Aspect ratio list

I thought I posted this question a while ago, but can't find it...
If 854x480 is a 16:9 ratio, what's the next one down, and the next one after that, etc? I'm trying to get a good file size for exporting to the web so I need to experiment with a few different ratios but I don't want to letterbox (like with 640x480).
Oh, and is it 854x480 or 853x480? I've seen both. When I export H.264 and go to "size", "current" says 854x480, but I've also seen 853. Which is correct so I don't get distortion?
Thanks.
Jonathan

You must not have looked very hard ... all you have to do is add your name to the "posts by" item and provide a reasonable keyword.
Search is your friend.
http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?threadID=&q=Aspect+ratio&objID=&dateRan ge=thisyear&userID=synergy1&numResults=30
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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...)

  • Importing from iMovie 08 to FCE4 - aspect ratio!!

    Hello All,
    I have clips recorded in iMovie 08 (captured from built-in iSight cam) which I'm trying to import into FCE4. Using the standard FCP XML export in iMovie and opening in FCE4, the aspect ratio of all clips is lost.
    I am using the built-in iSight cam to record a video blog (please don't give me flack about not using a dedicated cam), is there a way to preserve the 16:9 aspect ratio from iMovie? I have used the motion settings on the clips to attempt to restore the original aspect ratio (-33 seems to be close), but this seems terribly unscientific and mostly guess work. Thanks.

    In the browser (view as list) check the Anamorphic Flag associated with both the imported clip and your sequence: both should be set. My guess your sequence is not 16:9, in this case you only have to set that flag in the browser to fix it.
    Setting Aspect Ratio = -33 in the Motion tab restores the right proportions of the original video but creates top and bottom bands in a standard 4:3 video and reduces the original video vertical resolution. The anamorphic flag, instead, fixes the video aspect ratio without losing video quality.
    Hope it works
    Piero

  • Still Photo Aspect Ratio Confusion

    Apologize for asking a question on this topic as I have been through the forum and realize the topic of aspect ratio comes up often. I have not however seen this question answered. Quick background:
    -Working with HD Video footage imported as SD as I am burning non-HD dvd's and I have heard the conversion in IDVD and Toast from HD is not great;
    -Using photos imported from Aperture in FCE;
    -Sequence is NTSC anamorphic as I want 16:9 but without HD;
    My question is about the aspect ratio of still photos when I bring them into the timeline. I have experimented with saving photos in different aspect ratios: 853x480 and 720x480. When I import into FCE the 853 shows a square pixel and the 720 shows a NTSC pixel. From what I have read this is due to the way FCE interprets the aspect ratio and assigns an pixel aspect. When I view each in the viewer they both look correct when I click the corresponding pixel aspect from the top of the viewer. It is when I move these to the timeline that I get confused. The 853 gets an adjustment of 18.52 and the 720 gets an adjustment of 33.33. What do these adjustments actually represent? Is it a percentage, a number of pixels, something else? When I read about it in the Manual it seems to state that FCE adjusts for the difference between the still and sequence, but then why does it adjust the 720 since it has the same pixel aspect as the sequence? I then tried changing the Pixel aspect of the 853 in the browser to NTSC and moving it to the timeline. I get the same 33.33 adjustment. The 33.33 does not look correct in either of them, but when I change it to 18.52 it looks correct (with the pixel aspect at square, with it not checked it looks "skinny" or squished).
    Only thing I can think is that it has something to do with the anamorphic adjustment and the squeezing that goes on with it as 18.52 as 853 (widescreen) is 18.47 percent wider the 720.
    At this point I am really not sure how these will display when I make a dvd and display on a widescreen tv. I would prefer not to do this by guessing or looking at the picture, but instead by understanding what FCE is doing and making sure I have the settings and adjustments correct.
    Sorry for the long message, but would really appreciate any advice

