NTSC IN 4:3 ASPECT RATIO

How can you tell the video you import into final cut express is in NTSC IN 4:3 aspect ratio?
My easy settings are
Format: HD
Use :Custom Setup
Device setup says it is hd firewire NTSC

I expect you should use the NTSC format, not HD in the Easy Setup.
You can right-click on a video clip and choose Item Properties to see how it's captured.

Similar Messages

Aspect Ratio between FCE and LiveType

I've been working on a project in FCE 3.5 and doing titles in LiveType 2.1. I noticed that when I import into LiveType there is a thin checkered line at the bottom of the video window. When I looked at the aspect ratio setting in the Livetype "Project Properties" it was set on "CCIR 601 NTSC" which has an aspect ratio of 720x486. In my FCE project, my clips are all 720x480, which seems to explain the thin checkered line. So I went back to Livetype and changed the aspect ratio to 720x480. Sure enough, the checkered line was gone, but the mode automatically changed from "CCIR 601 NTSC" to "NTSC DV 3:2". The problem is that my clips in FCE have the "CCIR 601" pixel aspect, but not the 720x486 aspect ratio that Livetype associates with that. Eventually I'm hoping to export this to DVD.
My questions are: is this something I should worry about? Should I use the 720x486 or 720x480 aspect ratio in LiveType?
Thanks
iMac Intel Core Duo 2 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Type cmd+zero and open the project properties in LiveType. then choose DV NTSC for the properties... you'll be good to go.
Jerry

Preserving 720x480 square aspect ratio in iDVD

Hi, I posted this question in the iDVD group and was told there might be a FCP answer.
I'm importing a 720x480 (3:2) aspect ratio movie with square pixels into iDVD. iDVD scrunches it up and makes everyone look too tall and thin, though the movie looks fine in QT. Are there any special settings in FCP when exporting that can assure the proper aspect ratio in iDVD? (I was told iDVD only supports 4:3 and 16:9, which may make this a moot question.)
thanks,
Scott

Denis Murphy wrote:
Where did you get this footage by the way? If you're creating square-pixel assets (in photoshop or after effects for example) for a SD NTSC project, you should create them at 720x534 (for 4:3) or 864x480 (for 16:9).
I created it from a FCP sequence with 720x480, square pixels, 24 frames per second. My goal is to output the sequence as a series of Targa still images which can be output to 35mm film. That's why I want the 3:2 ratio rather than 4:3, and I've discovered if I don't use square pixels the Targa still images are distorted.
I was able to get what I wanted in iDVD by 1) outputting my original 720x480 square sequence to quicktime; 2) reimporting it into FCP and inserting it in a 640x480 NTSC-CCIR 601 pixel aspect ratio (kind of like you suggested), 3) exporting that again as quicktime, and 4) importing that file into iDVD. The funny thing is, in the FCP 4:3 sequence the image looks distorted (scrunched from the sides so everyone looks too tall and thin), but when I import it into iDVD it stretches back out to normal again. (When I changed the pixels to square in the Browser before dropping it in the sequence, it looked fine in the sequence but stretched sideways in iDVD. Go figure.)
What a lot of back and forth! But I got what I want, and I thank you for your suggestion.
Now I'd like to figure out how to deal with what I suspect is frame slippage on the DVD from my original 24fps, but I think I can deal with that, as DVD is not the final output.
thanks!
Scott

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

Windows DVD Maker Aspect Ratio

I am using the Windows 7 DVD Maker tool, and am experiencing some MAJOR issues. I have a widescreen formatted AVI file I am trying to burn onto a DVD. When I import the video, it doesn't matter which aspect ratio I choose the finished DVD is the same. Menu shows video correctly, but the movie part is squeezed into a 4:3 with black bars on all four sides. I have wasted several DVDs attempting to use multiple configurations within DVD Maker and none have been successful. None of the "related topics" have helped as half are unanswered and the others explain a method of using Movie Maker to edit the movie and import the project into DVD Maker. Well, Windows Movie Maker projects CANNOT be imported into DVD Maker; I've tried. It throws a "Unsupported file type" error and cannot be imported. Furthermore, when I try and save it as a file from Movie Maker, it gives me an error saying that the DVD won't hold my movie length, when I know it will, and doesn't do anything to help.
I would really like to get this to work, because it appears to be an integral part of the functionality of DVD Maker and I do not want to waste any more DVDs.
Thanks,

