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Event Pan/Crop and Stabilization: Problems with 4:3
I’ve tried various searches in the forum, but I can’t find a solution. Maybe someone can help.
I am editing some of my old 16mm films (4:3) which I recently had digitalized. According to MediaInfo, the avi (Canopus HQ) files are 1920 x 1080 pixels with a display format of 16:9. The video has the proper 4:3 ratio with black bars on both sides.
The problem: When using Event Pan / Crop (Preset: 4:3 Standard TV aspect ratio), I can crop, pan and zoom, BUT the image in the output window (and the rendered file) wanders outside the constraints of the 4:3 frame. It becomes wider than the other events in the timeline with no event pan / crop.
The same thing happens when I try to apply stabilize media on an event: the output image becomes wider than the non-stabilized events and wildly pans back and forth horizontally.
I have tried changing various settings in both the “Project Properties” and “Render / Custom” settings, but without success. Maybe I’m making some basic mistake which I am overseeing.
My question: How can I constrain the output image to 4:3 like the other events on the timeline? Thanks for your help.
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5 Replies
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Are you sure that 16mm film is a perfect 4:3 ratio? Maybe it isn’t and you need to adjust the crop to your existing pillarboxed video and save that as the preset to apply to other events instead of using the 4:3 preset.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Thanks, John, for your prompt answer. I’m not sure if I fully understood your suggestion, but it prompted me to fiddle with some settings, and I think we’re getting closer to a solution. What I’ve tried is this:
(1) Set universal Project Settings to 1440 x 1080, because these are the proportions indicated in the pan/crop event window when I set the pan/crop event to “4:3 Standard TV aspect ratio” preset. Okay, this maintains the proper proportions (people look neither too fat nor too skinny), BUT the frame in the output window is now considerably smaller; there are now black bars on the top and bottom as well, not just on the sides.
(2) If I now adjust the pan/crop event to “4:3 Standard TV aspect ratio” both panning and zooming and even stabilization work as they should. And there are no bars on the top and bottom in the output window anymore. Happy camper? Not quite yet…
Two bugaboos:
(1) The sharpness deteriorates markedly (maybe because the whole image is now much smaller in the output window).
(2) It would appear necessary to apply pan/crop event to “4:3 Standard TV aspect ratio” on every event one by one – even if no cropping or stabilization is intended. Otherwise the events would jump back and forth between “bars on top and bottom” and “no bars on top and bottom.”
I’m hoping the information I’ve provided might help you determine what I’m doing wrong. Maybe together – and with a little brainstorming – we can arrive at a solution. Maybe it’s just a simple universal setting… At any rate, thanks for your patience.
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Is there any way you can send me a small sample of your video via DropBox? The problem I’m having in understanding your situation is that you started talking about 4:3 video that was captured to 16:9 1920×1080 and now you’re talking about 1440×1080 which makes no sense unless the video is HDV. I’m just not sure what you have so it’s difficult to make any recommendations other than, “you need to fix your crop”.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Thanks for your prompt response, John.
I think I’ve stumbled upon the solution, thanks to a reply of yours in this thread:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/24/915092
The file is 1920 x 1080, but the actual 4:3 frame is 1440 x 1080 (which the “event pan/crop” windows indicates when the preset is set to “4:3 standard TV.”
So I have now set the Project Properties to 1440 x 1080 and the pixel ratio to 1.3333 (HDV 1080).
For good measure: Output window: Right click, “Scale video to fit preview window, “Simulate device aspect ratio.”
Now everything works as it should with no need to “event pan crop” every clip (just the ones I need) and no loss in quality. For successful stabilization, the event must be “cropped” in “event pan/crop” by simply selecting the “4:3 standard TV” preset prior to stabilzation.
Maybe this will be of help to others with similar projects.
Thanks again for your help, John. This forum is by far the best and most helpful one I know.
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You’re welcome James. I’m glad you figured it out.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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