Losing 16x9 aspect ratio after compression

After exporting an anamorphic 16x9 DV (standard def) sequence to Compressor and encoding with either H.264 or mpeg 4, my sequences end up being squeezed and not having the 16x9 aspect ratio.
- I make sure I click, "correct for pixel aspect ratio" in the viewer. I pull up the Geometry tab in the Inspector and there I get confused.
For preserving the 16x9, what do I set the following in the geometry tab?
Source inset:
Dimensions:
100% of Source? or one of the other options in the pulldown menu?
Output image inset:
I have been successful in the past with encoding 16x9 sequences but something has changed and I have no idea what it could be. Have tried just about everything.
Version 3.0.5
thanks,
Mark

I work 99% in DV anamorphic and all my Applications are set this way. It bothers me however that I lose my anamorphic aspect ratio when I export from FCP to Quicktime movie. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
No, you're not doing anything wrong - this is a quirk in the way that FCP writes anamorphic QT movies when using the DV codecs.
As you've discovered, the flag is not recognized by QT Player unless you export via QT Conversion and either set the display size manually or, in QT 7.1.0 or higher, select 16:9 output in your Movie Settings.
Sorry if that's no help...

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16x9 aspect ratio quicktime movie switches to 4x3 in idvd

I have a quicktime movie that has a 16x9 aspect ratio. In Info the dimensions show up as 720x480 (853x480) and when opened in Quicktime it is opening in the correct aspect ratio it was created. After bringing the Quicktime movie into an idvd project that was set up for 16x9, when I click on the movie, it shows up as a 4x3 movie, and the images are noticeably distorted. Any ideas on how to resolve this? Thanks.

A solution is to use something called Anamorphizer that sets the file's widescreen flag so that it is recognized as anamorphically squeezed widescreen.
Get Anamorphizer at http://homepage.mac.com/sith33/FileSharing34.html
Make sure Quicktime 7 is open before you try Anamorphizer. (NOTE: You MUST use Quicktime 7 and NOT Quicktime X)
Place a copy of your movie clip in a new folder and drag that clip over the Anamorphizer icon. This should create a second file in that folder that start with Anamorphic- This is the reference movie you drag-and-drop into iDVD. Note that your clip in that folder (which is the movie the reference movie points to, must not be moved or deleted).

16x9 aspect ratio lost after FCP export to QT movie

I initially complained about the same problem when exporting from Motion to QT movie, then importing in FCP. This was fixed, and I really enjoy it.
I work 99% in DV anamorphic and all my Applications are set this way. It bothers me however that I lose my anamorphic aspect ratio when I export from FCP to Quicktime movie. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I hope this will be fixed in the next patch as it waists a lot of time correcting it manually. I often export from FCP and into QT Pro, fix aspect ratio and then off to the web. If anyone knows of a better way, I would appreciate the help.
Quad, 20" Widescreen, Microsoft Mouse Mac OS X (10.4.8) Final Cut Studio

I work 99% in DV anamorphic and all my Applications are set this way. It bothers me however that I lose my anamorphic aspect ratio when I export from FCP to Quicktime movie. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
No, you're not doing anything wrong - this is a quirk in the way that FCP writes anamorphic QT movies when using the DV codecs.
As you've discovered, the flag is not recognized by QT Player unless you export via QT Conversion and either set the display size manually or, in QT 7.1.0 or higher, select 16:9 output in your Movie Settings.
Sorry if that's no help...

Custom Pixel Aspect Ratio (After Effects CC 2014)

Hi All,
How do you create a custom Pixel Aspect Ratio for After Effects CC 2014. I need a PAR of 3.3, as it would help me solve a technical problem i've been having with projection mapping.
I've tried editing the Interpretation Rules.txt file which was hidden within the Users\Appdata\Roaming\Adobe\After Effects\13.1 Folder. To remove the last # so i can at least see that I can set up a custom PAR.
But it doesn't appear in the drop down menu when creating a comp, or interpreting footage.
I've also made the same change to the Interpretation Rules.txt file in the Premiere PRO CC 2014\Plug-ins\en_US\ folder.
And I've restarted my PC after changes just incase Media Core wasn't updating itself properly.
I can see the Custom PAR as an export option out of Media Encoder. But thats not what i need. I need to be able to correct a render which had a PAR of 3.3 without losing pixel information, much like an Anamorphic workflow.
Anyway, Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Evan

