720p30), and TV3 (1080p30) options available if you prefer that route or allows advanced customization to create your own preferred preset to directly create an anamorphic or non-anamorphic 1080p H.264/AAC M4V file. What you shpould actually be asking yourself here is not ifthe there is a work flow that can make your 1080 content but what are the actual goals of the work flow you want to use. For instance, are you saying "I want to create the best, highest quality 1080p non-anamorphic file I can and don't care how large the file is or how many hours it takes to make the conversion?" or are you saying "I will accept a high quality, anamorphic file that is playback efficient in terms of file space and streaming requirements and requires only a moderate investment in time for the conversion?" or something in-between?

Optimizing / compressing video for web with Quicktime

I have a ~70mb (3 minutes long) m4v video that I need to get to a much more reasonable file size for playing on a site that will primarily be accessed via iPad.
I don't know if it matters, but the video will need to play automatically upon page load.
I've read through a few tutorials for doing this with Quicktime, however I think I'm missing something..
From the Export pop-up menu, there should seemingly be an option to choose "Movie to QuickTime Movie." I have only 480p and iPod/iPhone/iPad options(which I believe would result in a viewing frame that is too small).
How can I proceed with web-optimizing this file in Quicktime? (Or is there a better solution? I tried Sorenson Squeeze, but that had a large watermark..)

I have a ~70mb (3 minutes long) m4v video that I need to get to a much more reasonable file size for playing on a site that will primarily be accessed via iPad.
File size is directly proportional to the combined total data rate of your file. If you want a smaller file, then you need to reduce the audio + video data rate of the file. Unfortunately, overly reducing the data rate can adversely affect the audio/video quality of the file. Depending on the encode settings (data rate, encode matrix dimensions, display dimensions, entropy option, intra/inter frame options, number of encode passes, etc.), user tolerance for minimum quality level, the specific target ISP speeds required, application to be used, etc., the possibilities are relatively endless. Basically, the file you describe above has a combined total data rate on the order of 3.1 Mbps. Such a data rate might be considered low for a full 1080p file, adequate for a 720p file, or excessive for a VGA file depending on the graphic complexity of the file. In short, it is difficult to properly answer your question without additional information or actually seeing the file in question. (I.e., proper encoding of content is as much an art as a science.)
I don't know if it matters, but the video will need to play automatically upon page load.
It may matter depending on how the web site is coded and/or how the content is to be accessed by the target iPad device.
From the Export pop-up menu, there should seemingly be an option to choose "Movie to QuickTime Movie." I have only 480p and iPod/iPhone/iPad options(which I believe would result in a viewing frame that is too small).
The option and tutorial you reference require the use of QT 7 Pro which the option you reference sounds nore like a QT X player export option. (Once, again, what you can do will depend on the software you are trying to use to create your file and a 480p file could normally be anything from an 853x480 (16:9 aspect) file to a 640x480 (4:3 aspect) file or an anamorphic 720x480 file displaying in either the 16:9 or 4:3 aspect. So I really don't know what you consider a "small" viewing frame.
How can I proceed with web-optimizing this file in Quicktime? (Or is there a better solution? I tried Sorenson Squeeze, but that had a large watermark..)
As previously mentioned, there are many applications that can be used here—QT 7 Pro, MPEG Streamclip, QT X, HandBrake, etc. to name just a few. I personally would recommend the free HandBrake app since it offers both manual and automatic preset options, as well as, allowing you to create anamorphic or non-anamorphic encodes targeting either a fixed level of quality or a target file size depening on your needs. Unfortunately, the more options you have, the more decisions you need to make which means the more you need to critically analyze your target needs/requirements—which is frequently something many video users are trying to avoid.
Basically, if you want more specific advice, you will first have to better define your specific needs here.

