4:9 / 16:9 Quesiton

[Steven L. gotz]

It is very simple. All you have to do is to create the project in the dimensions you want. Do not, I repeat, do not ever use “Scale Clips to Project Dimensions” in Premiere Pro 2.0 – it is safe in 1.5.1 and earlier though. It will foul you up in most cases because you will certainly get black bars. And in Premiere Pro 2.0 it is impossible to zoom in at all without quality loss.

The key is to use a 16:9 and a 4:3 which are both a lot bigger than 564X240 so that when you scale them down, they have no black bars around them. Just don’t scale them down that far.

When you create the project, instead of selecting a preset like DV-NTSC, use the Custom tab, select Desktop instead of DV, and set the frame size to 564X280 and square pixels.

Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com

[Mr_steven]

Thanks for that Steve, I didn’t know about the custom settings when setting up your project. I’ll try this out tomorrow (it’s nearly 3.00am in the UK).

Another question though regarding aspect ratios. For the final edit, when viewed on a DVD player, am I losing quality when rendering at 4:3 as opposed to 16:9. I understand that most DVD players automatically adjust this according to the TV. I usually render in 4:3 incase the viewers only have 4:3 TV’s. If rendered at 16:9 and played back on a 4:3 TV, will the image be stretched or will I get black bars (which I prefer).

Thanks again I appreciate this, and I’ll let you know how I get on.

Cheers.

[Steven L. gotz]

For a DVD, you can’t do what you are doing for the web. You won’t want to have an odd shaped video clip.

You have some choices. I usually prefer to mix the 16:9 and 4:3 in a 4:3 project, not a 16:9. There is a reason that Blockbuster Video rents two kinds of videos. Widescreen and standard 4:3. Not all DVD players will adjust it for you.

Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com

[Mr_steven]

Thanks Steve,

I’ve just spent the last hour experimenting. I set up a project to my own 2:35:1 aspect ratio dimensions, and imported the 4:3 rendered showreel into the project….fits perfectly.

I did a quick test render as .wmv and it didn’t quite work. When I typed in the ratio settings (when exporting) to match the project settings, what I got when rendered was a squashed image top and bottom, giving me the black bars I don’t want. I then tried a standard .wmv setting, which looked more like 4:3.

I tried this in quicktime, adjusting the export settings to match the project settings and it worked perfectly as a rendered .mov file.

Why is it distorting the image with .wmv and not .mov (quicktime ?).

I want to use .wmv rather than quicktime as the latter uses up more memory.

Thanks Steve.

Steve.

[Mr_steven]

I should just mention that the 4:3 rendered showreel consists of 2:35:1 shots with the black bars, so when I import this into premiere with the new 2:35:1 project settings, when I say it fits perfectly, what I mean is I am just getting the image in the frames and not the black bars.

Cheers.

Steve.

[Steven L. gotz]

You don’t want a standard 4:3 setting for export, you want to set it to the exact same settings as your project (2.35:1)

It works in WM9 because my example worked. Keep at it until you get the WM9 to work by using square pixels and the correct frame size to match the project.

Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com

[Mr_steven]

Hi Steve,

I still can’t get this to look right when rendering WMV.

I’ve set up the project at 600×255 and I’m inporting the 720×576 PAL avi and scaling it down. It’s fitting in the window just how I want it, but when exporting to wmv, trying various settings and setting the ratio measurents to 600×255 I’m still getting a squashed image.

When your exporting to .wmv, which wmv setting are you using, before typing in your ratio size ? ie streaming/PAL/NTSC etc… ?

Cheers,

Steve.