FCP QT Conversion, Why result in wider aspect ratio ??

When I export "selfcontained" QT from FCP, it is in the same aspect ratio as I see in canvas (4:3), however when I export the same project "using QT conversion", the exported movie file is saved and plays in wider ratio.
Please help, how could I keep it 4:3?
Also, I have my frame size set for NTSC DV (3:2), is this correct? I find myself still confused with a question that I posted previously: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=12554373#12554373
Any advice, clarification would be appreciated!

Hi Joe,
this is helpful, thank you!
when I exported with "QT conversion", this time I went into "option">"size" and corrected into 720x480 4:3, before it was set as "compressor native" (640x480)and it exported the same ratio file as "selfcontained".
yes, I am using the old fashion 4:3, imported files are still images shot with a digital camera. unfortunately this camera doesn't record HD....
what I don't understand is the difference between NTSC DV 3:2 and NTSC 4:3. Even though my materials are in 4:3 ratio, if I choose NTSC 4:3 it gets distorted from the original image so I choose 3:2 in FCP.
Is this the distortion that you mentioned which happens only on computer screen? I would like to know which setting is true to the original materials not for playing back on computer but for creating DVD....?

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You wrote:
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Any thoughts?
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etc...
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Hello Jim Simon,
Yes, I've tried importing one of these wav files into a new project, but it Premiere won't allow me to. It comes up with a message saying:
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Message was edited by: andrewcopper

Aspect Ratio HDV clip from FCP to After Effects

Can someone help me with exporting from FCP an HDV clip to After Effects? What I am doing is trying to export an HDV clip from FCP to AE but when I import it into AE the aspect ratio is all off. I have an HDV 1080i50 easy setup timeline and I am exporting from that as a quicktime movie (not conversion) with the current settings. When I bring that into AE I have a HDV comp set up and I drop the FCP movie into that comp. My FCP movie is 1920 X 1080 and is bigger thant the AE HDV Comp. Why? Shouldn't the sizes be the same since they are HDV? Please help
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Hello All;
I am trying to export a FCP project in its native resolution (1440 X 1080) to Quicktime but everytime I try, the aspect ratio is messed up and people look taller and thinner than they should.
The project is a resolution of 1440 X 1080 as determined by examining the sequence settings in FCP.
I configure quicktime (see below) to a resolution of 1440 X 1080.
So why isn't my Quicktime video the correct resolution when I play it with the IMac's Quicktime player ? I shrink the player to 1/2 size to fit it all on the screen.
My exact settings are below ...
Export - Using Quicktime Conversion
Format - Quicktime Movie
Video Settings - Compressor - MPEG-4
Quality - Best
Not sure if I changed the framerate - if I did, I probably changed it to 29.97
I didn't touch the other settings in the video settings - left them to default
I didn't change the filter settings - I left them at default
Size - 1440 X 1080 (The actual resolution of my source video)
I checked the box - preserve aspect ratio using letterbox (If applicable)
Other settings were left at default
Sound Settings - Format - AAC
Rate - 48 KHZ
Render Settings - Quality - Best
Target Bitrate - 128 KHZ (This was left at default - I did not change it)
Prepare for Internet Streaming - Fast Start checked (This was default - I did not change it)
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Thanks. Tim