My problem with DVD Maker was slightly different.
I found that with .avi files it did not create wide-screen movies correctly for my widescreen TV. Instead of producing a "letter-box" format (black bars top and bottom) it filled
the screen from top to bottom and also squeezed the picture horizontally. It was obvious right from the start with, for example, the planet earth in the Universal Pictures logo appearing oval instead of round.
A search of forums on this subject produced a hint that codecs could be the source of the problem, so I downloaded the Windows Vista Codec Package. This made no difference. I then
found a tip in another forum relating to a different type of problem, but it suggested loading the .avi file into Windows Movie Maker, setting a few options, creating a project, then selecting DVD for output, whereupon Movie Maker switches to DVD Maker
and creates the DVD in the usual way. I decided to try that out, and eureka! - it worked. The movies now play correctly on my DVD player/TV and also on my home theatre setup.
I suggest that you don't use Save As... nor try to copy it into DVD Maker. Let Movie Maker do the work.
Just select Publish / DVD and Movie Maker will tell you what it's about to do. So click OK and enter the file name.
For those readers unfamiliar with either or both programs, here are the step-by-step instructions:
Click Start
Select Windows Movie Maker
From the top Menu click --
Tools / Options
Select the Advanced tab
Set your applicable Video format - NTSC or PAL
Set Aspect Ratio to 16:9
Select the Compatibility tab
Uncheck the box "AVI decompressor"
Click OK
You only need to set the above options once - the settings will be retained for future jobs.
On the main screen, under the heading: Import-------
Select: Videos
Locate your .avi file and click on it (or double-click if necessary).
The file will be loaded.
Drag the file down and drop it on to the storyboard.
Under the heading: Publish to -------
Select: DVD
Information message appears - click OK
Movie Maker needs to save the project file - enter the name of the movie when prompted and click Save.
Movie Maker will switch to Windows DVD Maker.
Click Next
Select Menu text
The movie name will already be copied in. Change it if you like / or Don't Change.
Load a blank DVD
Click Burn
Go make a cup of coffee, take the dog for a walk.
After the job has completed, be sure to exit completely from Windows DVD Maker before starting the next job with Movie Maker.
If anyone has a smarter solution do share it!!

Cannot get 16 X 9 aspect ratio on NTSC monitor

Just installed a Radeon 9800 pro Mac edition to replace the original GeForce 5200 that came with the computer. The new card is great and gives 30 fps on the main LaCie electron blue 19" monitor when "Full screen" mode is selected. Problem is ... when I select "External video" regardless of the option selected under "Preferences" in "Output" the framerate drops to 6 or 7 fps. The image on the Sony PVM monitor always shows in a stretched 4 X 3 aspect ratio with letterboxing all around it, top, bottom and sides regardless of what option I select in the ATI preferences on the Mac2TV panel. Now when I drag the viewing window from the main monitor to the External Sony PVM monitor and select "Full screen",(external video turned off) the aspect ratio remains in 16 X 9 with an acceptable frame rate.
Any suggestions out there? Thanks!
Dual 1.8 (original) G5/2.5gb RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6) Radeon 9800 pro Mac edition
Dual 1.8 (original) G5 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

