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16:9 to 4:3
I wonder if anyone has advice on this …. I’ve checked the archives but can’t see a specific reference to my particular problem.
I’ve a story shot on a DSR570 DVCAM in 16:9 and I want to put it into a 4:3 DV sequence. So in order to maintain the correct aspect ratio I scaled the picture to 133 and compensated by adjusting the aspect ration to -33.
Works fine, but some shots, notably those that give the codec a bit of a challenge, like a background with lots of small green leaves, look very poor quality.
Is this the best way of scaling 16:9 for 4:3, or does anyone have a better method (or indeed use another programme, or intermediate codec) for betterr results. I need to end up in the DV codec.
Many thanks,
Ken.
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4 Replies
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If you are going to end up in the DV codec, an intermediate codec would only degrade the picuture more.
I think what you’re seeing by enlarging a picture 133% is simply the original problem with the DV codec when the footage was shot. If anything, enlarging the picture would soften it and create less detail, both of which would lessen the overhead on any codec. You’re just seeing the inherent deficiencies in the DV codec, enlarged 33%. But I wouldn’t expect uncompressed to look very good at 133%.
Your best bet is to use the footage letterboxed. That way you’re using it natively, pixel for pixel. Unless the camera you shot with uses a wide ccd for 16:9, to squish the image horizontally, instead of the standard method of using a portion of the ccd and stretching vertically. It sounds like you have the latter.
Can you letterbox the rest of your project to match?
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Ken,
I just did this a couple of days ago, I put anamorphic footage into a 4×3 comp and all I had to do was change the aspect ratio to -33, and that cropped off the sides. I didn’t have to enlarge it at all.
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My footage was shot with a true wide screen chip (2/3rd inch) on a DSR 570, so for DV the image quality ought to be tops, (anamorphic not letterboxed). I tried just changing the aspect ratio to -33 but this ended up shrinking the image and effectively letterboxing it into a 4:3 frame (ie with black top and bottom). That’s why I then had to zoom in by 133% to pull the image back to full screen (with the edges out of frame).
My worry is by zooming the image I am loosing vertical resolution – which I shouldn’t as the image was shot anamorphic 720×576 initially (PAL DV). I would have thought even the horizontal resolution should be faily good, given the wide screen chip used before the codec kicked in, but as I say, its quite ‘blocky’ and ‘shimmery’.
Thanks,
Ken.
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Hmmm,
My footage was shot in Beta SP on an Ikigami, and it scaled and cropped beautifully. Dunno…
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