Odd problem when importing Power Point slides into FCP

[Brad Elliott]

What size(pixel dimensions) does Final Cut say the slides are?
Are the slides being up-scaled and/or distorted in the sequence?
You can check this in the motion tab.

[Daniel Grixti]

Hi there,

Thanks for the prompt replies!

Actually, the slides started off as 4:3 (the resolution is 1440×1080). But when I import them to FCP they get stretched to 1920×1080. I can actually see the stretch.

Any ideas?

[Tom Matthies]

I’m guessing that Remove Attributes>Distort should work. Not in front of a machine right now.

E=MC2+/-2db

[Alan Okey]

I have seen the exact same behavior when importing 4:3 stills with the dimensions of 960×720. FCP apparently automatically flags 1440×1080, 1280×1080 and 960×720 stills as anamorphic, presumably because they match the dimensions of anamorphic video formats like DVCPRO HD and HDV. This automatic flagging happens regardless of sequence settings. If you switch the browser to list view and look at the pixel aspect ratio for your imported stills, it won’t be square pixels. I always work in full-raster HD ProRes sequences and FCP still flags the imported stills as anamorphic.

You can highlight all of your stills in list view in the browser and batch change them to square pixels, but there’s a second quirk: once you’ve corrected the pixel aspect ratio in the browser, if you simply drag from the browser directly to the timeline, the stills will maintain the proper 4:3 aspect ratio and be “pillarboxed” in the 16:9 sequence. However, if you first double-click on a still in the browser (opening it in the viewer), FCP will re-apply the anamorphic stretch to the still.

Unfortunately there is no way that I have found to defeat this behavior. The 1440×1080, 1280×1080 and 960×720 anamorphic flagging seems to be hard coded into the program. It’s pretty annoying, as I frequently edit 720p videos and need to edit in 4:3 960×720 slides, maintaining their proper aspect ratio.

You can do one of two things:

1. You can edit the imported stills into the sequence and then remove the scale and distort attributes for each still in the sequence

2. You can change the pixel aspect ratio of all imported stills to square, then drag them directly into the sequence when needed

I find either method to be a tiresome workaround, and I’m frustrated that there is no way to turn off the automatic anamorphic flagging of stills with dimensions of 1440×1080, 1280×1080 and 960×720. It’s a case of FCP being too smart for its own good.

[Matt M, pa]

I had a client request to make a PowerPoint that they supplied into something that would play back on a DVD.

I could not get a clean import into my version of FCP.

I found a program called Leawo that converts Powerpoints with all their animations, etc, to movie files of stills. Works on PCs. Cost about $70 and was downloadable.

I hate to buy programs if it’s not an often used program…but this was well worth it for me.

[Randolf Shanklemeyer]

In FCP 7 go to the browser and scroll over to the pixel aspect category. Right click on your imported Powerpoint slide file’s pixel aspect and change it to the native aspect (ie. 1440×1080, etc.) That will make it work fine in the viewer and the timeline.

[David White]

While I don’t want to be an X NaySayer… but Come the F*** on!

“I’m gonna change your image ratio cause I assume you’re stupid trying to import 4×3 images on a 16×9 production…. What were you thinking, you stupid human?”

macdavid777 – (STILL Hating the roll from 7 to X)