    Michael,
    sorry to disagree, but for sure I was not clear, and the topic is quite complex. So I decided to provide an overview (as much as I can...) of the various combinations of clips inserted into various sequences with all settings - possibly on my web site (I'm afraid other posters are getting bored about all this math).
    But since this is taking quite a bit of time, let me just tell you now where I disagree about your findings. When I'll have my overview completed I hope that will better explain what I mean.
    _Your point 1_.
    I'm pretty sure you (unwillingly) are importing your 16:9 square pixel NTSC clip into a +4:3 CCIR pixel NTSC sequence+ (not your original 16:9 anamorphic NTSC sequence). Please check your sequence settings by selecting the sequence in the browser in list view and reading the Frame Size, Pixel Aspect, and Anamorphic fields.
    a. If your sequence is in fact +4:3 CCIR pixel NTSC sequence+, by applying the formulas you get:
    - PARclip for +16:9 square pixel NTSC+ clip = 853/853 = 1 (as for any square pixel clip)
    - but PARseq is not 1 (as you write) but 640/720 (square/actual pixels) = 0,8888
    - Adjust = PARseq/PARclip = 0,8888/1 = 0,8888.
    - Since Adjust is <1 Motion Aspect Ratio = - 100* (1/0,8888 -1) = -12,5 as you experienced on FCE. BTW this means that the imported clip has to be squeezed vertically by 12,5% (as opposite of horizontally).
    b. If your sequence instead really is +16:9 anamorphic NTSC+ as you seem to imply, then 18,52 is correct as you confirm yourself with "Agree that in the four cases you list it agrees...": it is in fact the 2nd case in my 4 cases list.
    _Your point 2_.
    Here I suppose the sequence is +16:9 CCIR pixel NTSC+ which has PARseq = 853/720 = 1,1852.
    But I'm not clear what you mean by "720/640 NTSC clip". My guess is that you mean a +4:3 CCIR pixel NTSC+ clip,
    then PARclip = 640/720 (square/actual pixels) = 0,8888
    then Adjust = PARseq/PARclip = 1,1852/0,8888 = 1,3333 and Motion Aspect Ratio = 100*(1,3333 - 1) = 33,33 as you experienced
    _Adjust formula_.
    I think this formula in your earlier message is incorrect: Aspect Ratio (in Motion/Distort) = - 100 * (1/Adjust-1) if Adjust ≤ 1; seems like the formula: Aspect Ratio (in Motion/Distort) = 100 * (Adjust-1) if Adjust ≥ 1 works at all times including <1 as follows 100*(.875-1)=-12.5.</div>
    This not true (well it is true only for Adjust = 1...). As an example if Adjust = 0,8888 then 100*(0,5-1) = -11,12 (wrong value for this pixel adjustment), while -100*(1/0,8888-1) = -12,51 which is the correct vertical squeeze !!
    Why 2 different formulas are needed ? because when Adjust is >1 a +horizontal squeeze+ by Adjust is necessary to fix the pixel aspect ratio misalignement, when Adjust is <1 a +vertical squeeze+ is necessary by 1/Adjust... (figures will help as soon as they are ready for... publishing).
    I'm sorry these posts are so long, I try to make them as clear as possible, but the topic is a bit messy and, even if only fractions are involved in this math, their actual meaning is not always intuitive...I'd really appreciate any comment also by more experienced users of FCE/FCP...
    Thanks
    Piero

  • Aspect ratio query FCP

    Hi there, wonder if someone can help with this/
    I have filmed a short piece of PAL SD footage in 16:9 format on a Sony Z1 camera.
    The finished job is to be 16:9 SD output to DVD PAL.
    Can some one confirm what settings I should use from the easy set-up menu for capturing the project? should I be capturing footage as anamorphic?
    The reason I ask is that I am being given contrasting info from the chap I am sharing the editing with and don't want to get it wrong from the start.
    On his FCP system he is saying that his sequence is NOT set as anamorphic, his browser and canvas viewers are NOT anamorphic, yet he says that the project is still 16:9 ? He says that he is viewing via an external broadcast monitor in 16:9 and only this will show the 16:9 true aspect of the project?
    If he clicks sequence settings, sure enough there is NO tick under anamorphic, likewise in the logging list window, yet he still says the finished job will be 16:9, how can this be? i am really confused by this.
    I just want the finished job to be as shot from the Sony Z1 camera and to able to view the footage as shot in my browser & canvas windows. I was under the impression that my Z1 footage is anamorphic as it wasn't shot in HDV mode?
    Any help would be appreciated
    Thanks
    Stuart

