Anamorphic 2.35:1

[Elena Ho]

Hi Dave

Thanks for the reply – I just have a question:

In this new comp with the horizontal dimension to 3610 (1536*2.35=3610) – do i make the aspect ratio sq pixels or anamorphic 2:1?

And in the new 2K comp that I have the above nested in, sqpixels or 2:1?

Thanks!!

[Austin Reeves]

Dave,

Question for you, and I ask because I have no idea, but first, isn’t film 2k height 1556, not 1536 (1556 x 2.35 = 3656). Thus giving you a frame of 3656 x 1556 (sq pix)?

The second part of my question is, is is possible the client would handle the anamorphic squeeze down on film out? My assumption is that you would work natively at your 3656 x 1556 and that the anamorphic transfer occurs with the film out conversion or am I wrong?

[Kevin Camp]

[Dave LaRonde] “If anybody knows a trick for changing pixel aspect ratios from the presets, I’d like to know about it. Until that time comes (doubtful, but I won’t eliminate the possibility), I know for darned sure that the trick described above will indeed work.”

it seems like it is possible if you wanted to write a java script to do it…

there are 6 attributes that need to be defined if a script is to create a comp: name, width, height, pixel aspect ratio, length, and frame rate.

so you could use: addComp(‘New Comp’, 2048, 1556, 2.35, 30, 24) to create a comp that had a 2.35:1 par.

i’m not saying i would work this way… i think working in a square pixel comp would be the way to go… but it may seems possible to create custom pixel aspect ratios…

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Elena Ho]

Hey Dave!!

Thanks – seems to work!! Haven’t tested it out on the big screen in davinci yet but i have a good feeling about. Really appreciate the help!!

Hey Moldyboot,

Where would I apply this script? Is this an expression? I’m very interested to try your option out too.

Thanks everyone for their input and help!!

[Sam Moulton]

When you are working on any project that’s not standard, like this one, you need to just ask the folks doing the transfer what file format and what frame size they require. It’s as simple as that. I attended a class by Chris Meyer about 2 years ago where he brought out a list of possible formats just for hd and it filled two or three letter size pages. You have to ask, otherwise, you’ll end up redoing your work. You’ll never look stupid asking, but you will if you’ve spent 2 weeks working in the wrong frame size and you’ve got to start over.

[Kevin Camp]

[Sqpixels] “Where would I apply this script? Is this an expression? I’m very interested to try your option out too”

it would actually be a java script. you would have to write a complete java script (addComp is just a command, you would probably want a few other things to happen, like define the variables), then save it into ae’s scripts folder. the script would then be accessed in ae from file>scripts>scriptname.

the addComp command was just something i had come across on motionscript.com when i was reading about java script in ae, and noticed that in the sample scripts that created comps, there was a variable for the pixel aspect ratio… which got me thinking that you could probably define any pixel aspect ratio. i have not actually tried this, and it may pose a problem for other software, but it might be interesting to try out. aeenhancers.com has a link for script requests, i’m not sure if they’d be interested in writing (or giving input on) a custom par script. you could also post in the ae expressions forum.

i was also thinking that the frame aspect ratio is 2.35:1 (not the par, right?). so i think that means the par would be more like 1.785, but you would want to verify that…

all that being said, i do think the best way to work with ‘extreme’ pixel aspect ratios is to work in square pixels. in part, because it’s just easier to work with (less math), but also because not all effects are pixel aspect aware, so they may not render as you expected. and as sam mentioned, you are best to find out what the client is expecting to be delivered, then design you workflow.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Elena Ho]

Hey Moldyboot,

Been to those sites and so grateful that they are there! I’m not great with scripting… too much math – but i am trying to understand it.

I did a test with the method Dave suggested and it’s working great!

I understand that with CS3 you can actually do a 2K output preview with the proper cropping etc. Has anyone tried that out yet? I’m keen to know how much improved the digital film workflow is on CS3.

Thanks!

[Raphael Rogers]

Hi, possibly you can help me understanding doing some vfx work on some anamorphic footage. It’s 5k anamorphic at 3296×2700 at 2:1 ratio. What would be the correct size comp in square pixels for that? This stuff is truly confusing.

[Raphael Rogers]

Hi, possibly you can help me understanding doing some vfx work on some anamorphic footage. It’s 5k anamorphic at 3296×2700 at 2:1 ratio. What would be the correct size comp in square pixels for that? This stuff is truly confusing.