Pixel Aspect Ratios, FCP, iDVD, & DVDSP

This isn't strictly FCP, but it starts there.
One of my support clients called me yesterday. He has a Final Cut Pro sequence that he needs to burn to DVD. The DVD will be played on computers as well as desktop players.
The sequence contains a graphic with a globe, a perectly round rotating earth globe. In FCP, it is perfectly round. When he exports to QT Movie anmd trhen plays it in QuickTime Player, it is stretch out horizontally (probably about 11%, the difference between square and non-square pixels.)
When he Imports the QT movie into iDVD, it is likewise stretched, and the iDVD-burned DVD is also stretched, no matter what he uses to play it, computer or desktop player.
I told him to take it into DVDSP, and see what DVDSP would do to it. In DVDSP, the globe is perfectly round.
My head hurts, trying to keep this thing srtaight. Can somebody help me explain it to him?

Try this on for size. Dunno if I'm right or not, but it SOUNDS good:
It looks good in FCP because it's rectangular pixels.
It looks bad on the desktop because it's square pixels. If you were to resize it to 640x480 it would look good. (squaring it off.)
I would GUESS that Idvd is not understanding the rectangular pixels, being the doofy toy that it is.
I guess I'd add if your client wants to play it off the desktop, make it 640x480.

Similar Messages

  • Pixel Aspect Ratio Issues-FCP HELPP!!!

    Okay folks, so currently I am putting together my reel in FCP, however I am encountering a few issues. So my source formats are different in pixel aspect ratio, some was shot on the 7D, some on the Alexa, and some on super 16mm, and a few after effects animations. However all of it is HD, and in ProresHQ 422. My problem here is when I import all of my media into FCP if the timeline is set to square pixels, the HD(1440x1080) footage looks squished, and if I set the timeline to HD(1440x1080) the square pixel footage looks blocky, pixelated and super square.
    That said, some of the footage from the 7D is labelled as square and some is labelled as HD(1440x1080), and all the after effects stuff is square.
    Right now i am dealing with it and just leaving my timeline as green-preview render, so everything looks mostly normal. However whichever format is not that of the timeline, the footage is degraded a tiny bit, so that when I pause the footage it looks great, but in preview it is slightly blurry.
    My question is, is there a way to format everything as either square or HD(1440x1080), so it looks normal, or is there a way to use mixed media formats and not have the preview blur. I'm going crazy over here, as I just graduated and am in dire need of a reel so I can begin to apply for jobs, etc....Or is there a way to formate my prores setting to transform everything to square pixels?
    Thanks guys!

    You can use compressor to convert everything to square pixels, however there's no need to worry about how it looks in fcp when it's playing but not fully rendered.  Try exporting a short section (mark an in and out around the section - and going file:  export: quicktime Not quicktime conversion) with current settings.  If you render the material, it should look fine when you play it within fcp.  Unfortunately, the render settings in the sequence menu are not particularly intuitive, but do a little playing around with them if you've got the time.
    I prefer to convert all my sources to my intended pixel dimensions, frame rate and codec before I edit in fcp, but it may not be necessary in your case.

  • 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

  • Pixel/Aspect Ratio Problem

    I'm midway through a huge project utilizing about a hundred stills in NTSC SD. I needed as much screen real-estate as possible for this so I used the D4/D16 Anamorphic pixel aspect ratio in Project Properties. My problem is that because I don't have a Kona or Decklink card, I don't have any preset codecs for this aspect ratio when I take it into FCP 5.1. The result is a squished widescreen frame when I output it from Motion to FCP. Not sure how to resolve this. Do I give it a custom frame size in FCP or what? Also, because this is all photos and graphics made within Motion, what's my best option in terms of quality for export from Motion to FCP? I'm assuming 8-bit or 10-bit uncompressed, but that's just a guess. Or is there a codec within Motion that I can export it as and it will come out in the correct aspect ratio in FCP?

    Then I'm thinking you want to use an anamorphic widescreen format in FCP that you can then set up in DVDSP and presumably project or display on a widescreen TV...
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  • Changing Pixel Aspect Ratio with Aperture

    i was wondering if aperture has a way of changing the pixel aspect ratio from square to DI/DV NTSC or HDV. so far i am using photoshop to do that but would love to do it inside aperture.

    Not that I'm aware of. Pixels are pixels to Aperture. You could always crop your images to the right aspect ratio.
    If you're looking to burn photos to DVD perhaps iDVD or DVD Studio Pro could resize your images to the proper size.