    Hi Stuart
    Import it as anamorphic. This will ensure that the right flags are set in QuickTime so it will display correctly on your screen. If you end up sending the final project to tape, either system will still look right when that tape is played, but what's the point of editing in the wrong aspect ratio? The only difference between SD 4:3 and SD 16:9 is that they are displayed differently. The information each format contains is otherwise identical. So go ahead and tick the anamorphic box that Apple have provided so that your pictures are stretched to the correct aspect ratio. In that way everything will look right as you edit, and any graphics you apply won't turn out short and fat in the finished product.
    Ian

  • AE changing aspect ratio of rendered frames

    I'm rendering .png frames at NTSC DV, 720x480, Pixel aspect 0.9.  My composition settings in AE are set to the same, however, when I import the frames they are listed as 720x480 (1.11).  When viewed in the composition window the frames extend past the viewable area on both sides.  Using AE 7.0.
    Why is this happening, and how do I fix it?
    Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

    This is going to sound weird but it's the truth. The aspect ratio doesn't change the pixels. Aspect ratio only sets the interpretation - or tells a video app how to  make those pixels fit in a desired space on a scan line. It's a lot like the PPI tag added to images intended for print. The tag has nothing to do with the actual pixels.
    That said, if you can't find a setting for choosing pixel aspect ratio when you setup the output module and the render settings, then the PAR tag won't be added to the render. AE, or your NLE will then take a look at the frame size and make a guess as to PAR and field order. The guess may be wrong. If it is, all you have to do is go into the interpretation settings and change them.
    I'd guess you're rendering to a DV codec. If so, there's no PAR tag so all you have to do is reset the interpretation. The same goes for Premiere or FCP or Vegas or any other NLE. Sometimes DV footage gets interpreted as the wrong PAR.
    Hope this helps.

  • Wrong aspect ratio in browsermode, after import...

    Hello there,
    here's the dilemma:
    after I import raw images in aperture, the preview images (Browser mode) seem to be off (not proportioned correctly). Once I go to  Viewer mode, they "scale" to normal. It takes about half a second. It seems as if something is added to top and bottom of the image, ie. more "info" comes in... the actual aspect ratio (?) doesn't change, but the added info makes it "right". And it actually is added to both "long sides of the image", not top and bottom. By that I mean that if the it is a portrait orientation, it's left and right of the image that changes.
    This is not a problem if there were just few images. I could go and move from one image to next in Viewer mode, and wait for that half a sec every in between, but when it's hundreds of images... well, you understand, not fun.
    The camera is Sony a-55. And I have tried to import both directly from camera and by using the card reader in iMac. Same problem both.
    Thanks for all the help,
    Teemu Huttunen
    Finland

    Thanks Kirby, for joyning us! Good to know, that this is not a general problem with Sony cameras.
    Teemu, I just checked, the raw support list says, that the a55 requires Aperture 3, so the raw support probably will be installed with the application.
    Separate raw support download installers are here: Each installer adds a few cameras - it is a bit tedious to look at all of them to find the one, that installs the support for your camera.
    http://support.apple.com/downloads/#raw%20support
    I'd try first to reinstall Aperture. Since you bought from the App Store, you can download Aperture again, if you quit Aperture and remove it from the Applications folder to the Trash (don't empty the Trash); log off and on again. Then sign into the App Store and download the installer again - it should be available in the "purchases" tab and see, if reinstalling helps.
    -- Léonie

  • Remove custom aspect ratio

    Hi all,
    I set up some custom aspect ratios in the crop and straighten tool window for a project I was working on. Now that I'm done w/ them I would like to remove them from the drop down menu. Can some one tell me how this is done?
    Thanks,
    Mike

    As Pete says, they get overwritten with new ones, but that only answers the question indirectly. You can't remove them from the list and make the list empty, except by deleting the preference file. This removes all customisation though, and returns Lightroom to first install preferences. Not something to do lightly, because all of the print/slideshow/web settings you've used are stored there also.