A solution for "Video output"
When sending an FCP 5.1.1 HDV sequence to "Motion project", it sends it at 1440 x 1080 and Motion 2.1.1 will open a new project to that size. Once that FCP HDV sequence is opened in Motion 2.1.1 and "Full screen mode" is selected it will play to a full screen in 16 x 9 at 30 fps on the "Main Computer Monitor". In this case the main monitor is a LaCie Electron blue 19". Now if "External video" is selected that being a Sony PVM 1351Q the image will show as a 1440 x 1080 and play at only 5 fps. Furthermore it will create a letterbox on all four sides. (looks like a stretched vertical 4 x 3). Now if a new project is opened in Motion 2.1.1 in HD (1920 x1080) and the same HDV QT file is imported in Motion ; the same procedure repeated, the image will play at a proper size and the 16 x 9 aspect ratio on the secondary NTSC Monitor will be respected, mind you it will still play at only 5 fps.
"SOLUTION"
By canceling the "Video output" on Motion, a full frame 16 x 9 image can be viewed on the "Main Monitor". By the way, that image is astonishing compared to what it was with the previous video card. Now by dragging the "Viewer image" above the timeline to the "Secondary Monitor (Sony)" and selecting the "Full Screen Mode" it will then give a proper full screen image with a 16 x 9 aspect ratio on the Sony PVM 1351Q at 30 fps. The image seen on the NTSC monitors when using FCP 5.1.1 in HDV has also improved to a great degree. It has improved to the point where the Radeon® 9800 Pro Mac® Edition 256MB AGP becomes an interesting solution for HDV editing in Final Cut Studio.
If somene has a better solution, I'm all ears! ... or all read!
Dual 1.8 (original) G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) Radeon® 9800 Pro Mac® Edition 256MB AGP

How do I change a pixel aspect ratio from HD 1920x1080 frame rate 25 to NTSC 640x480 frame rate 29.97

I upload files to a tv channel, but for them to air, they need to have a NTSC 640x480 pixel aspect ratio with a frame rate of 29.97. I currently have a .mov file HD 1920x180 frame rate 25. I deleted the original unedited files so all I have is the .mov file. I need to make my file NTSC 640x408 frame rate 29.97
Thanks please answer ASAP

If you aren't entirely happy with the image quality you get from this in FCP. consider buying Compressor ($49). Down-converting from HD to SD often introduces artifacts. Compressor has a resize filter that does a good job of minimizing those artifacts.
Russ

Changed H264 for Bly Ray settings to PAL, but "pixel aspect ratio" remains NTSC

I changed H264 for Bly Ray settings to PAL, but I can't change the "pixel aspect ratio" which remains NTSC. It remains grey and I can't find the way to unlock this.
What I miss?

It's a very strange behaviour. When I saw the template it was this way
Whereas, the preset put on the movie (in the batch window) became this way
Same of yours. I don't know why this happened... but I'm happy is the right way...

Exporting 3:2 aspect ratio ntsc avi

Hey can anyone tell me how I can export 3:2 avi from FCP 5? It seems it will only let me export 4:3 in ntsc

more info needed, what codec are you outputting to? what is the frame size? what is the pixel aspect ratio? how is it being delivered?
needless to say 3:2 is not a typical "pro" broadcast aspect ratio ... rather, 4:3 is a typical for SD, 16:9 for HD
if you're a self-help 'explore my options' kind of guy, then have a look at the Export > Using Quicktime Conversion >> Format: AVI >> Options and/or Export > Using Compressor

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...)

Can you help me solve my aspect ratio issue?

