IMovie08 to FCE4 to iDVD

I am having problems getting my video format to stay the same when moving between these three applications. I have imported video from my Canon Elura100 (16:9 aspect ratio) into iMovie08. I then export the video using Quicktime. The default resolution is 960x540.
I then create a sequence in FCE4 and import the video. It can be very simple....a single clip (for testing). I export that clip again using Quicktime Movie. My default settings in FCE4 are: DV-NTSC.
When I import that footage into iDVD08, the video appears stretched and skinny (horizontally).
How do I get my video to keep the 16:9 aspect ratio all the way through? Would I avoid these problems if I import directly to FCE4?
Thanks for your help!

I just tried that. The exported Quicktime movie in 720x480 looks fine by itself.
I then import it into FCE with the Easy Setup changed to DV NTSC Anamorphic. I make sure that the clip has a check mark next to Anamorphic. I export that to a Quicktime file and now it is squished the other way (squeezed in on the sides) in iDVD.
I decided to try a bunch of different combinations with 720x480 (Anamorphic/Non-anamorphic) and it all comes out the same......squeezed in from the sides.
Thanks for the help!
Chris

Similar Messages

  • Best Quality from FCE4 to iDVD 08

    What settings will allow me to get the bast quality film from FCE4 to iDVD? I see the 3 settings in iDVD but was wondering in FCE where I can change the recording settings with quicktime and which to use. My media was taken with a SD DV camera, 16 bit audio.

    Did you follow the 12 steps as outlined in the above link? Namely ....
    Resolution
    Before you export, take the following steps to adjust the dimensions of your video so that it will have the correct aspect ratio in iDVD:
    1. In Final Cut Express, select the sequence you want to export in the Browser.
    2. Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.
    3. Click Options to reveal the Movie Settings window.
    4. Click Settings in the Video section of the Movie Settings window to open the Standard Video Compression Settings window.
    5. From the Compression Type menu, choose DV/DVCPRO — NTSC if your sequence is NTSC or choose DV — PAL if your sequence uses the PAL video standard.
    6. Choose 16:9 from the Aspect Ratio menu.
    7. Click OK to return to the Movie Settings window.
    8. Click Size to reveal the Export Size Settings window.
    9. From the Dimensions menu, choose Custom, then type the following dimensions:
    * For NTSC, 854 x 480
    * For PAL, 1024 x 576
    10. Click OK to return to the Movie Settings window.
    11. Click OK to return to the Save window.
    12. Type a name, select a location and click Save to finish.
    This is the best advice I can provide since I'm not completely familiar with your own set up nor do I use Final Cut Express. However I do use FCP and I always shoot on MiniDv Tape at 29.97 frames per second. I can't say for certain which setting/s will work best for own situation since you apparently are shooting Cinema / film mode (24p) .... is this correct?
    If so, you might want to consider using 25 or 29.97 fps instead (but not 24). That is if you plan to use iLife'08 /iDvd.
    Check out Ken Stone's article below where he explains 24p:
    http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/beyond_dvnattress.html
    Message was edited by: SDMacuser

  • 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.
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    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.

  • Use which render option from FCE4 to iDVD ?

    Hi guys,
    I wanted to a make a DVD. I reckon using iDVD is the most convenient since it is free with my iMac purchase ...
    So, in FCE4 I render using QUICKTIME MOVIE or QUICKTIME CONVERSION to get the mov files to export to iDVD ?
    Thanks

    David Harbsmeier wrote:
    The QuickTime Movie option will produce an exact copy of your Sequence. You can choose to make the movie self-contained or a reference movie if you're short on space.
    The QuickTime Conversion method is for when you need to compress the video for other forms of delivery (web, iPhone, etc).
    -DH
    Thanks David for the info ...

  • FCE4 to IDVD - Quicktime Settings

    I am trying to figure out what would be the best settings I should use when exporting movies to IDVD. Should I be using the Quick Time Movie or Quick Time Conversion and what settings should I use to get the best quality? My project is in Standard Definition and 16x9 ratio. Hope this makes sense.

    I have tested a short clip using QT Movie and adjusting in QT Pro, which I have compared with the same treated as in the Apple KB article using QT Conversion.
    Examining them on my iMac I can see no difference, which suggests that to all intents and purposes a DVD would look identical.
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    Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

  • Combining 2 or more imovie08 projects onto 1 idvd

    Hey all- I am trying to put two published imovie projects onto the same dvd. The projects are in my media browser and when I try to put more than one in the IDVD media grid it is whisked back to it's window. Surely this combining of projects can be done. I also tryed to accomplish this in magic dvd and was unsuccessful in that mode also. I searched this topic and saw a solution that suggested exported to quicktime, I was hoping to just combine and burn. I have the Missing Manual for IMAC and IDVD08 and will share all included if requested. Unfortunately, it does not address this. thanks mb

    I'd suggest you use the QT movie /file generated by iMovie in two separate movie within iDvd, provided you do not exceed 120 mins combined QT playback for both.