Hi Rick,
You're right, it's no known PAR... completely arbitrary and custom to this particular job. I'll run you through my process.
I have a projection surface (a basketball court) Which needs to have content designed onto it which is viewable from one perspective point (camera 1) in the stadium. The problem is that Camera 1's viewing angle to the court is quite shallow.
This is what Camera 1 sees:
I will be generating like this for the surface so that it looks like a deep 3d surface from "camera 1"
Now, the problem is that when I perspective correct the renders to fit what the projector will be projecting from straight down. There isn't enough pixel information for the height of the image. Meaning the pixels will smear.
This is the image that would be projected from a top mounted projector to achieve the 3d effect from the image above, you can see the loss of information in the the height pixels.
My solution for getting more information into the height is to render out of our 3d packages with a Pixel Aspect Ratio of 3.3. This was the sweet spot I found to get enough pixel information to match the pixel output of the projectors.
The resulting render looks like this (note, the angle of the camera hasn't changed)
As you can see, there is more height detail now, which will mean that that last row of pixels will be remain fairly sharp.
So, at this point, I can render from my 3d applications, and conform to the projector dimensions, with very little information loss in the height of the projected image, and without compromising my 3d persepctive.
I'm using the plugin "Camera Mapper" to project this render onto a plane which gets me the full frame of the projector at the right resolution, 4608 x 2304
The tricky part how to composite elements into the scene in an intuitive way.
If i want a horse to look like its jumping through the scene from "camera 1", like this:
Then in the that contains all the information, It will look like this:
Now that's all well and good, but it'll be harder to create realistic looking effects from this view, because they'll all need to be stretched.
I'd like to retain all the image information and just view the comp as though it's squished down.
I imagine this could be done easily by changing the comp settings to a PAR of 3.3.
That way, all the pixel information remains, but i can design in a realistically proportioned composition.
I hope that gets you up to speed on my issue, and my request for a solution.
So, in summary. I'll I'm really looking for is a way to customise the PAR options so that I have a custom available that I can apply to this, and only this scene.
Does this makes sense?
Cheers,
Evan

DVCProHD 16x9 aspect ratio troubleshooting

I've scoured the discussion boards and read thru the manuals and I just cannot figure out what the problem is or find the right answers. Okay...
I shot a short with the Panasonic HVX200 in 720p24PN. I cut the film in FCP 5.0.4 and would like to export it to make a DVD (Note: this is not the final version of the film I'm going to be making. I simply need to make a quick and dirty copy of my rough cut to give to my composer). I exported a Quicktime movie using the "current settings" and unchecked the "make movie self contained" box. I created a project, dragged the QT movie in and burned it. When played on my computer and my DVD player displayed on my 32" HD widescreen TV, I get small bars on the right and left and the image is squeezed giving it a squashed from the sides picture. Do I need to export it using QT Conversion or Compressor and make the aspect ratio custom? I have messed around with the settings, but I don't seem to be getting the magic numbers here. I have a feeling I have the right applications, but I'm mixing and matching the wrong ones to achieve my goal. I know the people I'll be giving the rough cut to will view them on widescreen TV's so I'd love for it to play in full 16x9 for them.
Thanks in advance for your help!