Hey guys,
I'm posting this in hopes that someone can help me solve an aspect ratio issue with a project that I have to finish by tomorrow.
I'm trying to avoid having to re-edit the entire thing.
I shot the project with my Nikon D7000 DSLR. in 720p 30p (29.97)
I am running Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 (the trial version). I have the full version of Adobe Premiere Pro CS3.
The reason I was working with the trial is that CS3 can't handle the H.264 MOVs that the D7000 records.
You can work with a timeline, but if you try to export anything, it never works. I always have to convert my footage to ProRes MOVs with MPEG Streamclip before I can work with them is CS3. That takes a lot of time and a lot of hard drive space. After much research, I found out that CS5 is the way to go for DSLR footage. I just need to save up my pennies for the upgrade.
So I thought I'd edit this short (1 minute) project with the trial to see how CS5 works with the D7000 footage.
Upon installing the trial program, I found that the project presets were limited. I knew this ahead of time because it's clearly stated on the Adobe's website.
But I wasn't aware how limited they are.
Since "DSLR 1280x720p 30p" is not an option with the trial, I was going to use HDV 720p 30p. But that was not an option either!
So basically, my only option for 16x9 30p was "DV NTSC Widescreen". It's my understanding that this is 864x480 (in square pixel aspect ratio) or 720x480 (in widescreen pixel aspect ratio) I needed the output file to be 864x486. I downsized the footage to 69% in the "Video Effects: Motion" setting so it looked correct in the project. I didn't think about those extra 6 pixels until I outputed the file and saw thin black lines on the top and bottom. My guess is that Premiere is adding black pixels because my project is technically 720x480 (1.2121)
Any thoughts on how I can get a clean 864x486 export? I'd rather not re-edit the whole thing...which I would have to do in CS3 after I spent a few hours converting the original files in MPEG Streamclip. I don't know if there is a way to export something out of CS5 and then open a new project in CS3 to make this work.
Thanks in adavance!
- Jordan

On export, just crop a few pixels off of each side; that'll let the image scale correctly to the output frame size without black bars.
I'm not running the trial, but you should still be able to create a custom sequence preset using the Desktop editing mode. Just switch over to the General tab when you create a new sequence, and choose "Desktop" from the editing modes. Set the rest of the parameters as you need them.
Even easier: once you've imported your footage, just drag a clip to the New Item icon at the bottom of the project panel; a sequence will be created matching your footage parameters. You can edit at full-resolution, and then export to your desired frame size when complete--you'll probably still need to crop a few pixels (in the Export Settings window) to eliminate the black bars.

Letterboxing and Aspect Ratio problem

I'm authoring a feature film DVD. All menus and movies are 16:9
When I play the Simulator in "16:9" everything is fine.
When I play the Simulator in "4:3 Letterbox" my menus are letterboxed as desired, however every movie is for some reason squished into 4:3.
Any ideas?
The Video Asset box in the Inspector tells me all my movies are 720x480 16:9.
All tracks show in the Track Inspector as display mode 16:9 Letterbox.
All Menus show in the Menu Inspector as Aspect Ratio 16:9
Also of note, one of my tracks is used both as a movie and as a motion menu. Although it's the same track, with the simulator in 4:3 it's correctly letterboxed as a menu, yet squished as a movie!
I exported from a 16:9 Anamorphic project in FCP (as a QTmovie set to Anamorphic NTSC DV) and imported straight into DVD Studio Pro. (I've noticed on these forums most people go through Compressor. I didn't. Would that be the cause of my headache?)
The movies display in my QuickTime Player as 16:9 clips with a size of 853x480

The Simulator is very far from accurate. Burn a disc, then pop it into a DVD player.

FCP scaling/aspect ratio motion algorithms make good video soft?

I have tried everything, but converting 16:9 footage into a 4:3 timeline in Final Cut Pro makes the letter-boxed video soft. I have, of course, double checked against NTSC external broadcast monitor. Original 16:9 clips look great, when converted to letter box 4:3 timeline they go soft. ( I believe it is FCP ineptness in handling Pixel Aspect Ratio conversion from 1.2 to 0.9, but I would love to be wrong at this point) I know FCP has poor scaling algorithms to begin with, but this is a very obnoxious issue when capturing clips widescreen from the deck, but having your final output needing to be edited and taped off in letter-boxed format for SD broadcast.
I really want to avoid losing any quality when going from 16:9 to 4:3 letter-box, so is there a plugin that can be used to handle the rescaling that does a better job than just FCP by itself? These are pretty complicated edits, (television show) so avoiding having to hop over to After Effects for a second huge render would be preferable. I have exhausted Google looking into this, lol, anyone have any ideas?
Thanks All,
Dustin Hoye
Editor
Sour Squirrel Studios, llc.