  • Pixel Aspect Ratio within projects

    I am trying to bring in an entire timeline of video(only :90) to another timeline. However each one has different sequence settings. The original one has settings like this:
    Frame Size: 1920x1080 HDTV 1080i(16x9)
    Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square
    Timebase: 29.97
    Anamorphic 16x9 not checked
    The one I am trying to lay into that timeline is:
    Frame Size: 1440x1080 HD (1440x1080) (16x9)
    Pixel Aspect Ratio: HD (1440x1080)
    Timebase: 29.97
    Anamorphic 16x9 not checked
    I tried to simply copy this last timeline and paste into the original sequence and it didn't match up. How can I sucessfully do this?
    Scott

    Here's the trick.  Create a new sequence with the desired setting.  Select the first clip in the old sequence and hit "f"  This loads the clip in the viewer with the in and out.  Edit into the new sequence.  FCP should automatically adjust the clip to match the sequence pixel settings.  Repeat for each clip in the original sequence.
    There are otherways to do this, but this may be the simplest to explain.  Try it and if you have problems, post back.

  • Change in anamorphic pixel aspect ratio numbers?

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1796
    This gives LiveType anamorphic number for DV NTSC as 1.19 as the pixel aspect ratio. The number that has always been given prior to this is 1.25. They seems to produce exactly the same results when imported in Final Cut. No scaling or distortion takes place in either project file when composited in FCP. Why the change in numbers, and why do they both work?
    Thanks.
    All the best,
    Tom

    Tom, are you certain the NTSC value was given as something other than 1.19?
    At least that's what it's always been according to an older Knowledge Base document link for the same issue, last modified date in 2004.

  • Really bad text quality,photoshop, is it pixel aspect ratio?

    when doing dvd's i often use psd files for menus or title boards, quite often at 16x9, now the problem lies with the quality of the text in photoshop and when transferred to dvdsp. In photoshop with a 1024 x 576 sq pixel canvas the text looks crisp and sharp, however when transferred to dvdsp the text feels like it has gone through a verticle interlace, each letter is chopped up and shifted stretched and compressed. Going back to photoshop and making a 720x 576 comp with a widescreen pixel aspect ratio seems to do the same thing but this time in photoshop aswell. The text quality problem is not the usual dvd compression issue that is frequently discussed on these boards where text looks fuzzy, this looks much worse than fuzzy or jpeggy
    Is there a standard, a combination of aspect ratio and canvas size in both photoshop and dvdsp? It is really frustrating.
    Thanks in advance
    Henry

    My issue is particular to the crossover between photoshop and dvdsp, it may also be particular to pal dvd's and relating to the pixel aspect ratio, if you try and create a 720 x 576 document in photoshop with widescreen aspect ratio turned on and try adding text you will notice the issue. This also crosses over into dvdsp no matter what i do unless the image uses square pixels in p/shop the text is awful. I was really wondering if anyone else had found a combination of setups that avoid this wierd occurance in both programs.
    The issue is not the standard 'my font looks bad on an apple display' issue which is often discussed on this forum, i understand that apple display resolutions are so far superior to standard def tv's that it is impossible to compare. The typesize on these projects are 24pt bold sans serif so well above the 18pt generally accepted standard and the canvas size is pixel perfect for pal resolution no images have been reduced or enlarged. The font looks almost illegible rather than just fuzzy.

  • Aspect Ratio and Pixel Aspect Ratio

    I am importing P2 footage and wondering what my sequence settings should be? As in Aspect Ratio and Pixel Aspect Ratio would need to be? Do I need to ask the DOP what settings on the P2 have been used when filming?

    If you have FCP 6 then when you drop a clip into the timeline it will ask you if you want to configure the sequence to match...just click YES.
    But you should know what format they shot. Find that out then choose the Easy Setup that matches, and make a new sequence. Or let FCP 6 and 7 do that for you, like I mentioned.
    Shane

  • 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

  • How to set : Pixel Aspect Ratio?

    Hi,
    what s'ld i set for my Pixel Aspect Ratio? Square? BTW, Recording using Consumer HD Cam (Panasonic SD100 and Canon HF10) .
    and,
    what is "Enable 4:4:4 chroma filtering" ? shall i CHECK it?
    Thanks for now!

    Hi Tom - sorry it has taken me some time to respond:
    This is the thread I mentioned previously:
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10705428#10705428
    In this thread you indicated:
    "Hello,
    Copy your 7D card data to a dedicated folder, use a card reader, retain all the files on the card.
    Then use Log and Transfer in FCP, at that point you can choose to convert to Prores (LT) or
    Prores. It works just fine. I suggest you use 30P, it is actually 29.97, and stay away 24P until
    you feel comfortable with this workflow. You can use Toast 10 to archive these files.
    There are other sites you should explore:
    http://prolost.com/
    http://philipbloom.co.uk/
    They are exploring these new hybrid cameras very actively
    Good luck, Tom"
    I tried this to no avail. I'm also having problems with some of the 7D raw files (H.264) freezing on a frame 1/3 of the way through - and Quicktime craches - I haven't seen any information in the Apple forums that address this. Thanks for your input!
    Paul

  • Is there a way to set pixel aspect ratio for a project?