  • Distorted Aspect Ratio of Exported Frames

    My project's aspect ratio is 16:9 (720 horizontal, 576 vertical).
    I inserted a clip into the timeline.
    I exported a certain frame to a file as an image.
    The image file's size: 720 x 576.
    I proceeded to import the image file into the project, and inserted it into the timeline.
    The image's aspect ratio is not the same as the original footage.
    Specifically, the horizontal side is narrower than originally (see attached screenshots).
    What causes this discrepancy?
    More importantly, what can i do to get exported frames to match the aspect ratio of the project?

    OK, I've got the BMP. When I looked at your images, I thought that we were seeing your still image on the Timeline. We are not. That shape/size is what was produced.
    Now, remember that I am on PrE 4, so things will be different in PrE 8. Still, I should be able to get you close. In PrE 4, one uses File>Export>Frame to do a Frame capture under the CTI (Current Time Indicator), and visible in the Program Monitor. When you choose this, you will get the standard Windows dialog screen, where you name and locate your still image. There is also a settings button, that will open up a second dialog box, for you to adjust many attributes of your Frame capture. There, you will have three choices in the left-hand Pane: General, Video and Keyframe and Rendering. First, go to General, and you'll get File Type w/ a dropdown. There, you can choose the format type and should have JPEG, TIFF, BMP, TARGA and GIF (maybe more in PrE 8, like PNG?). I'd stick with TIFF or BMP. About the only other choice is whether you want to add this captured still in your Project, or not. That is your choice.
    Go to the Video listing in that left-hand Pane. There you can choose the Frame Size, the PAR and the Color Depth. Make sure that these match your Project's and your source footage's exact specs. Unless you need the Alpha Channel, and are using either TIFF or TARGA, leave Color Depth to Millions of colors. Otherwise, choose Millions +, where the + is that Alpha Channel.
    I'd guess that it's in those settings, as to what is happening with your Frame capture. Let me know if you get this sorted, and sorry for my mis-step, but I was not clear on what I was seeing, and where I was seeing it.
    Good luck,
    Hunt

  • Emergency Question Re: Aspect Ratio

    I'm shooting for the first time today with an HD Camera. I'm going to shoot in SD, but which aspect ratio? 16:9 or 4:3? I don't know what type of TV the video will ultimately be viewed on, but I'd like the flexibility for it to look great on both widescreen and standard TVs (letterboxed).
    Thanks.