I don't have much of an answer for you, but to test try not checking the preserve aspect ratio. Rather than reexport the entire 1 hour just export 10 seconds so that you can trouble shoot different things.
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For reference, here are the common aspect ratios:
4:3 (1.33 SDTV)
16:9 (1.78 HDTV)
13:7 (1.85 Flat)
47:20 (2.35 Scope)
If you let HandBrake choose the crop settings automatically, all you need to do is adjust the width (in the "Size" box) to 320 and leave everything else alone. You'll end up with a file that will play on your iPod with letterboxing (unless of course, the movie is already in 4:3). For the purists, this is the way to go. I like this setting for some movies, there are others that I don't mind converting to 4:3 or 16:9 so I can see more on my iPod screen. I find that movies which are already in 16:9 work well when converted to 4:3 and that the common widescreen formats (1.85 and 2.35) work in 16:9 format. As I'll mention below, I don't recommend converting widescreen movies to 4:3 as this cuts too much of the picture off.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind: 1) You won't ever need to adjust the height in either the "Size" or "Crop" boxes. 2) Start with the "Crop" settings, you'll adjust the "Size" last. 3) Use whatever "Automatic" crop settings for height that HandBrake selects and go from there.
The basic idea is to divide the pixels for width by the pixels for height and to get the result as close to either 1.33 or 1.78 (4:3 & 16:9) as possible. The movie I'll use as an example has a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the initial pixels in the "Size" box are 720X304. Divided, this equals 2.368. As you can see, it's not exactly 2.35. Don't worry about getting perfectly to 1.33 or 1.78. The distortion when you're close is imperceptible. I'll go through the steps now to convert this movie to 16:9 or 4:3.
For 16:9 - In the "Crop" box, set the width to 96 on either side. This causes the width in the "Size" box to go from 720 to 544. Dividing 544 by 304 (which didn't change) we get 1.789. If I change the width to 98 I come up with 1.736. Since 96 on both sides gets us closest to our target, that's the setting we'll use. Now change the width setting in the "Size" box to 320. This causes the height to scale down to 176 (keep the aspect ratio box checked). Now you can go back and rip the movie and you'll have it in roughly 16:9 format.
For 4:3 - In the "Crop" box, set the width to 156 on either side. This causes the width in the "Size" box to go from 720 to 416. Dividing 416 by 304 we get 1.368. In this case, we're doing a pretty radical adjustment of the aspect ratio. I don't recommend doing this as you will probably cut too much off the sides. It is good to try this to help understand the process. It is interesting to note that the movie width stays at 416 with crop settings from 152 to 158. Since the ratio at 416 is 1.368 (a little too wide), I chose 156 as the best setting. Again, change the width setting in the "Size" box to 320. This causes the height to scale down to 240 (keep the aspect ratio box checked). Now you can go back and rip the movie and you'll have it in roughly 4:3 format.
Below are initial settings for basic conversions. I suspect that each movie will be slightly different, so you may need to go through and "fine tune" the settings. Just keep in mind that you want to come as close to the ratios I list above and you should be happy with your rips. Hope this post is helpful...
From 2.35:1 to 16:9 - Width crop setting is 96
From 2.35:1 to 4:3 - Width crop setting is 156
From 1.85 to 16:9 - Width crop setting is 18
From 1.85 to 4:3 - Width crop setting is 98
From 16:9 to 4:3 - Width crop setting is 86
Powerbook G4 1.5 Ghz 15 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Some of the reasons for the dreaded '34506' error:
Follow the chapter rules:
*Make sure no chapter markers are within two seconds of the start or end of the timeline.
*Make sure no chapter markers are within a transition.
*Make sure no chapter markers are within two seconds of the end of a transition.
*Make sure you do not have the "Share selected Clips" option checked when preparing to share to iDVD
Make sure you have lots of free space on your startup drive, 20GB recommended
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FCP quicktime conversion export problem

issue exporting still image instead of video
FCP quicktime conversion export problem
within the last 2 weeks i have exported from FCP studio 7.0.3 as quicktime conversion, the settings are:
export as QuickTime Conversion:
> Options> quality> set to Best>
Standard Video Compression Settings
Compression Type: H.264
Motion:
Frame Rate: Current fps
Key Frames: Every 24 frames
check Frame Reordering
Compressor:
Quality: Best
Encodeing: Best (Multi-pass)
Data Rate:
Automatic
Filter… none
Size>
Dimensions:
NTSC 720x486 16:9
>ok
Sound: (don't change anything)
Format: Integer (Little Endian)
Sample rate: 48.000kHz
Sample size: 16-bit
Channels: (L R)
>Export
the results i get a odd. - the video exports fine, except for the beginning titles, instead a still frame image from somewhere else in the video occupies that intro, until the first transition- in this case- dip to white, then the rest of the video is fine. the portion of the beginning that does not show are composed of: livetype text credits in V2 - in which i have done a manual opacity fade up and down - so the livetype text fades in, over matte color solid in V1. in the exported video -i do not see any of this, all i see is a seemingly random still from somewhere else in the video. i can however hear the audio as it is supposed be.
cant figure out why this is happening. anybody know?
i think the livetype files are 1920 x 1080.
my FCP sequence is 720 p
this has only recently started happening and doesn't seem to be consistent.
im wondering if it has to do with the live type files, or the white solid?…
or the conversion settings above?

Alistair
Earlybird is exporting H264 ... the Key Frames setting is determining the GOP length. This value should really be determined based on the complexity of the video, to my understanding, the actual frame rate has no bearing on it. If you have very complex fast moving content then a low Key Frame rate is advisable to ensure good image quality (although it will adversely affect the filesize) whereas if you have slow moving or static content (like an interview subject) then a higher Key Frame rate will still produce a good image but at a smaler filesize. The default of 24 should be pretty much fine as a catchall starting point.
Earlybird
Corrupted render files (and render references) can be a pain because FCP will use those files and references in place of the original media when building the export. And so it should as it does't want to waste time re-rendering sections that are apparently already rendered. Unfortuantely, as noted, if the render file has gone bad and/or starts referencing the wrong media then you'll get these wierd flashes of completely unexpeced and unwanted footage showing up where it shouldn't be. When you trash those files then QT / FCP will just go back and re-reference the original media ... so it's usually a worthwhile step to take just in case thats the problem. The worse case scenario is that it only that doesn't work and you spend some time unecessarily re-rendering.
As to why these files go bad? That I don't know. Why do Preferences get corrupted? That I don't know either but it definitely happens :-(
Cheers
Andy

FCP QT Conversion, Why result in wider aspect ratio ??

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