HT6012 imovie 9 had aspect ratio.  10 doesn't. How do I keep my movies at  4/3 not 16/9?

imovie 9 had aspect ratio.  10 doesn't. How do I keep my movies at  4/3 not 16/9?

You might have better luck in the iMovie community. I'll ask the hosts to relocate your discussion there.
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  • 720 x 480 DV sequence export aspect ratio always wrong. How come?

    Finally finished editing one of the sequences and want to export and test it,
    But no matter what settings in QuickTime Conversion (or just QuickTime Movie) parameters I do (e.g., Size), the exported file always seems to be in the wrong aspect ratio.
    I need to have the resulting movie burned on DVD for showing.
    Any tips appreciated.
    Sequence settings are 29.97 fps, 720 x 480, DV/DVCPRO NTSC, NTSC CCIR 601, 48 KHz.
    Thanks.

    Hi guys.
    OK, I hate to use the words "I assumed" because you know you are going to get into trouble for saying them! But... I guess this is how the newbies like me learn the difference between assumptions about certain theoretical concepts and their real-world exceptions.
    "I assumed" that in FCE/FCP that if I set a sequence's settings in the new "multi-format" timeline, that FCE/FCP would keep that sequence throughout the timeline, and automagically conform whatever clip formats that I put into it, into the sequence's formats. And therefore that I no longer need to worry about the original format of the clips, and just focus on using the sequence's settings as the final assembly format.
    (Please advise if this assumption is incorrect).
    Thus, my sequence settings above
    29.97 fps, 720 x 480, DV/DVCPRO NTSC, NTSC CCIR 601, 48 KHz
    combine footage from
    1) HDV camcorder imported into iMovie 08 as 960 x 540 (the "lower resolution" option from iMovie '08 import), 16-bit @ 48 KHz (Big Endian), 25 fps
    2) AVI files (DiVX 512 x 384, MP3 at 44.1 KHz, 23.98 fps)
    The AVI DiVX footage is actually television program recorded content. The HDV footage (converted to 960 x 540 resolution by iMovie) is what I shot myself.
    What I am doing is trying to cut in my HDV footage (home video) into the TV show's content to create a humorous entertaining video to show family and friends.
    So after editing this thing for the past week, I am now ready to test on the target devices (iPod, DVD).
    The edited cut plays fine in FCE's preview.
    However, on export, the original TV show's content is in the wrong aspect ratio. That is, it is a bit wider, pulled out horizontally. Not significantly wider (e.g., not like 4:3 pulled to 16:9) but just not in the proper aspect ratio. I can't really tell if the superimposed HDV (that is, 960 x 540, not actually 1080i) footage is pulled out too (most of that is shrunk down or otherwise distorted, in the final assembly).
    I have spent two days now exporting to many different formats, etc. but none of them seem to work. I just don't understand why. I would have thought that "forcing" the pixel dimensions using QuickTime Conversion's "Size" option would brute-force ensure the resulting video has the exact required dimensions and thus aspect ratio, but it does not seem to be my result.
    Help much appreciated!
    Thanks.

  • Removing Black Bars on iMovie Projects (Aspect Ratio / Resolution Problem)

    Hey folks,
    I jusr recently recorded a video using fraps on my PC while playing World of Warcraft. I've transfered this over to my mac to import into iMovie and upon importing the file (using a DV Widescreen profile) there are two black bars on either side of the video.
    I believe this is because my monitor is using a different aspect ratio (max resolution is 1680x1050, in otherwords not 16:9 as the profile indicates).
    How can I configure iMovie to conform to the aspect ratio of the origional imported video? I know if I import the video and get it edited to the final version I want to encode, there is an option using the Divx codec to remove these bars - But i'd like to keep the video using the H.264/.Mov standards (Divx looks like crap IMO!)
    Any suggestions?
    Thanks!
    - Evan

    Hey folks,
    I jusr recently recorded a video using fraps on my PC while playing World of Warcraft. I've transfered this over to my mac to import into iMovie and upon importing the file (using a DV Widescreen profile) there are two black bars on either side of the video.
    I believe this is because my monitor is using a different aspect ratio (max resolution is 1680x1050, in otherwords not 16:9 as the profile indicates).
    How can I configure iMovie to conform to the aspect ratio of the origional imported video? I know if I import the video and get it edited to the final version I want to encode, there is an option using the Divx codec to remove these bars - But i'd like to keep the video using the H.264/.Mov standards (Divx looks like crap IMO!)
    Any suggestions?
    Thanks!
    - Evan

  • Resolution, Aspect Ratio & Black Bars! How to stretch screen?