    This is related to another post I made about using iShowU HD, a screen capture program (for screen casts). On their support page, they show example settings for FCP, but not for FCP X. I was wondering if someone could take a look at that page and decypher that for FCP X. One thing the specify for FCP is to set the pixel aspect ratio to "square pixels", as well as some other things. Also, is it good to use 30 fps?
    This is the support page:
    http://help.shinywhitebox.com/workflow/final_cut/
    Thanks

    Set capture size:
    Set output video:
    Set frame rate:
    Set capture options:
    Set video and audio format:
    Set up the FCP X project:
    1080p HD / ProRes 422 / 48kHz...

  • 1080i60 pixel aspect ratio

    If you go to at FCP5 "Audio/Video Settings" and click on "Sequence Presets" tab and then choose HDV - 1080i60 preset, "Summary:" window, among other things says this:
    Frame Size: 1440 x 1080 Pixels
    Pixel Aspect Ratio: HD (1440x1080)
    At the same time if you read FCP User manual - Vol.IV Ch. 26 page 337 - "Sequence Settings and Presets" it says :
    Pixel Aspect Ratio: Choose a pixel aspect ration that matches the format you are working with.
    HD (1280x1080): For 1080i60 HD video, such as DVCPROHD and HDV.
    HD (1440x1080): For 1080i50 HD video, such as DVCPROHD and HDV.
    In other words easy setup for 1080i60 gives aspect ratio of 1440x1080 but FCP manual suggests that 1080i60 has a 1280x1080 aspect ratio.
    Which is correct?

    Thank you for your reply. That is what I thought.
    So that would mean that information in FCP user manual stating
    HD (1280x1080): For 1080i60 HD video, such as DVCPROHD and HDV.
    HD (1440x1080): For 1080i50 HD video, such as DVCPROHD and HDV.
    is incorrect?
    2.7GHz dual cpu G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7) FCP 5.0.4

  • Pixel Aspect Ratio bug in Media Encoder export

    Having a weird bug in media encoder exports that I can't seem to figure out. I have a 1080p sequence with a mix of 1080p footage and PAL DV assets. The PAL assets have a pixel aspect ratio of 1.0940. When I format them in my Premiere sequence, I am able to scale them correctly and they look fine. When I export them directly from premiere to broadcast standards it's also fine.
    However, when I try to export these sequences in Media Encoder via File->Export->Media-> Queue using the same exact settings (I'm using a preset), Media Encoder formats the PAL assets as if they have square pixels. Thus, half of the footage in my sequences gets horizontally "squished." Note that this does not happen for footage that natively has square pixels, such as my 1080p camera footage.
    Has anyone encountered this bug? It seems strange to me that Media Encoder would treat items in a sequence differently that Premiere during export, I was under the impression they were using the same rendering engine... It's really a problem as I'm going to have to crank out multiple versions of this 48-minute film and not being able to queue those exports is going to be a huge headache.
    Using latest version of CC 2014.1 (8.1.0).

    Screenshot of Premiere Export (fills screen):
    Screenshot of Media Encoder export: (notice the pillar-boxing)

  • Problem with pixel aspect ratio

    I searched but found no answer.
    I have several Maya renders which are at a resolution of 720x486 and a pixel aspect ratio of 1.2. I composited my image sequences in after effects interpreting that 1.2 pixel aspect ratio. I then exported a quicktime movie using no compression at 24fps at a resolution of 720x480 NTSC 16:9.
    When I import this video into Encore 2.0 It comes out as full screen. Not only is it full screen, but when I preview the dvd, the video is blurry with scan lines and black bars on the left and right side. The menu however, is widescreen (I used a template as a test)and perfectly clear. I tried to select the asset and go to file>interpret footage, but this option is grayed out. I have also tried exporting an avi from after effects and importing that into Encore. It still will not let me set the pixel aspect ratio. I have read that After Effects does not embed the pixel aspect into exported videos. I have also read that I should export mpeg2 videos for use in Encore, however I do not see this option in After effects or Premiere Pro.
    What am I doing wrong? Any help is appreciated. If I left any information out that could be useful, please let me know.

    (Ack, for some reason I typed "DVI" and really meant "DV")
    Thanks for the response. I don't really care if I preserve the 4:3 aspect ratio. Or does my GL1 not use square pixels and I just never noticed it? It's strange I've never seen this problem until FCE HD.
    I have tried exporting a number of ways from FCE, including Export > QuickTime Movie... and Using QuickTime Conversion... For the latter, I typically set it to export as 720x480. I always export as video. The final export contains video clips as well as still images within the video.
    I am a bit embarrassed having to ask this question. I've been working with still images in photoshop for over a decade and worked a lot with video during that time as well.
    Thanks again.

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