Patrick,
Thanks for the quick response. My motion filtering quality is set to "Best". After looking over the link you provided ( I will examine more thoroughly, but saw your response and wanted to re-post to answer your question.) I also tried switching to "Fastest (linear)" just to see if it would eliminate the softness/possible double lines, but of course, no luck. (Also, just to clarify, this is working all in SD.)
I would consider using Compressor or (After Effects for that matter), but I am editing using the letter box conversion because we occasionally are mixing in past regular 4:3 footage with the letter boxed 16:9. (the reg 4:3 being a minority of the clips) It is easier just to matte those 4:3 clips to match the converted 16:9 since there are fewer of them. If I fed the timeline to compressor then those clips (the reg. 4:3) would get interpreted incorrectly. I suppose I could just leave them out and re-insert them later, but depending on the number of them and how they are used that could be quite a work-around. It would be great if I could just get FCP to interpret the conversion internally (i.e. plugin) w/out causing quality loss. Sigh.
Everything else is set to 100%; editing 10- bit uncompressed, 10-bit material in High Precision YUV. I have tried multiple combinations of capture, codecs and vid processing options, but all seem to have the same result.
Thanks Again,
Dustin

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 question

Hello all,
this footage Im using imported into FCP as 720 x 480 regular ntsc footage. In final cut the video displayes with a letterbox. Unfortunately I went ahead and edited everything before asking questions about this letterbox. So now im running into problems, I know Im doing this after the fact, but I cannot recapture and re-edit (although my suspicion is that the black bars were generated in the camera and thus were captured as part of the footage). Im am trying to build a dvd with this edited sequence in DVDSP.
I figured out that the actual footage (not including the black bars) is 720 x 360, which is very weird, I know. So to have my movie display correctly on a wide-screen and 4:3 tv, it would have to be at a 16:9 aspect ratio.
OK, Ive tried so many things, but I cant get it right.
1st, I made a new sequence in FCP changed this sequence to anamorphic. Then I copied my regualr sequence and pasted into new sequence, then I right click and choose remove all attributes/distort. It removes the letterbox but it sqeezes the footage vertically since my footage is 720 x 360, not 720 x 404... So this wont work...
Then I exported from FCP directly into compressor and I chose a 16:9 NTSC preset and crop 38 of top and 38 of bottom. The footage is now not sqeezed in any way and only a small letterbox remains (which I can live with) but the problem is, no matter what setting I use: DVD 90 minute best quality or increase bit rate, change gop, the footage looks aweful. Any time there is just a slight movement it has horizontal bars through it. Now, Its not the cropping, because it does it without cropping as well.
My questions are:
Is compressor just not that good? because when I ue a reference quicktime and let DVDSP do the encoding it looks great.
If I cant use compressot to crop how can I get a final m2v file that has a aspect ratio of 16:9 and doesnt get sqeezed...
Im sorry for this long post, just wanted to be clear on everything, please help!
Thank you! Danielle
Im using FCP 5.1, compressor 2 and DVDSP 4, footage came from regular dv camera (obviously set to some weird widesreen format) and I captured it directly into FCP

Thank you for your reply!
It worked! thank you so much, ive been struggling with this for a while now! I defenitely have a loss of quality, I will have to watch it on my big plasma at home to make sure it is still ok.
Can I ask you another question?
When I export using compressor I get horizontal lines in the video, no matter the settings, Ive tried: dvd best quality 90 minutes 16:9 preset and customized a dvd 16:9 one with very high bit rates, and different GOP settings.
when I export with quicktime reference and import into DVDSP, it looks much better with their build in encoder.. since I have this loss of quality now, any suggestions on my compressor settings?
Ive already resigned to 2 DVD's with the main movie on one and the extras on the other, so we can go pretty high with bit rates.
Thanks again!
Danielle

NTSC IN 4:3 ASPECT RATIO

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for