    Hi!
    I have a HP HDX 9200 series laptop computer with an ATI 2600 HD XT and running latest Windows 7 Beta and I first noticed that my games didn't streched to full screen when they weren't using the native resolution on the LCD screen (1680*1050), so, let's say, when running one of them in 1024*768, I get two huge black bars at the side! Now, this didn't happen with previouses OSes (Vista). Then, I noticed that the same happened if I went to change the Windows resolution to 1024*768, I would get the same bars at the sides while being in Windows!
    I tried downloading latest ATI W7 drivers to see if there was an option or something to stretch the image, but I couldn't find one.
    Can you please let me know how to make the screen scale to the whole display, even if it isn't in the native resolution?
    Thanks in advance.

    HERE'S THE SOLUTION TO THE ATI BLACK BARS PROBLEM
    It took months for me to find this on the web, so I thought I would share it here, the first hit for 'ATI Black Bars windows 7' on Google.
    1) Open Catalyst Control Center
    2) Use the drop down box at the top to click on Desktops and Displays
    3) At the very bottom where your monitors are displayed, click on the little black arrow and click "Configure".  Note that if configure does not appear, you are clicking on the wrong black triangle (you must use the one in the very bottom section).
    4) This will bring up properties for that display.  Choose "Full Screen" or "Maintain aspect ratio", whatever your preference.  If you are getting black bars on all sides, you are likely on "Centered".
    5) IF THE OPTIONS ARE GREYED OUT, as they were when I first tried this, the workaround is to lower your display resolution before attempting the above.  Once you have changed the setting, you can return your display resolution back to whatever you like and the setting will remain as your display changes (movies, games, etc).
    Hope that helps!!
    This DOES NOT WORK for DirectX9-based ATI graphics devices on Windows 7.  In fact, there is currently NO SOLUTION to this problem if you are using a DX9-based ATI graphics device on Windows 7.
    ATI has refused to release any proper Windows 7 drivers for their DX9-based devices, so if you are running Windows 7 with such a device, then your only choice is to install the "legacy" Vista driver onto Windows 7. 
    If your computer is a laptop, this situation is made even more convoluted by the fact that ATI's driver packages refuse to install on laptops unless you use a third-party utility called "ATI Mobility Modder" to first modify ATI's driver package.   Apparently ATI wants you to get the driver from your laptop manufacturer, but since most laptop manufacturers have not bothered to release newer video drivers that really isn't a reasonable expectation on ATI's part.
    There is a bug in ATI's "legacy" Vista drivers on Windows 7 which hides the scaling/stretching options that should be present.  Normally you would find these options under the "Notebook Panel Properties" node of the treeview in the Catalyst Control Center.  They show up there fine using the same driver on Vista on the same hardware, but they are mysteriously absent when using the same driver on the same hardware on Windows 7.
    It looks increasingly unlikely that ATI will EVER update their "legacy" drivers for their DX9-based graphics devices.  It looks even more unlikely that they will ever develop proper Windws 7 drivers for these devices.  Instead they are focusing all their efforts on their newer DX10-based devices and drivers.  
    This leaves users of laptops with DX9-based ATI graphics in a particularly frustrating and stupid situation.  DirectX 9 graphics devices are perfectly adequate for running Windows 7, and therefore they should have proper Windows 7 drivers released for them by the manufacturer (ATI).  I shouldn't have to buy an entirely new laptop just so I can get a DX10-based video device just so I can get the stretching/scaling options in Windows 7.  If this were a desktop PC, I could just swap out the video card, but that's not an option on a laptop.
    Therefore, it falls on Microsoft to either (1) put pressure on ATI to fix their broken "legacy" Vista DX9 drivers to add back the scaling/stretching options when running on Windows 7, or (2) add an OS-level user option (independent of drivers) that can be used to control the resolution scaling/stretching. 
    My specific situation:
    I have an HP Compaq 6910p laptop with the ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 graphics chipset (DX9-based).  I am running Windows 7 x64 RTM.  Neither ATI nor HP supply an official Windows 7 driver for this graphics chipset, and the driver supplied by Microsoft is bare-bones (no advanced options/settings like ATI's Catalyst Control Center offers).  So I installed the latest (9.11) ATI "legacy" Vista x64 CCC package (after using ATI Mobility Modder to modify it so it will actually install on the laptop). 
    I run a lot of classic video game emulators and older games that use old 4:3 resolution modes like 800x600 or 1024x768. When they switch into these modes, I get huge black borders around all edges of the screen (top/bottom/left/right) and a tiny little viewable area right in the center of the screen.  I have to squint to see anything.  What I want -- and I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation at all -- is for the image to be stretched to fill the screen WITHOUT being distorted to change the aspect ratio.  In other words, when I switch to any 4:3 mode (like 800x600) I expect the image to completely fill my screen vertically (all the way to the top and bottom edges) but with black bars along the left/right edges so that the aspect ratio is still truly 4:3.  This is how I was able to make it work with Vista on this same laptop before, so I expect to be able to do the same thing using Windows 7.  Unfortunately there is currently no way to do that, which completely destroys my abillity to use lower resolution modes comfortably on this laptop at all.
    Well you can work past that actualy, but the option is annoying to do everytime since when i go to a lower resolution everything becomes blurry and so on.
    Heres what you do when you use a dx9 graphics card. 
    1. lower you resolution one step down. I use 1680x1050 so i went to 1600x1024.
     You should have the black bars lower bottom on the side different to everyone.
    2. Since CCC dosnt give the scaeling option under "Notebook & Panel Properties" in Advanced View
        you change to basic and do it under Quick Settings.
    3. take "Notebook & Panel Properties" on the right side in the box click on " Resize the desktop to fit the display panel" and click go change it to "Resize to fit the display panel"
    NOTE.  the trick is that it changes back automaticaly to "Do not resize" when you have your maximum resolution that is recommended by W7 thats why you need to take some other resolution.
    I know its annoying to change it all the time but its the best there is right now and atleast you got the games fit to the screen and you can change the resolution back each time but then you got to do the resize with CCC again when you want to play some games.
    Hope it was a help to you.