    I'd like the flexibility for it to look great on both widescreen and standard TVs (letterboxed).
    Agreed. It's a subjective thing, but widescreens conforms more closely to the area of vision of the human eye. Here is how I achieve that. (see the punch line at the end):
    HOW TO MAINTAIN 16:9 ASPECT FROM IMPORT TO BURN
    This is the way I do it. There is no compulsion on you to do it my way, but this works (for me). I started this method before iMovie and iDVD were upgraded to 6.0.3, and because not all elements of the various iDVD themes (particularly the pre-iDVD 6 ones) are consistent in keeping to 16:9 throughout the process.
    The widescreen preview works just fine when you check your finished project within iDVD. The problem only happens when you either burn a project or save it to an image.
    The reason this bug is present is because iDVD incorrectly sets a single binary value to 1 instead of 0 in the .IFO and .BUP files that correspond to widescreen .VOB titles. If this value is set to 1, it instructs a DVD player to prohibit shifting to widescreen mode, even though another binary value that specifies the 16:9 format instead of 4:3 is properly set.
    The simple translation of how to fix it is to open the .IFO and .BUP files, change the value (you do it in hexadecimal, which means it changes from 4F to 4E), save, then burn to DVD.
    The reality is, it’s a bit trickier because you have to first copy iDVD’s disk image to your hard drive, change the read-only permissions on both the files and the VIDEO_TS folder to permit writing, save the changes, then run the whole folder through DVD Imager which saves a new disk image to burn that will be recognizable by DVD players.
    That was one way to do it (and applies particularly to iDVD 5) but if, like me, you don’t fancy mucking about with hexadecimal, then here is an alternative.
    A bug in iDVD 6, particularly when working with PAL, and which has been reported to Apple, is that the sub-menus in many of the themes (the chapter settings) default to 4:3 aspect, NTSC and mpeg 1, instead of the desired 16:9 in mpeg 2 in PAL. This may be partly a leftover from iDVD 5 or even a newer ‘feature’ of iDVD 6. Either way, it is annoying when it happens, and we must hope Apple cure it in iDVD 7. In the meantime here is my failsafe workaround, which sounds a lot more complicated when reading about it, that it is in practise.
    Living in the UK, I use PAL (25 fps). Wherever you see a reference to PAL (25 fps) in the following you may substitute NTSC (30 fps) in the various settings mentioned (if you don’t live in Europe), the basic idea is the same. I still use this method, and take these steps, regardless of whether it is always necessary. Worst case scenario: it would have worked anyway. Best case scenario: it works perfectly where it otherwise wouldn’t!
    The object of the exercise is therefore to ‘fix’ all constituent parts of the project (video, titles, theme, effects, even audio!) in the desired 16:9 aspect to avoid producing a DVD where the movie is in 16:9 and the menu is in 4:3 or where other irritating surprises lurk in your project, which you only discover after burning a coaster!
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    You have finished your iMovie project with music, transitions and so on, and saved it to you Movies Folder. Before you started the project you naturally set it to DV Widescreen.
    Open iDVD. Give the project a name, and save it as Widescreen if it didn’t default to the same aspect as your iMovie project. Now import the iMovie project into iDVD, choose a theme (any theme you like, even if it prefers to stay at 4:3) and save the project. Do what you would normally do to the theme and its drop zones. Save the project.
    Now save as Disk Image on your desktop. Leave it there for the moment when it has finished/appeared.
    Open your Movies Folder. Create a new folder. Name it PROJECTNAME – TS FILES (where ‘projectname’ is the name of your project!). Close the folder. You can of course call it anything you like, but this aids identification.
    Now double-click the disk image on your desktop. It contains two folders: AUDIO_TS (which is empty, but please pretend that it isn’t) and VIDEO_TS. Drag and drop these to the folder you created in your Movies Folder. (This takes a moment).
    Click on the AUDIO_TS folder and go to Get Info in the file menu. Right down the bottom is where you have to change the permissions. Under ‘Ownership & Permissions’ change this from Read Only to Read & Write. Click the small triangle next to Details, scroll down and click on ‘Apply to enclosed items’. You will be asked for your root password. Close the get info window, and now click on the VIDEO_TS folder and do the same. Close the Projectname-TS Files folder. You have now allowed yourself to change the properties of the contents of those folders, which leads us to the next all-important step.
    Open myDVDedit. Go to File and open the projectname TS Files folder. By all means stare at it shock and awe, but don’t bother finding out what it can do, except for the following:
    Top left you fill see a list of files. Lower centre you have a large window. On the vertical menu to the left of that, click IFO.
    In the window at the top left, ignore ‘First Play’ (if there was anything to correct in that, myDVDedit will have done so and told you).
    Click on VMG Menu en (English). Now the whole thing springs to life.
    Set Coding Mode to MPEG-2 (if it isn’t already)
    Set Standard to PAL (or NTSC if that is what you want)
    Set Aspect to 16:9 (not any of the other options)
    Now save the file.
    Click on VTS Menu 1 en (English) and repeat as above.
    Click on VTS Menu 2 and repeat as above.
    You have now permanently ‘fixed’ the entire contents of the TS folder (the disk image) in 16:9 aspect. Close myDVDedit – you won’t need it again until the next project!
    If you have Toast 7 Titanium, open it. ‘Select DVD-Video from VIDEO_TS’. Choose Select from the main Toast window and select your projectname-TS Files folder. You are now ready to burn! You can set the burn speed (2x recommended) before the burn commences. Allow Toast to verify the burn before you eject the DVD-R disk.
    If you don’t have Toast 7, then I assume you can burn the projectname-TS Files folder (disk image) via Disk Utility. I say ‘assume’ only because I have never tried it that way.
    Either way, you now have a DVD which will play as 16:9 widescreen on any TV set, even the old ones where you can’t ask it to letter-box.