  • File Compression and FIle Conversion in FCE4

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    There will be quite a bit of degradation of already degrade material. Handbrake unfortunately was not the right tool to use. You'd be best off going back to the DVDs and using MPEG Streamclip to rip them to QuickTime using the DV NTSC codec at 29.97fps.

  • Sony sr5 fce4 shuts down when try to transfer

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  • What are advantages of FCP over FCE4?

    Hi folks,
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    Hi Martin,
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    I tried it two ways: Export as a QT movie (stand alone); and Export as a QT movie (not stand alone). These were direct exports, not QT conversions.
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    What DVD player did I use?
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    Hi
    a. How many hard disks ?
    b. How much free space on the internal boot hard disk ?
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    • What kind of DVDs You are using. I use Verbatim DVD-R (this brand AND no +R or +/-RW)
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    Best / High Quality (not always - most often not)
    Best / High Performances (most often my choise)
    1. go to iDVD pref. menu and select tab far right and set burn speed to x1 (less errors = plays better) - only in iDVD08
    2. Project info: Select Professional Encoding - only in iDVD08.
    Region codes:
    iDVD - only burn Region = 0 - meaning - DVDs are playable everywhere
    DVD Studio pro can set Region codes:
    1 = US
    2 = EU
    Yours Bengt W

  • Burned DVD video looks like jerky-  This did not happen before!

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  • How many Encodes before you have a Top Quality DVD with FCS2?

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    I am wanting to buy Final Cut Pro Studio as I am having problems creating good quality DVDs with FCE4 and iDVD. I was wondering how many encodes does it take to create a top quality DVD with FCS2?
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    ...I understand in this step that audio, transitions, KBE, adjustments, titles etc is lost in this process, but I'm assuming that the cuts and also the interspersed photos are retained
    d) so then in FCE4 perform the titling, KBE on the photos, edit the audio and do any effects such as slowmo etc...
    I'm hoping this is a 'best of both worlds' solution in that I keep the speed factor in pulling together the backbones of the project, but also gain the functionality of FCE4 for the other components.
    My questions
    1. Does this work effectively - has anyone tried it? Any traps which would make it more cumbersome than I'm anticipating?
    2. Does FCE4 need to re-import or convert the original DV clips referenced by the iM08 XML. Does this duplicate the source files? Is there any loss of quality in the files then used in FCE4.
    3. Following from #2, will the export quality from FCE4 be superior to what I'm currently getting in iM08? (Noting that the majority of my output needs to end up as a DVD...not yet living in Steve J's DVD-less world yet)
    4. Has anyone run into the same titling/image overlay problems as I'm having with iM08.
    A big thanks to the regulars who provide a huge source of great info here for us all...

    Hi Joey,
    thanks for appreciating my post ..
    .. do you think using iM08 as a rough cut editor in this way could work?
    I guess, that is a way..
    when iM08 araised, in one of my posts, I said, skimming would be on my wishlist for FCE4 .. skimming is, imho, excellence in UI design.. a 'switchable' timelne in FCE (skimming mode/timeline mode) would really speed up editing.. (if speed is an issue )
    .. it appears that this workflow would also get me around the iM08 export quality issue.
    as far as I understand the process, there's no loss in quality in this process.. the xml is just 'in-/out data' (like Midi in audio processing) and you transfer/clone the raw imports from iMEvents to FCEproject... I'm not indepth will this workflow, I guess, you double the data = hdd space issues.. but, +you never have enough space while doing video+ ...
    .. It sounds like putting KBEs into photos is harder in FCE than iM08
    I'd like to phrase 'different' ..
    less intuitive, but with much more options (e.g. rotation, transparencies, multi pic, drop shadows ...) and with more control (e.g. no automatic 'smoothing'/acceleration as in KB/iM, creating 'paths' of movement .. .)
    with some craftmanship, you could create a slideshow looking like those 'Themes' in iMHD6/iDVD ...
    fo sure harder, but imho .. better ...
    .. _I assume_ that FCE4 would operate in the same way as FCE3.5
    me too, vers3.5. here, no hands-on on vers4 ...

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