  • I had to re-download itunes for my computer, how do I keep the songs that I did not buy from itunes?

    I had redownload itunes because I had to get a new harddrive for my computer. Some of the songs from my ipod are not purchased from itunes. They are from cds and songs I have downloaded from the computer. How do I keep those from being erased when I sync my ipod onto itunes?

    Ideally you should restore your library from a recent backup - hard drives fail, usually without warning, so you should always maintain a backup of all data that you value.  Otherwise, see turingtest2's user tip on Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.

  • Impoting from Quicktime to Imovie - widescreen aspect ratio lost

    I have a Quicktime .mov file in widescreen format which I imported into iMovie HD6 for further editing. Although it plays perfectly in widescreen in QT, iMovie has imported it squashed to 4:3. iMovie was set to "widescreen Pal", and the viewing window is widesceen, but the imported video has been squashed to 4:3, with black columns at each side. The sides of the picture have not been cut off, the images are tall and thin.
    The QT movie was created in Cinematize2 from a DVD created in iDVD in widescreen, its self from a widesceen PAL i Movie HD6 project.
    I've searched the boards, but can't find this one specifically described. Apologies if it has already been answered somewhere, but can anybody help?
    Albert.

    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. I have for years shot in nothing but 16:9 widescreen, partly because it looks better (IMO), partly to future-proof my videos for the increasingly popular widescreen TVs. Living in the UK, I use PAL (25 fps). Wherever you see a reference to PAL in the following you may substitute NTSC (30 fps) in the various settings mentioned, 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 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!
    First go to http://www.mydvdedit.com/index.php?lang=english and download myDVDedit. This is shareware although the download is free. Send the guy a few dollars/euros, he deserves it. While you are there, read all about it. Now install it in your Applications Folder. You will need it later.
    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 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 htis 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. When this has completed (fairly fast, as that folder was empty!), click on the VIDEO_TS folder and do the same. This takes a moment longer, as that folder is full of goodies with which you should not otherwise interfere! 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
    Set Standard to PAL
    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 1 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.

  • Export Problem: imovie 06 - HD project to Quick Time in wrong aspect ratio

    When I export a project from imovie 06 that is in HD 16x9 aspect ratio, (simple export using "High Quality") the resultant QT movie is not in the correct aspect ratio - it's in "regular TV" format.
    Is there a simple fix for this?

    david,
    did you ever find a solution? i have the same problem....
    thanks,
    marc

  • Wrong aspect ratio in itunes ?