No sound when converting .avi to .mov

hi guys
maybe someone would help me.
Im trying to add some movies to my itunes library, and i have my files into .avi format(works properly in other media player) and when i convert it using quicktime onto .mov, the sound is missing.
everything else remains the same, only the sound.
any clues and suggestions of why this is happening?
thx

maybe someone would help me.
Im trying to add some movies to my itunes library, and i have my files into .avi format(works properly in other media player) and when i convert it using quicktime onto .mov, the sound is missing.
everything else remains the same, only the sound.
any clues and suggestions of why this is happening?
As has been explained many time before in this forum, AVI is a file container—not a compression format. What you can do with the AVI file depends on what kind of data is stored in the AVI container. For instance, QT X v10.3, QT X v10.4 and QL under Mavericks and Yosemite only play AVI files containing Motion JPEG video along with any supported form of compressed audio like linear PCM. Any other combination of compressed audio and video combination in this file container would would either be unsupported by the AVFoundation in the latest operating systems or force a conversion—i.e., the AVFoundation would pass the file on to the Modernizer routines to see if the content can be converted to a file containing compressed data that is QT compatible.
Depending on the type of compressed data contained in the AVI and the codec support installed on your system, the Modernizer will either terminate its conversion attempt and report that it can't convert the file or it will pass the file on to the Convert routine for conversion. For instance, a common DivX/MP3 AVI file would probably not be converted on a recent operating system with only native codec support. However, if the system has the Perian (or similar) codec package installed, then the Modernizer would recognize that Perian (or other) codec support was available and pass the file on to the Convert routine for a successful conversion. Unfortunately, there are some exceptions. For instance, files containing DTS audio are usually trapped by the Modernizer if Perian is not present but are passed on to the Convert module if it is present since Perian contains DTS codec support. Unfortunately, this support is not compatible with the Convert routine under the two latest versions of Mac OS X and ends up creating an "empty" audio track.
If this is the cause of the problem in your case, then the solution is simple, use a third-party converter as was already mentioned. I would recommend any that use the FFmpeg package for codec support. Many such utilities are available. My personal preference would be the free HandBrake app which includes many presets for the novice user, as well as, advanced features for the prosumer or professional user making customized conversions of specific content and/or for a specific targeted use and can retain chapters, multichannel audio, and/or subtitles (if available in/to the original file) in an anamorphic or non-anamorphic rendering using the basic GUI and/or line-oriented settings. (I.e., properly used, this is a very powerful utility.)

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...)

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.

Sequence settings for digibeta anamorphic capture?

I will be capturing from digibeta where the image is 16x9 anamorphic, using an AJA Kona card. What capture settings and sequence settings must I use to properly deal with the anamorphic image? I am renting the editing suite so I do not have access to it now. I need to prepare still images and titles using the same sequence settings that I will be using to capture. Does the Kona card come with sequence presets that I would not have in final cut pro 5.1, and if so can I edit my sequence settings to match?
Thanks,
Mike

The templates can be found in the new image settings, under "film and video" from memory.
But you could save yourself some trouble, and possibly aspect issues with an older version of Photoshop, by just making a new image in Photoshop that is 1024 x 480 (NTSC land).
Paste your images into that as your template.
Technically the images size IS 720x480 in your project, and then stretched out, but giving it 1024 x 480 starts you at a higher resolution, and avoids any graphics changing shape.
Though FCP handles larger images, and you would be fine to just have all stills under 2000 pixels, and resize in FCP.
Sure it needs to render, but then again you can do non-loss moves into stills.
Oh, and as for presets;
I prefer to use good old ProRes(HQ) rather then card specific codecs.
This way you can archive the project to a harddrive and later edit or change in a suite with a blackmagic card, or even a cardless machine(as in capture card!).
I believe there is an anamorphic Prores(HQ) anamorphic SD option,
or at the very least you can duplicate a Prores setting and tick the anamorphic option!
If you had the harddrive bandwidth and space you could choose to go uncompressed?
Digital beta is about 2:1 10bit, so close to ProRes(HQ).
Uncompressed is best though, but takes space and speed!
FC

Anamorphic to Non-Anamorphic

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