exporting self-contained QT movie

[Rafael Amador]

[Laura Cowen] ” I understand that exporting a self-contained quicktime file will guarantee no loss in quality “
Self-contained has nothing to do with the quality.
If your footage is DV NTSC, the first thing you must do to ensure that you don’t loose quality is exporting with the original size.
If you are not applying any kind of effects or transformations to your footage, you can export your sequence without rendering, so your export will content 100% the original footage information.
If you need rendering then you can go to a better codec than DV. Your exports will look better.
What is important to consider is your original footage format and your intended delivery format. You haven’t mention that yet.
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Arnie Schlissel]

[Laura Cowen] “I want to export from Final Cut Pro is the highest resolution possible.”

[Laura Cowen] “when I scroll through the settings there is no option for 640X480.”

First off, 640×480 is not a standard video size. NTSC video is 720×486. I think that this is explained in the FCP manual. This is not something made up by FCP, it’s mandated by the various government and industry groups that make standards for film and video.

And 640×480 is far from the “highest resolution possible.” FCP supports resolutions up to 2048×1538.

[Laura Cowen] “If I keep it at at “current” settings or “DVNTSC” setting then my video is exported at a lower and pixelated quality.”

My experience has been that using “current” settings will give you the best quality possible. By definition, using “current” means that it’s not being transcoded, resized or recompressed.

What is the original source of your video? What is your final goal for it? That will determine your best course of action.

[Laura Cowen] “I don’t have Compressor so that’s not an option right now.”

You should have Compressor, it comes in the box with FCP. If you didn’t install it, then you should dig up your install disks and do so.

Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/

[Laura Cowen]

I want to put it on DVD, to watch on computers and Television.
The original footage is 640X480 so when I export it into iDVD, there are black bars. How do I burn it to DVD so it retains its size?

[Laura Cowen]

Excuse me, I got mixed-up. I have exported it as 720X486 and now I want to burn it in iDVD, but the preview box in iDVD shows black bars at the top andbottom of the box so it doesnt seem to be fittinf for iDVD. How do I burn to DVD so it retains dimensions, size and professional quality for TV and computer viewing?

[Arnie Schlissel]

[Laura Cowen] “I have exported it as 720X486 and now I want to burn it in iDVD, but the preview box in iDVD shows black bars at the top andbottom of the box so it doesnt seem to be fittinf for iDVD.”

Those black bars are called “letterboxing”. If the original has those black bars in FCP, then that’s the way it is, and that’s the way it’s going to be.

If the original video was true widescreen, then you would need to use DVD Studio Pro to author a disk that can automatically display as either widescreen or letterbox depending on what type of TV it’s shown on.

I don’t think that iDVD can handle widescreen material without letterboxing.

Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/

[Rafael Amador]

Laura,
You need to start editing your 640×480 in a 720×480 sequence.
NTSC DVDs are 720×480. No 486.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

(and here some clips for the friends: https://www.vimeo.com/2694745 )

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