    I have the proplem that itunes doesn´t display videos properly. I have recorded TV shows with Elgato EyeTV and then converted them with Turbo.264 so i can watch them in iTunes. They have have 076x550 pixels after i converted tehm and if i watch them with quicktime player everything is ok. But if add this video file to my itunes library ITunes telle me that is has 1385x550 pixels and if i watch it in iTunes it is distorted, it is much to broad. Is there a bug in iTunes?

    Sometimes this can be a result of the encoder not providing the proper information to Quicktime in iTunes...dunno of the specifics, but users have had aspect ratio problems with other Apple apps that used quicktime, and reencoding the videos using quicktime player helped, if my memory serves me correctly. I'd recommend using Quicktime to convert your movies instead of using Turbo.264, or take the product of Turbo.264 and re-convert it through Quicktime. Try various settings and such in the conversions to see if they help.

  • 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....?

  • Removing black bars from youtube/altering aspect ratios for youtube

    How do you get rid of the black lines on the vid on youtube using I Movie 08? I have tried using the crop options in I movie, and still cant get rid of the back lines above and below. The cameras aspect ratio is 4:3 and using crop options of “fit” or “done” does not fix it. For example, here’s an exercise vid I did.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWgFDVI8Xs4
    What is the cure for this? I notice when the vid is in the even library it’s in 4:3 as the source vid from the cam but is converted to 16:9 when moved to the project library. Is there any way to prevent that or convert it back to 4:3? I had thought the crop options in I movie would do the trick, but it does not from what I can tell.

    Welcome to the  Discussion Forums
    Is your project 4:3, you set this when you create your project. You can check this by looking at the project properties from the file menu.

  • 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

  • Multiple aspect ratio footage

    I have mini dv tapes that has footage with both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio. Meaning that there are some scenes in 4:3 and others in 16:9 aspect ratio both in one mini dv tape. My question is, when i capture the video (in iMovie11), do i need to capture 4:3 aspect ratio using 4:3 settings (if they exist) and vise versa for the 16:9 aspect ratio? Or do i just make one capture and then when i edit the video, i can set it for either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio? Is there something i must take care of?

    Hi genikifor,
    I apologize, I'm a bit unclear on the exact nature of your question. You generally set an aspect ratio for the project as a whole, which will then (potentially) modify the footage that is imported (as described below). You may find the following articles about aspect ratios in iMovie helpful:
    iMovie '11: aspect ratio
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2318
    iMovie '11: Change the aspect ratio for your project
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ph2176
    Regards,
    - Brenden

  • Change Pixel Aspect Ratio Once Already Started?

    I've been having trouble with my video looking extremely blurry -- I thought it had to do with rendering but it looks the same rendered as it did before rendering. I think I figured out that it has to do with the pixel aspect ratio being too small (or is it frame size, or are those the same thing? It's all very confusing for me!). The final output for this video is YouTube, but it also looks blurry within Premiere (mainly when stretching the Program Monitor so I can see it larger).
    I helped on a video a few months ago that looked perfect, everything was really crisp in Premiere (after rendering, that is) and when exported to YT. The pixel aspect ratio was 1920x1080 for this video, and the one I'm working on now is 720x480.
    So, can I enhance the pixel aspect ratio of the video I'm working on now? If I'm not able to change the pixel aspect ratio once I've started the project, what would be your advice going forward?
    Thanks, and please let me know if you need any more information!

    You need to be sure your sequence setting matches
    the frame size and aspect ratio of your source media.
    To create a sequence that matches your footage, try this:
    Once you have created a properly configured sequence,
    you can copy (Ctrl+C) then paste (Ctrl+V) your already edited
    clips into the newly created sequence.
    Also:
    Changing a Sequence to Match a Clip
    http://www.video2brain.com/en/lessons/changing-a-sequence-to-match-a-clip
    Create a sequence
    http://help.adobe.com/en_US/premierepro/cs/using/WS3E67AF4C-B2A2-4f04-90B4-F8CCFB74B144.ht ml#WSd79b3ca3b623cac941d41a681247d1f35a4-7fff
    What's the best export format or codec?
    http://www.video2brain.com/en/lessons/whats-the-best-export-format-or-codec

  • Tips for import aspect ratio (4:3 & 16:9 widescreen)