  • Exporting 16:9 and retaining aspect ratio

    Hi all.
    I have a 16:9 Pal project and want to export it for iPod (I have checked the iPod forum to no avail).
    When I export the project the picture is squished and is 4:3. I have tried many things but cannot get the desired result - a wide screen iPod movie with black bars top and bottom. Although I know it can be done because I have downloaded iPod movies that appear to be 16:9.
    I will give 10 points to the person who can help me.
    Cheers, Steve

    Open your exported movie in Quicktime Pro.
    Select Window->Show Movie Properties or <command>J.
    In the list at top of the Properties window, select the Video Track.
    Click the Visual Settings tab.
    Uncheck the "Preserve Aspect Ratio" checkbox.
    In Scaled size you see the Horizontal x Vertical size in pixels. Multiply the Vertical number by 16 and divide by 9. Enter the result in the Horizontal box and hit return. Example: original scaled size = 720 x 486. New values are 864 x 486 (720 x 16/9 = 864).
    You'll immediately see the aspect ratio of the movie change. Save the file.
    You're done.

  • Content speed/aspect ratio

    OK, I did some searching on how to change Motion content clip speeds (scrub filter, change fps, etc), I'll try those out.
    But, I'm a bit confused about the source media Motion came with. For example, I'm doing an NTSC project and I use "Lightning Flares 3". "Right-click ---> reveal source media" shows the pixel aspect ratio as a PAL setting and the source file is 25fps. I did not change this...first time using it. Oh yeah, I brought it into FCP to try for re-mapping and the item properties were: 720x576, 25fps, Motion JPEG-A, PAL-CCIR 601, Upper (Odd) field dominance.
    Now, I would like to understand the "gears under the hood" (as Patrick calls 'em). Is the source file 25fps because it was created with a MotionJPEG-A compressor? Why is the clip a PAL clip to begin with? And if I'm working NTSC, should the pixel aspect ratio be square or NTSC D1/DV? I know that in FCP, I have the canvas set to "show square pixels" so I know what it's going to look like on a TV (right?) since I don't have a monitor hooked up yet.
    Please help me help this project.
    Jonathan

    Its been archived, so I'm marking it as answered to get it off my "My Questions" list.
    Jonathan

  • No 4:3 aspect ratio option in iMovie 10.0

    iMovie 10 won't let me choose 4:3 as an aspect ratio. Does anyone know how?

    I'm not sure if this will help however here's what I've figured out so far.
    I did a video screen capture that was a little off from a 4:3 ratio. When I create a project that's 16:9 (default) and follow the steps above, the only export choices I get are based on a 16:9 ratio.
    When I created an actual 4:3 ratio clip and followed the same steps I did have a 4:3 ratio choice in the export list.
    Another thing I realized was, with the clip that's a little off from a 4:3 ratio, I can sellect a section directly from my libarry and share it. When I do this I get a chice of 4:3 ratios that's slitly off in the export menu.
    Aloha.

  • How do i change aspect ratio in iMovie?

    I was sent a video whose aspect ratio is messed up—squished vertically. I imported it into iMovie anyway thinking I could correct it. I thought it would happen i the Export dialog where I input a custom size. But it hasn't worked.

    I think I may know how to fix it. Just to be sure...,
    Right-click on one of your Event clips. Choose Reveal in Finder. In the Finder, right-click on the clip and choose OPEN WITH.../QUICKTIME PLAYER. In QuickTime Player, type the letter i while holding down the Command Key. This will open up the QuickTime Inspector. Tell us the dimensions of your clip and everything that is listed next to the word FORMAT:

  • Converting DV to ???.  Which format?  Aspect ratio problems.