Once you've exported your QT Movie (using the same method as before), open it QuickTime Player (7.1 or later) and confirm that the Conform Aperture property is set correctly. (Actually, from what I remember of FCP 5.x, it did not set that property for QT exports at all.)
For DVCProHD material, the setting you'll want to use is Production, which should adjust the display size to 1280x720 (from the current 960x720). Encoding with Compressor or DVDSP after that point - be sure to save your changes in QT player, of course - should produce the correct DVD-Video image.
Message was edited by hanumang

Aspect ratio after commited

Ok so I choose sd 720 x 576 anamorphic and and all ok, i then put a anamorphic clip that fcp
7 has no worries with and it goes in 4.3 and looks wrong
I see no where to change it apart from doing it myself with the transform effect tool
This cant be right?
Also once a project is made at a certain property can I ammend after or do I have to mae a new project?
Daz

Oh yes...
How did I miss the wrench lol
You might be able to answer the aspect ratio situation I had on a thread...
I have a sd anamorphic video clip which in fcp I would properties the clip format and click anamorphic
and it would fit the sequence.
I Manuallt set the time line to sd anamorph then put the clip in and its still 4.3
If I do automatic setting its still 4.3
I can make it ana by clicking on the clips and puliing it out etc but this is wrong.. any ideas?
daz

Having trouble with aspect ratio when compressing DVCPRO HD footage to QT

I have a 35mm film (1.85-1 aspect ratio) converted to 16/9 DVCPRO HD. When I compress it to Mpeg2 for DVD, it looks great, holds the correct aspect ratio. But when I choose a setting for the web, a small Quicktime file, it stretches the image ever so slightly. Not sure what the problem is. Thanks for the help.

Hey Lodgeboy,
without knowing the settings you are using, it is difficult to help, but i will try to answer as best i can:
if you are using web-presets, make sure you crop the matte, NOT resize the file.
Basically, instead of letterboxing OR creating am anamorphic MPEG2 for DVD (still in the 720x480 space) you would first crop the mattes off and then resize.
In the case of a web-file, it doesnt matter what order you process the file, EXCEPT if its for IPTV.
Without knowing details about what your final deliverable is, the source and the settings, this is as much as i can help you.
Mikey M.

Trouble with DVCProHD 16x9 aspect ratio in iDVD

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I've scoured the discussion boards and read thru the manuals and I just cannot figure out what the problem is or find the right answers. Okay...
I shot a short with the Panasonic HVX200 in 720p24PN. I cut the film in FCP 5.0.4 and would like to export it to make a DVD with iDVD 5.0.1. (Note: this is not the final version of the film I'm going to be making. I simply need to make a copy of my rough cut to give to my composer). I exported a Quicktime movie using the "current settings" and unchecked the "make movie self contained" box. I created a project in iDVD, dragged the QT movie in and burned it. When played on my computer and my DVD player displayed on my 32" HD widescreen TV, I get small bars on the right and left and the image is squeezed giving it a squashed from the sides picture. So my first question is, can iDVD 5 create a DVD from this source material and maintain the proper aspect ratio (16x9) or is the software too old? In other words, would I have to upgrade to iDVD 8? Or am I missing a step in the process that fixes this? Or is it a case of a plain QT movie not being the proper tool? Do I need to export it using QT Conversion or Compressor and make the aspect ratio custom? I have messed around with this and I don't seem to be getting the magic numbers here. I have a feeling I have the right applications, but I'm mixing and matching the wrong ones to achieve my goal. I know the people I'll be giving the rough cut to will view them on widescreen TV's so I'd love for it to play in full 16x9 for them.
Thanks in advance for your help!

I didn't really feel it was a specific iDVD question since so much of the work begins and involves what you do in FCP first. I posted the question in that forum as well, but I'm just wondering if this is a common situation or rare. Doesn't seem like it would be a rare situation, but that's why I'm asking. Is what I'm trying to do too advanced for a "consumer" grade program like iDVD. And that's not meant as a slam on the program. Anyway, enough about me. What about me?

Tryin to keep 16x9 aspect ratio & down resize for Qt encoding ?