    I have spent several weeks importing video footage from various types of DVDs (old, new, PAL, NTSC, 4:3 and 16:9), and have encountered just about every aspect ratio problem known to Mac. Along the way, I have discovered a few things by trial and error, and wanted to share them with any other poor souls out there who are dealing with similar issues.
    Note that this does not, as far as I know, apply to camcorder footage.
    Please respect all local laws regarding copying of DVDs!
    Useful programs:
    • MacTheRipper (freeware)
    • Cinematize (you have to pay, but it's downloadable and not expensive) for processing and converting video footage into a format iMovie can understand (.mov files for video and .aiff files for sound)
    • Amadeus II (freeware) for processing and converting sound files
    • iMovie HD
    • iDVD
    If your aspect ratio is coming out wrong (stretched or squashed), try the following:
    • If you want to import just an excerpt, rip the entire DVD with MacTheRipper, then isolate the required excerpt with Cinematize & import into iMovie. This tends to work better than ripping only excerpts with MacTheRipper.
    • Import into iMovie all elements together (i.e. the sound .aiff, the video video.mov, and the combined file .mov). One or the other will probably be in the correct aspect ratio. This works better than importing just the .mov file by itself. Whatever you don’t need can be deleted later.
    • If you want to make a Widescreen project, do this first (choose ‘DV Widescreen’ when creating the project). Then create a separate project in ‘DV’ (not ‘ DV Widescreen’) format. This option is available only when creating a new project in iMovie. Then import the 4:3 video (all elements together, as above) into the DV project. Lastly, copy the 4:3 video clip ('copy' in th Edit menu), close the new project, open your Widescreen project and paste the clip (see iMovie The Missing Manual (Pogue) page 261 ‘Grabbing Clips From Other Projects’). It should appear properly pillarboxed and looking like 4:3!
    • In iMovie/Preferences/Import, there's an option 'Automatic DV Pillarboxing and Letterboxing' which you might need to fool around with. It may solve some, but not all of your problems!
    • A tip about Themes in iDVD: They may appear in 4:3 even if your project is 16:9 widescreen. I have an old DVD player which played the DVD I burned with the theme stretched. When I played the DVD on my computer, however, it recognized the different aspect ratios (4:3 for the theme, 16:9 for the video) and played them correctly. I suspect that a modern DVD player would do the same.
    Good luck, and happy movie-making!

    Connect two camcorders using a 4-pin-to-4-pin FireWire cable. Press Play on one and Record (..in VCR mode..) on the other.
    However (..but I haven't tried it, and it's a bit too late tonight to plug two camcorders together; maybe tomorrow..) I'd guess that the 16:9 will be transferred as 16:9 ..I don't know if it'd be possible to force the 2nd camcorder to crop it as 4:3.
    However, two other points: Dan reminds us that you can always crop 16:9 to 4:3 just by creating a mask, and Bob Whatsisname? ..Hudson, of course!.. shows how you can unsqueeze squashed 16:9 using QuickTime Pro.

  • Exporting Custom Resolution Quicktime Movie with Custom Pixel Aspect Ratio

    I want to export some 16x9 sequences (and others) at different resolutions with different pixel aspect ratios.
    I have tried exporting as a Quicktime movie, but I get a codec error (with my required H.264 & AAC audio).
    I have tried exporting using Quicktime conversion, but there is nowhere to enter a custom pixel aspect ratio (if they added that as an option in “preserve aspect ratio”, that would be nice).
    I have tried exporting using Compressor, but it doesn't seem to accept my setting of pixel aspect ratio (HDV 1080i 16:9)—at least when I play back the video it is not using wide pixels.
    Thanks for any suggestions.
    G5

    I would like to have arbitrary control of the pixel frame size on export as well as arbitrary control of the pixel aspect ratio. However, in this case I specificially want to export some video in a 4:3 pixel arrangement (such as 360x270) but have its display be 16:9 via non-square (i.e. 4:3) pixel aspect ratio.
    In that sense, yes, I want to have something play back at 16:9, but at least some of my attempts to export video are squished at 4:3.
    While it may be possible to adjust the display in the Quicktime Player, the AVC video syntax as specified by ISO and MPEG standards bodies allow the specification of the pixel aspect ratio (actually sample aspect ratio in the standard) within the bitstream, and when it is there, the latest versions of Quicktime will (from my experience) render the video with the correct aspect ratio.

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