16×9 Anamorphic to 4×3 letterboxed without leavinf FCP 5.1.1?

[Chris Borjis]

can you nest the 16×9 timeline in a 4×3 timeline?

[John Steventon]

Export a quicktime, or a quicktime reference of the programme, re-import it, stick it onto a 4:3 timeline (but don’t change either of the properties things to Anamorphic) and it should play back as letterbox.

Remember to look at the half line at the top of the letterboxed pitcture. If it’s flickering away (or even noticeable), crop it off.

Hope this helped.

John

John
Success is merely a failiure to imagine more…

G5 2.7Ghz, 4.5Gb ram, Blackmagic Decklink/multibridge, 5.6Tb Infortrend storage, FCP Studio 5.02, Makie MCU control, Yahama 5.1 surround, JVC DTV multi-format monitor, 2x23inch Apple monitors – and a partirdge on a pear tree.

[Zak Mussig]

Warren,
You can do essentially what John suggested without having to export out of and import back into Final Cut. Nest your 16×9 sequence in a new 4×3 sequence with whatever settings you like (as Borjis suggested). You’ll have to render before exporting to tape, but you never have to leave FCP, and everything is contained within your project file with no QT files to keep track of later.
This technique can be used any time you want to change your output format. I will mention though, that if your project si going to DVD, you should just export your m2v file in 16×9, and set its display mode in DVDSP to letterbox.

Hope that helps,
Zak

[Captain Mench]

I’d just drop it in the 4:3 sequence. No need to export and no need to “nest” but ‘nest’ the sequences by dragging the 16:9 sequence into a new 4:3 sequence… I guess that’s called nesting too.

Anyway — might want to check this out as it will show you some of the steps:https://www.proapptips.com/proapptipsvideotutorials/879F6B61-CFF9-4FD1-8D43-FDF89605611A/6ECEC931-47F1-4BC1-8CD4-41FE4842B45D.html

Good luck,

CaptM

[John Steventon]

Hey folks,

Yeah – sorry – I meant to add that the reason I export the QT first (well, two reasons) are 1) That my system oddly loses media from time to time, or forgeets about audio keyframes etc, so if I’ve got a final edit that I know I won’t change, and everything is perfect (yeah, right!) with the programme, I have a master quicktime of it on the Raid that cannot change. The other reason is similar. If you next the sequence, it does give you the option of tweaking the edit if you need to change things – but it ALSO provides the danger of accidentally tweaking the wrong sequence, coming back to your nested edit, and find everything’s changed!!

Only really applies if you have multiple versions of the same sequence at any one time (which i often have), but I thought I’d let you know why I export a QT (and always a self-contained one) for that purpose.

Have a good weekend.

John
Success is merely a failiure to imagine more…

G5 2.7Ghz, 4.5Gb ram, Blackmagic Decklink/multibridge, 5.6Tb Infortrend storage, FCP Studio 5.02, Makie MCU control, Yahama 5.1 surround, JVC DTV multi-format monitor, 2x23inch Apple monitors – and a partirdge on a pear tree.