    I'm trying to digitize some old VHS videos for archival and I need some guidance. My goal is to keep a digital copy on disk and toss out the tapes with the player. Most of the videos will just be for future viewing, not further editing. I tossed out the TV a few years ago and I hope to never go back, so my primary viewing will likely be on a computer screen. If I do get another TV someday I imagine that I would play these videos with some sort of media center type device rather than a DVD so I may need to keep that in mind when deciding upon the final format.
    I'm using a Canopus ADVC-300 to convert the videos to DV streams. I use iMovie HD 6 to capture the DV input. A few months ago I converted a few tapes with iMovie 08 and learned the hard way about the DV quality problems designed into that product. Anyway, the Canopus feeds my Mac a standard 720x480 DV stream. In iMovie I start a new project and tell it the video format is DV, as opposed to DV Widescreen.
    Up to this point everything is working great.
    My dilemma is how to save the video. I want a format that has good quality and will not likely need any future transcoding to stay usable. Thus far from iMovie HD I've been sharing to Quicktime, selecting Expert Settings, and then playing around with the various options within "Movie to Quicktime Movie".
    On the video settings panel I'm going under the assumption that H.264 is the preferred choice. I set the compressor quality to high, the encoding to multi-pass, and the data rate to automatic.
    The video filter panel has nothing selected for now.
    The video size panel is where I start having questions. Obviously the original video sources have a 4:3 aspect ratio. If I leave the dimensions as "current" (720x480) I get a video that plays at 3:2 in every player I've tried. I guess that seems obvious even though I told iMovie I was working with a 4:3 project. My player of choice is VLC and I can tell it to show the video at 4:3 but it's a pain to do that every time. Quicktime can do that too, and in fact you can save the aspect ratio with the video so that it will display that way each time, but I never really use QT unless I have to.
    Looking at the list of available choices in the dimension drop down box, it looks like there are a couple possible solutions...
    The most obvious choice is "NTSC 720x480 4:3". When this option is used the video is 4:3 by default when played by QT. However, it still shows up as 3:2 in VLC, mplayer, and also when played via Frontrow. I downloaded mplayer just for this comparison and I never watch videos using Frontrow but I suppose I might someday if that media center thing comes into play. Once again I can tell VLC to show it as 4:3 but doing so every time is annoying. There doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the aspect ratio from within Frontrow so that's a non-starter. I'm thinking this might technically be the correct format to use but none of the players other than QT recognize the anamorphic setting (is that right?). When I look at the video properties in QT it shows 720x480(640x480) but the other tools show just 720x480.
    The next obvious choice in the list of dimensions is "640x480 VGA". When I use this option I do in fact get a video that displays correctly in every player. However, I can't help but wonder if I'm losing resolution this way. I think it's just converting the rectangular pixels to square pixels but with the drop in horizontal pixels there must be less information there? Is this a viable format for playing on various devices in the future?
    Should I be experimenting with something other an "Movie to Quicktime Movie" and H.264?
    In all cases I've selected to deinterlace the video. Some might say that VHS is of such poor quality to begin with that using such high settings is a waste. I say that the source video is bad enough that there's no room to add even more degradation. I'm willing to live with data rates that will push 1-2 GB per hour of video. I think that's probably plenty to keep the video quality as good as can be considering the source. I'm just not sure which format is best for this purpose. It's a one-shot deal, once the conversion is done the tapes get thrown away so I'm a little anxious about making the right choice.

    When choosing Export -> QuickTime Movie, you get a self-contained QuickTime-file of your sequence. The default video format is the same as your current sequence settings, which means you will get the exact same frame size an pixel aspect ratio in your QuickTime-file.
    The best thing would be to use Compressor, but first you need to tell us what you are going to do with your QuickTime movie. Is it supposed to be a copy for the web? What video format do you need/want your movie to be exported in?
    To letterbox your video in a 4:3 frame size, read about padding in the Compressor User Manual.

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