Hi all,
Im trying to take my sequence clip resolution thats at 1440x1080 (16x9)
and do a QT conversion (keeping the same 16x9 AR) and bring it down, so as to send the file in an email. I want to keep the aspect ratio
I did the division by 2 and the division by 4, but its coming out 4x3 ?
I'm sure Im doing something wrong here.
Im looking to get the 16x9 clip down to around 360-ish, give or take.
Any formulas
Thanks to all replies

Yo Patrick,
Compressor.
(I'm referring to the latest Compressor here ... an earlier version might be slightly different.)
If you use Compressor it is SO easy. Export your HD clip to Compressor. In Compressor in the Batch Window click the 'setting' and choose (down at the bottom) the Web 'size and format' you want.
In the Inspector window click the 5th icon over from the left (at the top) and choose 'Constrain to display aspect = 16:9'. You can also juggle and fine tune your clips details in the Inspector window.
Back in the Batch window set your Destination\Source to the folder you want to store you new Web clip in.
Click Output File Name and rename your clip to what you want.
Click submit.
Your web clip will be 16:9 at whatever size you've chosen.
Best of luck,
Ben

Understanding aspect ratio after a year

So it's been a year since I started learning FCP and among the kazillion things I don't understand, the one I most need to finally get clear about is a aspect ratio phenomenon with my setup, and all projects I've done so far.
I am still viewing my work on my Apple Cinema display, so am not monitoring on an actual NTSC broadcast video monitor. This fact may be at the heart of my situation. Nonetheless, I humbly ask you to take pity and help me understand what is going on.
Here's my situation:
I have been doing all the shooting for my projects using a Panasonic AG-DVC 30, a mini-DV standard def camera. The camera's manual states that by default it shoots in standard 4:3 aspect ratio -- and that's what I've been shooting.
When I log and capture in FCP I use the Easy Setup for DV NTSC. As I am viewing and logging the tapes, the aspect ratio looks correct. BUT, when I actually have it do the capture, the Capture Window stretches the image out a bit wider. Happily, when I go to work the captured clips in my Final Cut DV-NTSC Sequence, the aspect ratio looks perfectly great and normal.
Problems again occur when I export the finished video. I export a self-contained Quicktime movie with "Current Settings", which gives me a QT movie that is 720 x 480 pixels. SADLY, when I view that exported QT movie in Quicktime Viewer, it looks too wide again (same as the Capture screen). BUT, if I place it in DVD Studio (or iDVD) it looks normal again.
IT GETS WEIRDER: In order to try to correct my possible problem I've also tried exporting using the Self Contained Quicktime "DV-NTSC 48kHz 4:3" setting in the pop up menu (instead of usung "Current Settings"). The movies I export that way look consistently normal, aspect ratio-wise. Upon examining the properties of those (correct looking)resultant movies in Quicktime Player, it tells me that the pixel dimensions are 640 x 480.
Why would my 640 x 480 pixel QT exports look OK when I view them in every software?
Is this happening because I am viewing on a computer monitor and the various software apps are doing aspect ratio adjustments (for square vs rectangular pixels) for my display ...sometimes, but not all the time?
This is such a fundamental thing to know that I feel really dim for being confused. Thanks in advance for taking time to read this and hopefully setting me straight.
Dual G5/2.5GHz/4.5 GB, internal ATA, G-SATA 500 Mac OS X (10.4.6) Final Cut Studio 5.0.4

Yes, it's the difference between square and rectangular pixels. The capture window displays the rectangular pixels without correcting them for display on a square-pixel monitor like an Apple Cinema Display. The Canvas and the Viewer do correct for that by default. When you export to QT using current settings, you are exporting rectangular pixels because that's what the current settings are. The QuickTime player isn't correcting for the different pixel aspect ratios on playback, but if your final destination isn't the QuickTime player, that's not important.
Since you seem to be exporting the QuickTime movies in order to make a DVD, you shouldn't try to "fix" the pixel aspect. Leave it alone and your DVDs will be fine.

Question On 16x9 Aspect Ratio

I set Easy Setup to DV-NTSC Anamorphic and captured my 10 hours of underwater video from Mini-DV that was shot in 16x9 (not HD).
I then created my video, including stills, title text etc.
When I watch my project, my titles and still pictures take up my entire 16x9 widescreen monitor as well as my widescreen TV. The video, however, does not take up the full widescreen. There are black horizontal bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
What am I doing wrong? How can I make it so that the video also takes up the entire widescreen display, like the stills and the titles do?
Thanks for any suggestions... Brad

