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Picture changes to anamorphic
I’m used to working only in 4:3 in Media 100 and am trying to learn FCP. I am very confused about sometimes the Canvas shows me 4:3 and sometimes anamorphic. This happens when I bring in something from Photoshop. I think I start with the same file and do it exactly the same way but it displays one way or the other. The latest event has me really confused. I have been working on two long show of concerts and suddenly I realize that one is 4:3 and the other is all anamorphic. Both show in the viewer 4:3 but one shows up thin in the Canvas. Not sure how this happened because I thought I did them exactly the same way. I bring them in via firewire from mini-DV tape in a Sony DRS-30 deck. I use DV-NTSC Easy Setup, DV NTSC 48 KHz capture preset, Firewire NTSC device control, and Apple Firewire NTSC (720×480) playback. All the clips in both shows appear in the Browser as 720×480.
Another problem. I haven’t copied them out to tape or DVD yet nor can I see them on my monitor, so I don’t know what they really look like out of Canvas. For some reason, I can’t view on my monitor anymore. For the record, I have trashed my preferences! Now I’ve changed the settings around so much fiddling and trying to figure this out that of course I am not sure what I’ve done. However, two things remain. The two shows look diffrent. I can’t see anything on my monitor. (Oh, yes, it works, I can see from Log and Capture and my deck plays on it. Also, it used to work. I’ve gone through the 14-point program recommended on the Cow–All Frames and all that–to no avail.)
Any ideas?
Susan
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6 Replies
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Square pixels. its in the scale window of the source/record viewers. You want to view non square. So you are going to uncheck View as Square Pixels
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Good idea, and perhaps you’ve nailed it! I certainly hope so, because it’s such a simple fix. Here is what I see. When “Show as square pixels” is unchecked, the picture looks like letterbax and is the one I’m concerned about. When the box IS checked, the image changes to a more square aspect, but still has small black bands at the top and bottom. Furthermore, the picture doesn’t quite fill the entire Canvas frame on the sides either. Perhaps this is not a problem, as the aspect looks right now. I also have “Fit to Window” checked for size, which is putting it at 46%. When I change it to 50%, the image fills the window with the slightest of black borders all the way around. Interestingly enough, the other show, the one that shows up correctly (and made very good DVDs), has the “Show as square pixels” box checked and at “Fit to Window” it perfectly fills the Canvas window.
Ithink you’ve solved my problem! so many thanks! I don’t know if I need to know why the two shows have slightly different sizes.
Now, if I could just figure out how to view this in my monitor, life would be sweet!
Susan
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If you uncheck view as sq pix you should be able to see it in your monitor. FCP has an issue with those pesky sq pix. As a rule if it looks ok in the Broadcast Monitor, it doesn’t matter what it looks like in the viewer. Remember TV pixles are non square. fit/fill to window is a good setting, I don’t normally pay attention, I just set it to 100% and non square, that way I know I have no distortions.
hope it helps
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if its not set right you won’t be able to see your video in the monitor.
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My Easy Setup is DV-NTSC. I still can’t see the picture in the monitor whether the sq pixels box is checked or not! I am wondering if I’ve got a flaw in the program. Partly because this seemed to start happening in the middle of this latest project and partly because sometimes when I check External Video>All Frames it is checked and sometimes it has reset itself to Off (without my turning FCP off and then back on). Also, when I click All Frames, I briefly see pixels for a flash of a picture and then the picture goes away. The flash is so brief, I can’t quite tell if the picture is of my current program frame or something else.
I appreciate your thoughts! Susan
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Depending on your video card you may have to switch to your capture card’s dv codec to view on an external monitor, this is what I have to do
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