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Letterbox for Commercial Broadcast
My 30-sec.spot was shot and edited as 16×9, SD video.
Comcast wants a letterboxed, 4×3 version as either .mov or .mpg (MPEG2) for upload to their site.They want 720×480, 10-15 Mbs and 48 KHz audio.
Fine.
Changed sequence settings to 4×3 and now it is letterboxed and the aspect ratio is correct.
Just can’t figure out how to output it into a file! Have tried 10 different things and everything comes out squeezed.
Help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
DaveiMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0 -
9 Replies
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Export a movie with current settings. Open this movie in QT play it should look currect, with the black bars on top and bottom. Take this file into Compressor compress it to the codec of your choice and make sure aspect ratio is set to 4:3.
If that doesn’t work you have to list your specific steps and settings.
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Are you simply changing the same sequence settings from 16×9 to 4×3?
You need to change pixel aspect ratio also.I think you should copy paste the whole edit into another 4X3 sequence. That way you will have all setting correct.
Pradip Patil
Mumbai,India -
Even export with current settings ends up squeezed.
It was a 16×9 sequence originally.
I then copied and pasted it into a new 4×3 sequence – that’s all I did to get
it letterboxed. And it looks OK.But all exports I tried, including current settings, end up squeezed.
Is it a pixel setting?iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0 -
There’s the Anamorphic check box when you press Cmd+0, Is it checked?
If yes that could be problem?Also what is your easy setup setting?
Pradip Patil
Mumbai,India -
If that doesn’t work you have to list your specific steps and settings.
Why not give us some useful info, or else we are just guessing.
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Original sequence settings:
720 x 480 NTSC DV 3:2
pixel aspect ratio: NTSC CCIR 601 – Anamorphic
Compressor: DV/DVC PRO NTSCCopied and pasted into letterboxed sequence:
Frame size, pixel aspect ratio, compressor – ALL
settings same as above except Anamorphic is unchecked.Looks good, aspect ratio fine, black bars on top and bottom.
Final step:
Export as Quicktime Movie
I tried Current settings, apple pro res, uncompressed, both anamorphic and not anamorphic, as well as custom 720 x 480.The resulting file is squeezed every single time.
iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0 -
Are you playing back the exported video in Quick Time Player?
Have you tried any other player?I have had issues with QT player not playing in correct aspect ratio earlier.
Try opening the file in MPEGStreamClip.
Which software are you using for MPEG-2 conversion?
Pradip Patil
Mumbai,India -
[david mayer] “The resulting file is squeezed every single time.”
Simplify, using this workflow:
Export from your original anamorphic sequence a Quicktime Movie, Current Settings. This file will be 720×480. That’s fine.
Take this file into Compressor.
Create your MPEG output setting (MPEG-2 I assume), and make sure that in the Geometry tab, you have Output Image Inset (Padding) set to 16×9.
You can check what this will look like when you apply your setting to your source file by looking at the Preview window and clicking the upper right button that says “Make size of window relative to setting’s dimensions and aspect ratio”.
Encode.
You will have a 720×480 resulting file with your 16×9 video as letterbox inside the 4×3 frame. -
Excellent idea!
iMac 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB
OS 10.6.2
Final Cut Pro 7.0
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