Thanks for the reply.
The camcorder is a Sony DCR-HC30. I checked the manual and it says "You can record a 16:9 wide picture on the tape to watch on a 16:9 wide-screen TV. With this function ON, your camcorder offers even wider angles when you move the power zoom lever to the W side than recording in OFF". So I believe it is recording in real 16:9 anamorphic.
I checked the item properties of a video clip (not in the my final sequence) and it says:
Frame Size is 720x480
Pixel Aspect is NTSC-CC12 601
Anamorphic is checked
Composite is Normal
I checked the sequence properties and it says:
Frame Size is 720x480
Pixel Aspect is NTSC-CC12 601
Anamorphic is NOT checked
Composite is Blank
When I watch the sequence on the Canvas this is what happens:
Video appears 16:9 with black bars above and below
Photos appear 4:3 and full screen
When I watch a video clip (outside of the sequence), video appears 16:9 with gray bars above and below.
When I export to iDVD for burning to DVD, I did the following:
File / Export / Quicktime Movie
Markers set to None / I tried both self contained movie checked and unchecked
I told iDVD to make a 16:9 project.
When I play the DVD on my widescreen Toshiba LCD TV the following happens:
Video appears 16:9, looks great but has black bars above and below.
Photos look great and take up the entire 16:9 screen.
Any thoughts? I really appreciate your help!

Preserve 16x9 Aspect Ratio

Hi - I am trying to create a wmv file using the current size of my show (720x576). I can make an anamorphic version but I'd like to preserve the 16x9 proportion for my client. How can this be done?
Thanks very much!

Are you saying you want to convert it to square pixels?
If so, you'll need one of the higher level versions of Flip4mac. I don't believe the basic Pro version allows for custom settings.
x

How to change aspect ratio AFTER creating a project

I created a project in FCPX and somehow it's got Black bars on the left and right (i think i created a 16:9 project and put 4:3 clips in). I can't enlarge the clips as they contain text that would be cropped out, so i need to turn my 16:9 project into a 4:3 project. Is this possible?
Regards
Mike

Close your project if it's open by going back to the Project Library view (where you see all your projects). Select the project, open the inspector (command-4) if it isn't already open. At the bottom right of the inspector, click the wrench icon. Change your projects properties and click OK.

16x9 aspect ratio life's mystery ???

While doing transcoding (in AE) I wondered why half quality of 1440x1080 is 720x480 and not 720x540.
Does anyone has the answer to this puzzling question ?
Thank you.

I have to assume that since HDV is 1.33PAR, they decided that half would be DV AVI size, and therefore instead of going to square pixels. they went to the standard 0.9PAR that DV uses.

Compressor 3.5 changes Aspect Ratio

I've been using FCp for years now making HD 1080i originals and using compressor to make H.264 deinterlaced QuickTime clips to upload. After the upgrade, none of my pre-established settings work as expected. The main problem is that the 16x9 aspect ratio has now changed. All of my compressed films are coming out very wide and stretched. I have played with several settings but can't seem to modify an old setting file or make a new one that provides consistent results. When I do stumble upon something that yields 16:9 like my original source the quality is nowhere near what I was getting prior to the upgrade. Is there a simple answer to this, like a new switch I am missing or is this a bug? I have been reading that compressing HD down to a SD DVD isn't as pretty as before either so I'm wondering if there's an underlying issue with the 3.5 upgrade or the latest OS upgrade. It seems like when I first upgraded compressor was fine, but I'm not sure I didn't compress many files. Now I'm up to OS 10.5.8 and for sure my aspect ratio is diferent than before. Any ideas??

Though it's nice to be able to export directly to Compressor, I've gone back to my old method, which works fine: I export as a "Quicktime Movie", making sure I am set to "Current Settings", "Make Movie Self-Contained" and do not "Recompress All Frames".
I then send this file to Compressor and run my "VimeoHD" preset and everything comes out fine.
The extra step is worth the reliability and troubleshooting factor. You also don't have to have both FCP & Compressor open at the same time talking to each other, which means you have more resources devoted to your compression.
I still wonder if this problem happens in FCS3?

Losing 16x9 aspect ratio after compression

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